Member Picks
by Leslie Morgan Steiner
If you and I met at one of our children's birthday parties, in the hallway at work, or at a neighbor's barbecue, you'd never guess my secret: that as a young woman I fell in love with and married a man who beat me regularly and nearly killed me...
by Eve Ensler
A poignant and hilarious tour of the last frontier, the ultimate forbidden zone, The Vagina Monologues is a celebration of female sexuality in all its complexity and mystery. In this stunning phenomenon that has swept the nation, Eve Ensler gives us real women's stories of intimacy, vulnerability, and sexual self-discovery.
by Vickie L. Evans
Know Your Worth! (Overcoming The Dragon of Low Self-Esteem!) is my personal memoir of my battle with low self-esteem (some of you could write your own book on this subject). Being a two-time divorcee prompted me to take inventory of my life, journeying back to my childhood, to find the root cause of my esteem issues, which affected my adult choices and decision-making process. Many may tend to believe that individuals with low self-esteem are non-functional and unsuccessful-walking around with their heads down-shiftless and non-productive. That is a false perception; some are entrepreneurs, politicians, CEOs, television/radio personalities, or even authors!
by Nancy Poling
Domestic violence, female friendship, and aging angst come together in this humorous, yet sad and empowering novel.
by Mildred Muhammad
In SCARED SILENT, Mildred shares her personal story to show how domestic violence devastates entire families, including the children, and hopes that what she reveals will give new insight on this national social ill.
What Can I Say When Words Escape Me, being present in times of sorrow
by Kathryn Williams
This soft-cover book offers a collection of writings and messages expressed for those who have experienced painful loss, separation or disappointment. It's a collection of inspirational writings, which reflect a union of beautiful, nature photography and encouraging words blended by a subtle hint of spirituality that will bring you comfort.
Published by Penguin Books
Novels that fill the silence that surrounds difficult topics. For young adults.
A Private Family Matter: A Memoir
by Victor Rivers
So begins Victor Rivas Rivers in this powerful chronicle of his escape from the war zone of domestic violence -- too often regarded as a "private family matter" -- and his journey toward independence, recovery, and renewal.
In A Private Family Matter, Victor recalls his days as an angry youth living under the rule and wrath of his father. A Cuban immigrant, Victor's dad was nicknamed El Ciclón for his tempestuous temperament, which led him not only to beat his wife but to abuse -- and eventually kidnap -- his own children. How Victor managed to seek help for his family and criminal punishment for his father, overcome his demons and learn to love himself, and share his experience with other victims and survivors of domestic abuse is at the heart of this profound and affecting memoir. Simon & Schuster
My Mother's Rules: A Practical Guide to Becoming an Emotional Genius
by Judge Lynn Toler
In this unique, profoundly inspirational memoir, Divorce Court star Judge Lynn Toler shares her mother’s wisdom for learning to conquer anger and become immune to insult. Toler credits her mother’s “rules” for life – a life that saw her grow up the daughter of a poor teen mother and endure a husband who suffered mental illness and alcoholism – with providing the grounding for her own success and happiness. Toler shows how the mindset of “a black woman who knew how to make things work” taught her the power of knowing how to manage one’s emotional business—lessons that this book offers in wrenching stories written in spare and graceful prose. My Mother’s Rules is an unforgettable book that will captivate readers with its illustrations of how to rise above the most difficult circumstances and find peace and success in life.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE, AND CHILD CUSTODY Legal Strategies and Policy Issues Edited
by Mo Therese Hannah, Ph.D. and Barry Goldstein, J.D
Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody presents insights and hands-on practice guidance from the leading experts on child custody cases that involve intimate partner violence and child abuse. Chapter authors address the prevalence of these problems, the complex reasons why protective mothers lose custody of their children, the things court agents and other professionals often do that contribute to bad outcomes, and the corrective measures that must be put into place to ensure legal protections for abused women and their children.
* Understand the harm caused by all types of abusive behavior, whether physical, verbal, financial, legal, or other forms.
* Guide the representation of protective mothers through research, case law, and consultation to improve case outcomes.
* Establish the paramount importance of children’s safety beyond all other priorities that may emerge in a child custody case.
* Provide judges with new insight into the dynamics of violence, recognize when experts and other types of witnesses are providing testimony based on myths, stereotypes, and discredited theories, and provide an empirically based, real-world rationale for orders emphasizing the safety of protective mothers and the accountability of batterers. ParentingNewsNetwork.com
The Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence
by Dr. Nicky Ali Jackson
The Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence is a modern reference from the leading international scholars in domestic violence research. This ground-breaking project has created the first ever publication of an encyclopedia of domestic violence. The primary goal of the Encyclopedia is to provide information on a variety of traditional, as well as breakthrough, issues in this complex phenomenon.
The coverage of the Encyclopedia is broad and diverse, encompassing the entire life span from infancy to old age. The entries include the traditional research areas, such as battered women, child abuse and dating violence. However, this Encyclopedia is unique in that it includes many under-studied areas of domestic violence, such as ritual abuse-torture within families, domestic violence against women with disabilities, pseudo-family violence and domestic violence within military families. It is also unique in that it examines cross-cultural perspectives of domestic violence.
One of the key special features in this Encyclopedia is the cross-reference section at the end of each entry. This allows the reader the ability to continue their research of a particular topic.
This book will be an easy-to-read reference guide on a host of topics, which are alphabetically arranged. Precautions have been taken to ensure that the Encyclopedia is not politically slanted; rather, it is hoped that it will serve as a basic guide to better understanding the myriad issues surrounding this labyrinthine topic.
Topics covered include: Victims of Domestic Violence; Theoretical Perspectives and Correlates to Domestic Violence; Cross-Cultural Perspectives and Religious Perspectives; Understudied Areas within Domestic Violence Research; Domestic Violence and the Law; and Child Abuse and Elder Abuse. Routledge
by Susan Murphy Milano
With the proliferation of deaths due to domestic violence, something has to be done, something different, and something effective. Susan Murphy-Milano, a 20 year veteran of family violence will be releasing her newest book, “Time’s Up” A Guide on How to Leave and Survive Abusive and Stalking Relationships, on April 12, 2010.
“Time’s Up” guides the victim towards safety by showing them the unseen pitfalls of leaving a violent relationship and how to navigate around them. “Time’s Up” also has explicit details and instructions how to fill out an “Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit”, one of the unique things that Murphy-Milano has created and used through the years in high danger cases which has saved the lives of many.
Imagine if Stacy Peterson, Lisa Stebic, Renee Pagel, Mary Jane Zich, Kelly Currin Morris, Mary Badaracco, Peggy Dianovsky, Kelliesue Ackernecht,Sandra Travis, Rachel Conger,Theresa Parker, or Renee Pernice had the opportunity to complete the Evidentiary Abuse Affidavit.....the offenders would be arrested and these cases would be resolved.
Susan Murphy-Milano is a specialist in family violence and works nationally with domestic violence programs, law enforcement and prosecutors providing technical and consulting services in “high risk” domestic violence and stalking related cases. Her principal objective is to intervene before a victim is seriously injured or killed.
Author of “Defending Our Lives” published by Doubleday, and “Moving Out Moving On: When a Relationship Goes Wrong,” Susan is the host of The Susan Murphy Milano Show and is also a contributor to “Time’s Up!” and “Women In Crime Ink” online. With co-stars, Dennis Griffin and Vito Colucci, Susan will be participating in the new television show, “Crime Wire” which will examine cases in which the investigations have left questions unanswered and possible criminal activity unexposed. SusanMurphyMilano.com