Brazil's innovative all-female police stations, installed as part of the return to civilian rule in the 1980s, mark the country's first effort to police domestic violence against women. Sarah J. Hautzinger's vividly detailed, accessibly written study explores this phenomenon as a window onto the shifting relationship between violence and gendered power struggles in the city of Salvador da Bahia. Hautzinger brings together distinct voices - unexpectedly macho policewomen, the battered women they are charged with defending, indomitable Bahian women who disdain female victims, and men who grapple with changing pressures related to masculinity and honor. What emerges is a view of Brazil's policing experiment as a pioneering, and potentially radical, response to demands of the women's movement to build feminism into the state in a society fundamentally shaped by gender.

This is really interesting and compelling book. Abrahams' writing style is readable and engaging and is interspersed with reference to research and powerfully, the words of women who have experienced domestic violence. Right from the beginning of this book, there are passages that challenge stereotypes and tackle stereotypical thinking regarding women who experience domestic violence... Very engaging, Really useful. Powerful and authoritative, I'd recommend this book to anyone working with women, whether in the community or the workplace. I have worked with a variety of groups (children, families, people with mental health problems, older people) and domestic violence has been a factor in working in all these areas of work. This text will certainly be useful to me and no doubt to many others addressing issues of domestic violence.' - Well-Being 'Abrahams gives us a sense of how lives are shattered and rebuilt in this compelling book that is the culmination of a research project exploring the experiences of women and children in three refuges in the UK... It is a key resource for those working within women's refuges, as well as for professionals whose work brings them into contact with victims of domestic violence. Those tasked with developing and implementing public policy would also find it enlightening.' - Therapy Today 'Compelling reading for anyone working with women and children living with and leaving domestic violence.' - From the Foreword by Cathy Humphreys Women who leave an abusive relationship often experience feelings of fear, bewilderment, anger and confusion. The trauma caused by domestic violence leaves a legacy that stays with the survivor, and it is not uncommon for women to experience feelings of loss and grief similar to those following bereavement, but made more complex by the effect that abuse has had on their emotional health and well-being. Supporting Women after Domestic Violence offers accessible advice on how to enable women who have experienced domestic violence to embark on a journey of recovery. The book draws on theory, original research and the personal experiences of women who have encountered domestic violence to explore the complex practical and emotional support they need when engaging in the process of recovery. It highlights the difficulties a victim of domestic violence may encounter following an abusive relationship, offers action points to improve service provision, and covers important issues in recovery, such as the value of mutual support and how women can regain a sense of normality and self-esteem. This book will be a key resource for those working within women's refuges, as well as social workers, counsellors, mental health professionals and many others whose work may bring them into situations where domestic violence is an issue.

Domestic violence is control by one partner over another in a dating, marital or live-in relationship. The means of control include physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse, threats and isolation. Survivors face many obstacles in trying to end the abuse in their lives. These obstacles include psychological and economic entrapment, physical isolation and lack of social support, challenges to religious and cultural values, fear of social judgement, threats and intimidation over custody or separation, immigration status or disabilities and lack of viable alternatives. Despite the vastness and power of these challenges most are able to overcome them because of increased public, legal and health care awareness and improved community resources that enable survivors to rebuild their lives. Domestic violence occurs in every culture, country and age group. It affects people from all socio-economic, educational and religious backgrounds and takes place in same sex as well as heterosexual relationships. Women with fewer resources or greater perceived vulnerability -- girls and those experiencing physical or psychiatric disabilities or living below the poverty line -- are at even greater risk for domestic violence and lifetime abuse. Children are also affected by domestic violence, even if they do not witness it directly. The book examines crucial issues in the field.

Almost ten years after its original publication, this ground-breaking and practical guide remains a wise, informed, and vital resource for those who want to assist a friend or loved one in her struggle to escape an abusive relationship. Susan Brewster, a longtime psychotherapist whose practice includes working with abused women and their families, recognizes that friends and family need specific tools and ideas to help them develop a relationship with their abused loved one that will ultimately benefit her, not control her.The survivor of an abusive relationship herself, Brewster teaches readers how to recognize the signs of abuse, handle negative feelings, become an effective advocate, deal with the abuser, and more. This compassionate book is just as timely and important as ever, offering the information needed to give strength to women who are trying to break free. Helping Her Get Free was previously published as To Be an Anchor in the Storm.

