Battered Women: Living With the Enemy

by Anna Kosof

Domestic violence is reaching epidemic proportions. How can it be stopped? How can a young woman avoid being caught in an abusive relationship? The author has interviewed women who lived with violent men-- husbands, fathers of their children, sweethearts-- and through the women's own words, we learn about such relationships. Although the extreme violence only surfaces over time, the warning signs are there from the beginning. Included in this book are attitudes and behaviors of men that can lead to future abuse. Young women who are dating can learn from the experiences of these battered women.

110 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Rishabh DC Jain]

Some books inform.
Some disturb.
A rare few force the reader to confront society's quietest hypocrisies.

Battered Women belongs firmly to the third category.
This is not a sensational account of cruelty nor an academic dissection of crime statistics. Instead, it is a sober, unsettling exploration of domestic abuse as a social structure, one that has existed across centuries, cultures and legal systems. What makes the book powerful is not merely it's stories, but the uncomfortable clarity, with which it dismantles the myths that allow abuse to survive.

I explored the following thought lines through the book, which are chapters in their own expression.

- The Epidemic hidden inside homes
- They Myths that protect abuse
- The Slow birth of abuse
- Abuse is learned early
- Who are the Batterers?
- Law, Justice, and the Limits of Protection
- When Victims fight back
- The Impact on Children
- The Equality Wheel: A Blueprint for Healthy Relationships

It is not an easy book, but an essential one.
It exposes the cultural myths that sustain abuse while also offering frameworks for healthier relationships. For readers willing to confront difficult realities, it is an edifying and deeply thought-provoking work.

p.s. A sobering reminder that love should never require fear!