Running Head: CRITICAL BOOK ANALYSIS
Critical Book Analysis - ‘Crazy Love’ By Leslie Morgan Steiner
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CRITICAL BOOK ANALYSIS
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Critical Book Analysis - ‘Crazy Love’ By Leslie Morgan Steiner
Introduction
‘Crazy love’ by Leslie Morgan Steiner is a memoir and a whirlwind romance that talks
about love and domestic violence. It vividly recounts her sentimental and sad journey in an
abusive relationship. It is based on her experiences in her first marriage, and the story takes place
in Washington, DC. She explains her story with transparency and dignity, giving readers a vivid
picture of what it feels like to experience this type of abuse.
Summary of the Content
At the age of 22, Steiner seemed to have a perfect life; a Harvard diploma, a glamorous
apartment in downtown New York City, had secured a job at the seventeen magazines and
recovered from alcoholism that was spread in her family. She also had a handsome, street smarts
and a funny boyfriend who loved her. However, despite all the successes, she still had dark
secrets, having fallen in love with the wrong man.
She graduated from Harvard University before meeting Conor, her ex-husband, and later
studied at the Wharton School of Business. She was an educated woman who believed in
progress. At their wedding, she asked the pastor to remove the word ‘obey’ in their wedding
vows. Being well-educated and unique, she opted to ask her University Professor to draft an
article about domestic violence and researched journals pertaining to the same. This is contrary
to the belief that most women experiencing domestic violence are uneducated or economically
unstable. Her story reminds us that domestic abuse can happen to anyone regardless of
socioeconomic status.
CRITICAL BOOK ANALYSIS
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Everything seemed perfect, but it drastically changed when they started having fights.
Her ex-husband pushed her down the stairs of their house, choked her during one of their
arguments, and even threatened to kill her with a gun. Steiner narrates one episode where she
was dressing for an important job interview, and her husband poured coffee over her hair. Every
time she was struck by Conor, she found reasons to justify it because she was deep in denial in
vulnerability. She even gave up her job and moved with him to Chicago to pursue MBAs. She
even went to the extent of getting financial debt to support them as Conor became more violent
and demanding. However, as these attacks increased with time, she kept losing a piece of herself.
Despite what Steiner was going through, she still loved her husband with the hope that
things would get better. Her ex-husband, like many abusers, was raised in a hostile environment
that involved physical abuse. Steiner felt the need to give him love that he never got from his
family due to his difficult childhood. In the book, she clearly stated that she wanted to save him
from his past as well as reform him to be a better person. One of her professors advised that
“Leaving is actually the best way for her to help the batterer, and our society because she is
letting him and the world know that what he has done is wrong and totally
unacceptable.”(Steiner, 242). The professor also told her that leaving the relationship would be a
way to make her husband realize that being violent is his fault and that he was the only one to
blame for his behavior.
After several years of experiencing mental and physical trauma, she finally decided it
would be the last time Conor would beat her. The final beating dissolved all her denials, and she
realized that she would die if she tolerated his behavior further. So, after careful consideration
and carefully thinking of what was best for both of them, she decided to remove herself from the
relationship since it was hurting them both.
CRITICAL BOOK ANALYSIS
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Evaluation/critique
From the book, it is sound to deduce that most women who go through the same things
Steiner experienced find it hard to walk away because they think they can change their abusers.
Women often see themselves as caregivers and have hopes that they can rescue their batterers.
On the other hand, men like Conor isolate themselves from family, friends, and other helpful
sources, making it hard to deliver them. As Leslie pointed out, women going through domestic
violence do not need lectures on their morals as feminists; rather, they need courageous people to
be around them.
‘Crazy love’ is an interesting book that is compulsively readable. It is an easy book to
understand as Steiner opens up her life to the readers by giving details about what she went
through in her abusive marriage. It leaves the readers with the question of why she did not walk
out of her marriage yet was a strong, educated, and financially stable woman. We did not expect
her to be a trapped spouse or even fit that stereotype based on socioeconomic status. She was
privileged to support herself and did not have children to worry about; therefore, it is difficult to
understand why she tolerated such violence.
Some of Leslie’s strengths, as brought out in the book, are kind, funny, smart, brave,
beautiful, and bright woman who did not consider herself a victim of domestic violence. Despite
everything she went through, she still wanted to see the best in Conor. She courageously shows
other women how independence feels and the happiness that can come from it. It is brave of her
to be frank about her heartbreaking past and giving hope that there is always light at the end of
the tunnel. Her story is a proof that love sometimes can become so strong such that it can kill
you.
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I would recommend this book to other people because it is a gripping story of love and its
dreadful underside. It shows how love can turn into violence, ways in which a woman can tell
she is at risk and other marriage questions are elegantly addressed in the book. Her transition
from love to fear to sanity is a lesson to all women. She shows us with clarity the two scenarios
of how crazy can both be good and something to refrain from. Steiner in Crazy love reminds us
that bad behavior can be explained but not tolerated or excused. Instead of blaming one another,
the useful option is to let go of situations that hold us back or dehumanizes us.
Conclusion
To sum up, ‘Crazy love’ by Leslie Morgan Steiner reminds us how marriages can turn
from mere fights to full physical war between partners over a short period. It warns women in the
society to be vigilant when choosing their spouses, have financial control over their money, get
educated on aspects of marriage and always have an alternative exit strategy. They should also
not stay in abusive relationships in the love or hope of transforming their battlers. They should
always mind their emotional, physical and emotional well-being because abusive relationships
can be abusive. Additionally, seeking guidance from family, peers and professionals is a good
way to know the best direction to take in case they experience what Steiner did.
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Reference
Leslie Morgan Steiner (2010). Crazy Love.