Running to stand still is moving testament to enduring love, the hazards of history, the telling of stories and the power of truth. The story begins in Ireland during the Second World War, where O'Riain tells an extraordinary tale of a family at war with one another and the violence that lurks behind their love. O'Riain, forbidden by his mother to join the Boy Scouts or the reserve national army, eventually puts on a uniform; the irregular uniform of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). A couple of spells in prison, a threat from a girlfriend, a daring run from the police and eventual capture, all combine and the early indications of a psychological split between the 'good' and 'bad' O'Riain, are made manifest. These are the threads that take the writer, O'Riain himself, to he present day, and to his search for a way of telling his story, and eventually telling the tale of his marriage to his beloved Verne. That begins one day, as O'Riain finds himself on a Johannesburg street, kicking his wife. He is forced to look at the 'other' O'Riain, the one who is a violent and abusive man. This is the story of his recovery, of Verne's trust and love and their mutual discovery of the roots of violence and provocation. By turns it is shocking and beguiling and the beauty of the writing only underscores the horror of the violence.

Learn how to help children cope with domestic violence! The Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Children examines the short- and long-term developmental issues facing children exposed to violence in their own homes. The book addresses the growing concern for children at risk of suffering psychological, behavioral, social, and educational problems, and for the effects childhood maltreatment may have on their adult lives. An interdisciplinary panel of researchers, academicians, attorneys, clinicians, and practitioners discuss treatment programs, theoretical perspectives, research and methodological issues, assessment and intervention, and forensic issues, including child custody. The Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Children addresses the emotional and behavioral disturbances children can suffer after being exposed to violence between their parents. It examines methodological and theoretical challenges, pilot programs for treatment, intervention models, therapeutic curricula, and family law. Practitioners and academics review dozens of studies, representative samples, probability samples, and research findings relating to children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors, adjustment difficulties, coping strategies. The book also examines: the association between emotional regulation and emotionality and marital and parent-child conflict in terms of children's adjustment and physical health how the experience of mothers in low-income families suffering severe physical abuse relates to children's behavior problems. how father-to-mother aggression reduces children's affinity with their parents problems of service delivery for battered mothers Canadian legislation involving wife abuse and child custody the well-being of families accessing treatment group interventions implemented in family agency and school settings how to develop interagency protocols and much more! The Effects of Intimate Partner Violence on Children is an essential resource for professionals, advocates, and practitioners who work with abused children and maltreating families.

Child Custody and Domestic Violence: A Call for Safety and Accountability focuses on the complexity of the challenges facing judges, lawyers, legislators, and mental health professionals in developing safe and effective strategies for resolving custody disputes. Jaffe, Lemon, and Poisson integrate the most recent clinical and legal issues in the field in considering the prevalence of divorce and domestic violence as well as the relevance of domestic violence in custody disputes. The authors outline the essential differences between custody disputes with and without allegations and findings of domestic violence, and the different analysis and distinct interventions by judges, policymakers, and mental health professionals necessary in domestic violence cases.

Legal and mental health professionals who provide services to divorcing parents will find this a much-needed reference, as will anyone whose life has been affected by child custody disputes and domestic violence.

"Evaluating Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault is a valuable resource not only for researchers and evaluators, but for service providers and funders as well. Written in clear, straightforward language, it addresses many complex factors that come in to play when conducting victim--service evaluations, including issues of safety and confidentiality. A great tool for anyone involved in the work to end violence against women."

--Edward Gondolf, author of Batterer Intervention Systems and Assessing Woman Battering in Mental Health Services

"A powerful and important book!...Dangerous Relationships could be a life saver."-Susan Forward, Therapist and Author, Men Who Hate Women & The Women Who Love Them and Toxic Parents"I would highly recommend this book to anyone who may be in a violent relationship, or to a relative or close personal friend who has concerns about the safety of someone they love."-Diane P. McGauley, Executive Director, The Family Place, Chair, Texas Council on Family ViolencePossessiveness, insensitivity, and a sudden personality change are all warning signs of a potential abuser. Dangerous Relationships will help readers recognize a potentially violent personality before it's too late. Interweaving real-life stories of four couples, Dr. Noelle Nelson highlights dangerous turning points in relationships and explains how readers can safely diffuse tension between their spouses, lovers, or roommate and protect themselves from abuse.

"Batterer Intervention Systems is a very important book--probably the most important one on batter interventions and evaluations to date.... The writing style is very strong, conversational, and kept my interest. It presents complex information in a non-technical way. The book should be very accessible to a wide audience."

