Domestic Violence: Tragedy and Hope

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Beginning with a discussion of the magnitude of the problem of domestic violence, the authors present a fictional narrative of "Suzanne," whose relationship with her intimate partner dissolves into abuse and violence, both physical and emotional. What follows is expert commentary on her story by law enforcement, a judge and former district attorney, victim advocate, therapist, and survivor, which provide a unique exploration of the tragedy of abuse and potential means by which it can be addressed. The main theme of the book is the tendency to "blame the victim" for staying in an abusive relationship and the need to understand why leaving can be so difficult and dangerous. “This book, DOMESTIC Tragedy and Hope, starts with a compelling domestic violence story. This book provides an analysis of the story by experienced and expert professionals from all the relevant fields to help us learn from the powerful story. I was especially interested in the law enforcement professional who said when police take a DV call the alleged abuser almost always lies. This interested me because family court professionals do not know what police experts know and so keep forcing children to live with abusers.” ~ Barry Goldstein, Author of The Quincy Stop Domestic Violence and save $500 Billion and Scared to Leave, Afraid to Paths from Family Violence to Safety “Professor Pilch and her collaborators capture the dynamics of domestic violence by presenting “Suzanne’s” case history, a composite, and then offering commentaries from the perspectives of psychology, law enforcement, victims’ advocacy, and the courts. The result is a heightened appreciation of the complexity of this “pandemic.... raging in our country” alongside COVID-19 and of how diverse causes and potential interventions intersect. Clearly written with minimal jargon, the book offers valuable insights both to professionals and to the broader public.” ~ David Price, U. S. House of Representatives “This book is hard to read. That is why we must read it and seek to understand. Years ago, I rode wearing a bulletproof vest with the DVERT group described in these pages to observe the innovative multi-disciplinary teamwork in use to address this unbelievable problem of abuse and violence. The experience changed me. I hope this book will change you if you are not familiar with the gravity of domestic violence and the hope we can bring with understanding and action. This book will make you think, offer hope, and hopefully drive action. Supporting action to combat this insidious violence is one of the most important things we individually and collectively can do. I commend the authors and recommend their work to you.” ~ Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Ph.D., Chancellor Emerita, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and President, CommuniCon, Inc.