?JEFFREY L. EDLESON, Professor of Social Work, University of Minnesota,

Representing an entirely new approach to domestic violence interventions, this book is based on data accumulated by the authors over the past 12 years from a series of qualitative studies, clinical practice with battered women and their batterers, and as champions of the cause of battered women. After 25 years, practitioners in the field are starting to question the original models of intervention. Both types of practitioners and settings for service are expanding rapidly. The approach advocated in this book is likely to become an important part of a new wave of alternatives available to practitioners in the coming years.

This accessible, practical volume describes and analyzes the experience of violence in dyadic life by focussing on couples who choose to remain together in spite of violence, while trying to make sense of a life in the shadow of pain, guilt, terror, and humiliation.

This volume has been developed by Gerry Heery through his independent work in this area. It is intended for those men who are beginning to realise that they have a problem with their behaviour and who are motivated to engage in a challenging programme of change. It has been designed in co-operation with other agencies working with the victims of domestic violence, and has incorporated the views of women who have experienced this behaviour.;The first part of the book outlines the values upon which the programme rests - the belief that adult education and greater self-awareness can assist people to make positive changes in their lives. The second part is a practical guide to implementing the PVR programme. It contains detailed outlines of the 26 sessions of the one year programme, offering a practical structured way of working with controlling and abusive men, and examples of sessions from the programme.;This is a realistic, honest and practical book, which should be useful tool for anyone working with controlling and violent men and their partners.

?This engaging and compassionate book provides a hopeful and helpful perspective for trauma survivors. Cameron''s documentation of her extensive and innovative research with childhood abuse survivors is also a gift to the field of traumatic stress. She captures the experiences of her research participants-? including the challenging and significant domain of losing and regaining memory? in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Trauma survivors, counselors, and researchers will find in Resolving Childhood Trauma new information, humanity, wisdom, and hope.? ?Jennifer J. Freyd, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon ?Cameron?s book provides the reader with an unusual depth of information about the long-term course of recovery from childhood sexual abuse. Her findings are rich and detailed, and offer a wealth of information about the process of healing, and about the power of ending silence. Well worth reading, particularly for the therapist new to the treatment of sexual abuse survivors.? ?Laura S. Brown, Ph.D., Independent Practice, Seattle, Washington ?It took me longer to read this book than any of the hundreds I have reviewed! Not because it is dense or difficult to read, but because of the emotional intensity and power of the topic and its level-headed, balanced presentation. Kudos to the author! She has done a thorough piece of significant research and this book can make an enormous contribution to both professional and lay readers.? ?Barbara F. Okun, Ph.D., Professor of Counseling Psychology, Northeastern University "Resolving Childhood Trauma is an insightful integration of theory and practice for clinicians who treat abuse survivors. Catherine Cameron, through her clinical experience and research, offers the reader a greater understanding of the impact of child sexual abuse and the trauma accommodation syndrome. I highly recommend this volume to clinicians and researchers interested in a better understanding of efforts toward resolving childhood trauma." ?Thomas W. Miller Ph.D. ABPP, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky and Professor of Education and Psychology at Murray State University ?Catherine Cameron?s longitudinal, interview study of 51 childhood incest survivors presents extraordinary resources for us survivors from the dark realms. . . . This intimate, scientific portrait can assist CSA survivors in making sense of their own situation and planning a productive course of actions. Cameron has a special gift for naming the unspoken and capturing it with familiar methodology. Survivors of CSA can find in Cameron?s book the means to recover their social dignity and to meet their abusers at eye level, with equanimity.? ?Jean Maria Arrigo, Ph.D., Social Psychologist Can survivors of severe childhood trauma reclaim their lives as adults? Social psychologist Catherine Cameron addresses this question in a unique 12-year study of adult survivors of sexual abuse. Five successive surveys combine the richness of intensive personal interviews with objective measures of progress. Fifty-one women were consistently faithful to the project, as Cameron sought to understand their early trauma, its lasting impact, and to monitor their progress toward recovery. A final survey (1998) provided the epilogue for their story. As the new millennium dawns, these survivors have become strong, vital, and caring women. They have also provided valuable information, with implications far beyond themselves. Cameron grounds their personal stories by citing stunning parallels to the larger field of national and international trauma. The result is a compelling and deeply human story of trauma and triumph that transcends narrow application. It promotes understanding, dignity, and hope for all survivors traumatized by human design.

While a great deal has been written about domestic violence, almost all of it focuses on the violence of men against their current or former wives or girlfriends. Yet studies have shown that partner abuse is common and as severe among same-sex couples as among heterosexual couples. After years of willful or negligent silence, the gay/lesbian/bisexual communities, the battered women?s communities, academicians, and even portions of the general public are beginning to realize that same-sex domestic violence is a serious social and public health issue.

Unfortunately, the social worker, lawyer, mental health professional, police officer, teacher, or lay person who seeks to assist victims of same-sex domestic violence quickly discovers the dearth of written resource material available. There are very few books and only a smattering of articles that focus on same-sex domestic violence. Most of these works deal either with lesbian or gay male abuse, but not both at once. Moreover, most of these works are devoted to explaining the fact of same-sex domestic violence, rather than discussing strategies for addressing it on both the individual and societal level.

This book examines a broad range of issues that confront victims of same-sex domestic violence, whether women or men, and those who offer them services. The goal is to provide a comprehensive resource book consisting of chapters by prominent professionals and activists on topics of practical concern to people who work with victims of same-sex partner abuse, Topics such as HIV, and same-sex domestic violence, establishing safe-home networks for battered gay men, courtroom advocacy, coalition building, and sexual and dating violence prevention. In each chapter, authors are sensitive and responsive to multicultural issues and to broad issues of social oppression and avoid "one-size-fits-all" assumptions and conclusions.

This book provides a comprehensive guide to the development of a coordinated community response to domestic violence based on the internationally known "Duluth Model." Drawing from the experiences of practitioners, scholars, and researchers in the field, this book provides rich insights into the complexities and challenges of addressing domestic violence. Eight key components of a successful community intervention project are addressed in separate chapters:

- Developing policies and protocols

- Enhancing networking among service providers

- Building monitoring and tracking systems

- Developing a supportive infrastructure for victims

- Providing sanctions and rehabilitation opportunities

- Addressing the needs of children

- Evaluating the effectiveness of community response

Other chapters discuss types of violence that have been most difficult to address in providing a community response, the use of violence by women, and marital rape. Replication and adaptation in different countries (England, Australia, and New Zealand) are the focus of two chapters that lend an international perspective. This book provides the answers about what is indeed the "Duluth Model."

• What are the roots of violence between spouses?
• What do we know about the precursors of wife battering?
• Who are the victims of domestic abuse?

This book discusses causes and precursors of violence, exploring the psychological characteristics of perpetrators of violence, and describing and evaluating potential responses to it. Each chapter contributes to the reader?s understanding of violence in intimate relationships. Part I establishes the "what" and the "who" of violence; Part II examines the interpersonal and situational context that may contribute to violent interaction, or the "how" and "why" that underlie violent interactions; and Part III provides an account of what happens to victims as a result of physical and psychological abuse and how relationships change following violent interactions. The book provides an up-to-date supplemental textbook for courses on a variety of disciplines that deal with violence between spouses and intimate spouses.

CONTRIBUTORS: S. Oskamp, X. B. Arriaga, M. A. Straus, A. Holtzworth-Munroe, J. C. Meehan, K. Herron, G. L. Stuart, D. G. Dutton, S. A. Lloyd, K. E. Leonard, I. Arias, P. W. Sharps, J. Campbell, T. N. Bradbury, & E. Lawrence

The first edition of this book was also the first volume in the Issues in Children?s and Families? Lives book series. Like the others in the series, this volume is devoted to issues affecting children and their families. The decision to devote the first volume to family violence was made because it was recognized that violence remains one of the major factors undermining the quality of family life, especially for women and children. It can be acknowledged that there has been some progress in the areas of social policy and clinical practice and yet the number of individuals and families affected by violence is still at an alarming level. The chapters in this second edition testify to the ongoing expansion of knowledge in the field of family and intimate violence. They attempt to summarize some of the best of current scholarship conducted by family violence researchers. Several chapters address issues of prevention, treatment, and intervention services. The contributors are all leaders in the field and reflect a variety of disciplines and different approaches. The diverse perspectives brought to bear on the subject by professionals from a range of disciplines add to the richness of this volume.

"Battered Women, Children, and Welfare Reform provides an invaluable service for those interested in the realities of reform efforts. The text?s four parts place many realities in perspectives, identify gaps in reform efforts, and map alternative paths to reform. The text undeniably bridges several disciplines and policy areas that others typically address separately. The reader most likely will remain impressed with the text?s compelling, clear voice in an era of policy making in which agreement seems assumed and the proper direction for reform remain uncontested." --Journal of Marriage and the Family "The historical role of welfare in helping women free themselves from domestic abuse and children from child abuse has long been obscured. Despite its many flaws, welfare offers women a lifeline with which to climb out of an abusive relationship, and the repeal of welfare threatens to chain abused women and children to their abusers. This important and pioneering collection explores the connections between welfare and family violence, and it should be read by all concerned with women?s and children?s welfare." --Linda Gordon, University of Wisconsin, Madison "Ruth Brandwein has brought together a series of essays that analyze the intersection between domestic violence against women, poverty, and welfare cutbacks. Together the essays make clear that while poverty contributes to abuse, so does abuse perpetuate poverty. Moreover, the policies introduced under the banner of ?welfare reform? are likely to further endanger women who are already acutely vulnerable, both by introducing new occasions and provocations for abuse, and by reducing the scanty economic protections that welfare once provided. A fine book about an enormously important issue." --Frances Fox Piven, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology, City University of New York "This book hits squarely the RISKS that accompany welfare (and systems) reform, not debating the need for reform, but the DANGERS to spouses within the current system and in the approaches that ?experts,? who frequently have no clue about their clients, present as further abuse in the name of reform and cost-saving." --The World Pastoral Care Center Resources Hotline ?99, June 1999 This tightly edited book links two timely topics -- domestic violence and welfare reform. Developed by leading interdisciplinary academics, practitioners, advocates, and policymakers, Battered Women, Children, and Welfare Reform explores various threads that tie family violence to welfare. Chapters examine how public assistance can provide the financial support necessary for escaping domestic violence; how batterers restrict their partner?s job and educational opportunities, preventing them from leaving the welfare rolls; how child support regulations require disclosure of information that may increase the danger of family violence; and how child abuse is linked to the need for welfare. A key chapter, written by survivors of abuse who were also welfare recipients, completes this much needed addition to the sparse literature and research available on the connection between family violence, child support, child abuse, and welfare. The macro approach of this book lends insights that will assist practitioners in understanding their clients? objective reality. In addition, academics involved in law, social work, public policy, public administration, and women?s studies will appreciate this unique study.

Evidence is mounting that animal abuse, frequently embedded in families scarred by domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, often predicts the potential for other violent acts. As early intervention is critical in the prevention and reduction of aggression, this boo encourages researchers and professionals to recognize animal abuse as significant problem and a human public-health issue that should be included as a curriculum topic in training. The book is an interdisciplinary sourcebook of original essays that examines the relations between animal maltreatment and human interpersonal violence, expands the scope of research in this growing area, and provides practical assessment and documentation strategies to help professionals confronting violence do their jobs better by attending to these connections. This book brings together, for the first time, all of the leaders in this emerging field. They examine contemporary research and programmatic issues, encourage cross-disciplinary interactions, and describe innovative programs in the field today. The book also includes vivid first-person accounts from "survivors" whose experiences included animal maltreatment among other forms of family violence.

How can the health care system be transformed from a site of further victimization to a place of sanctuary and empowerment for battered women and their children? Empowering Survivors of Abuse provides nurses, physicians, social workers, and public health professionals with the skills needed to effectively intervene in cases of domestic violence. This comprehensive yet accessible volume contains an excellent compilation of original research along with clinical, policy, and educational applications to guide the reader toward an understanding of abused womenÆs experience. Empowering Survivors of Abuse is one of the first books to address issues and interventions specific to abused women of special populations including chapters on adolescent, African American, Native American, Hispanic, migrant, and rural women. Strategies for violence prevention, early identification, clinical interventions, and policy reformation are vital topics covered by contributors who are directly involved, on a daily basis, with victims of interpersonal violence. An invaluable addition to the scholarly-based, practical literature, Empowering Survivors of Abuse is relevant to a variety of readers in the fields of nursing, mental health, criminal justice, and social work. This book is also a must-have for shelter and system advocates, policy makers, and health planners as well as advanced students in these areas.

Providing an arresting and readable overview of family violence, Understanding Family Violence presents a thorough exploration of the major types of family violence and details the range of abusive behaviors perpetrated within family systems. Author Vernon R. WieheÆs extensive study of family violence includes partner abuse in gay and lesbian relationships, battered husbands, sibling abuse, marital rape, response patterns of battered women, the cycle of violence, preconditions of child sexual abuse, emotional abuse, effects of abuse on victims, treatment of offenders, and much more. Case vignettes are used effectively throughout this text to describe violent events and to illustrate the victimsÆ experience and perception of the abuse. Focusing on prevention and intervention, chapters delineate reasons that various types of abuse continue, suggest how different types of violent behavior may be treated, and recommends prevention strategies. In addition, the author has created a comprehensive and cohesive volume by carefully defining terms at the beginning of each chapter and offering summarizing remarks, valuable references, and suggested readings at the conclusion of each chapter. Understanding Family Violence translates theory and research into a practical format, easily accessible to undergraduate and graduate students in areas including psychology, counseling, sociology, social work, nursing, family studies, and pastoral counseling. While the book is an overview and not intended as a "how-to" book, any practitioner engaged in an empirically based practice will find Vernon R. WieheÆs insight invaluable.

Designed specifically for undergraduate students, Issues in Intimate Violence provides a comprehensive and accessible anthology that prepares the foundation for understanding a wide range of violence that commonly occurs in families and between intimates. This collection of 22 scholarly yet readable chapters represents a variety of disciplines from both a theoretical and an applied approach. Many articles offer a feminist perspective that addresses the gendered nature of violence and the consequences of power inequality in our society. Created to make learning about intimate violence an accessible and cohesive process, each section is introduced by editor Raquel Kennedy Bergen and concludes with discussion questions.

A variety of violence topics are included:

• Child abuse

• Incest

• Violence in heterosexual dating relationships

• Violence in gay and lesbian relationships
• Acquaintance rape
• Wife abuse and wife rape
• Elder abuse

While primarily directed to undergraduate students, this book is also well-suited for similar courses at the graduate level and will appeal to anyone working with survivors of intimate violence as well as the interested lay reader.

A key text examining family violence and its effects on children, The Impact of Family Violence on Children and Adolescents presents various definitions of family violence, along with various theories for the origin of the problem. Authors Javad H. Kashani and Wesley D. Allan discuss different types of intrafamilial violence and the effects of each on youngsters. The book then takes up the phenomenon from a cross-cultural perspective, exploring family violence in non-Western contexts. Finally, the authors offer intervention and prevention strategies (clinical and legal) and suggest future directions for research. Examining this crucial topic from a variety of perspectives, The Impact of Family Violence on Children and Adolescents will be essential reading for those in the fields of clinical/counseling psychology, developmental psychology, nursing, behavioral psychology, social work, health services and family studies.

Since 1974 the abundance of articles and books published on family violence has heightened the awareness of the scope and significance of this problem. Now, a comprehensive interdisciplinary review of this literature synthesizes the past 20 years of accumulated research on partner violence. Summarizing the major findings of vast research on family violence, this book delineates the strengths and limitations of that research and makes practical recommendations for future research and current practice. Issues of prevention, intervention, treatment, and empirically based recommendations for response to partner violence are included. Skillfully edited by Jana L. Jasinski and Linda M. Williams, Partner Violence includes seven chapters written by notable scholars in the family violence field: David Finkelhor, Sherry Hamby, Glenda Kaufman Kantor, Patricia Mahoney, Jean Giles-Sims, Murray A. Straus, Carolyn West, and Janis Wolak. Easily accessible, Partner Violence makes an excellent text choice for family violence courses. This extensive volume covers critical aspects, including chapters on the following topics:

- Marital rape

- The effects of partner violence on children

- Partner violence among same sex couples

- Partner violence in ethnic minority couples

This up-to-date text provides a resource that is essential for students, researchers and practitioners in all fields concerned with family violence.

Addressing a significant void in the extant literature on the topic of domestic violence, Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System presents a thorough and arresting look at the experiences of battered women in rural communities. While living in the rural areas of Kentucky, Neil Websdale conducted his ethnographic research, and he situated the voices of rural battered women at the center of his ethnography. He clearly demonstrates how rural patriarchy and the insidious "good ol? boy network" of law enforcement and local politics sustain and reproduce the subordinate, vulnerable, isolated position of many rural women. Taking into account that traditional patterns of intervention can often put women in isolated communities at further risk, the author recommends a coordinated multiagency approach to rural battering that is spearheaded by state feminist agencies. The chapter on the difficulties of an educated male researcher working with rural battered women offers a definite methodological plus. Illuminating and accessible, Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System makes a most important and timely contribution to the field.

An excellent training resource for anyone working with battered women, especially in rural areas, Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System is highly recommended for law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, practitioners, advocates, shelter personnel, and advanced students in related courses of study, as well as academics and researchers.