Books related to Domestic Violence and Family Abuse
(Alphabetical by Author)
The Batterer as Parent: Addressing the Impact of Domestic Violence on
Family Dynamics
By Lundy Bancroft and Jay G. Silverman
The Batterer as Parent takes a look at the environment that battering men create for their children. It shows how partner abuse affects each relationship in a family and explains how children’s emotional recovery is linked to the healing and empowerment of their mothers.
When Dad Hurts Mom: Helping Your Children Heal the Wounds of
Witnessing Abuse
By Lundy Bancroft
When Dad Hurts Mom reveals how abusers interact with and manipulate their children, what children learn from this behavior and how it affects their emotions, behaviors and belief systems, and how mothers can protect their children and help them recover from the trauma of witnessing abuse.
Why Does He Do That?
Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
By Lundy Bancroft
Why Does He Do That explains how to improve, survive or leave an abusive relationship.
It describes the early warning signs of domestic violence, ten abusive personality types, the role of drugs and alcohol, what can and can not be fixed and how to get out of a relationship safely.
The Domestic Violence Sourcebook
By Dawn Bradley Berry
The Domestic Violence Sourcebook is a comprehensive guide that explains the dynamics involved in domestic violence, how violence affects children and adolescents, domestic violence and the law and what works to reduce and prevent domestic violence. It offers practical information about safety planning and resources
In the Fig Tree: Surviving Domestic Violence in Words and Pictures
Edited by Grace Coleman, Amanda Denman, and John Chapin, Ph.D.
In the Fig Tree is a collection of poems and stories written by survivors of domestic abuse. It captures the impact that violence has had on the women’s lives.
Folwell
Suggested Reading
2009

It’s My Life Now: Starting Over After an Abusive Relationship or
Domestic Violence
By Meg Kennedy Dugan, M.A. and Roger R. Hock Ph.D.
It’s My Life Now offers encouragement and practical advice to women who seek to repair their self-esteem, assess their safety and move on to better lives. It guides survivors through the process of healing from an abusive relationship.
The Batterer, A Psychological Profile
By Donald G. Dutton Ph.D.
The Batterer discusses why men abuse women and what can be done about it. It answers questions regarding what abusive men have in common, how are they different from other men, what causes men to be abusive and whether or not a cure is possible.
The Domestic Assault of Women
By Donald G. Dutton, Ph.D.
The Domestic Assault of Women provides a comprehensive look at the causes and effects of wife assault. It explores the psychology of the male who assaults his intimate partner and the dynamics of the victim/abuser relationship.
The Abusive Personality: Violence and Control in Intimate Relationships
By Donald G. Dutton
The Abusive Personality demonstrates that intimate partner abuse by men is more than just a learned pattern of behavior – it has a lot to do with a particular personality configuration.
Empowering and Healing the Battered Woman
By Mary Ann Dutton
Empowering and Healing the Battered Woman takes professionals who already have a knowledge base of battered women, as well as those who do not, through the steps of understanding and effectively intervening to assist women in increasing their safety, empowering them mentally and helping them to heal.
Getting Out: Life Stories of Women Who Left Abusive Men
By Ann Goetting
Getting Out tells how sixteen women left their abusers. It recounts not only the stories of their abuse, but also the women’s life histories leading up to the battering and the resources they drew upon to escape.
Beyond Anger, A Guide for Men
By Thomas J. Harbin, Ph.D.
Beyond Anger helps men understand their anger, and it explains how angry men can negatively affect family, friends and co-workers. The author offers exercises that will help men control their violent feelings, identify when and why they get angry and to form new habits to prevent anger before it starts
Folwell
Suggested Reading
2009
2

Making an Impact – Children and Domestic Violence: A Reader
By Marianne Hester, Chris Pearson and Nicola Harwin
Making and Impact-Children and Domestic Violence provides an overview of research on domestic violence and its consequences for children.
Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic
Violence
By David Island, Ph.D. and Patrick Letellier, M.A.
Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them explains domestic violence in gay relationships. It provides an explanation of what gay men’s domestic violence is and is not, the profiles of batterers and victims, the difficulties that victims have in getting out of relationships with violent men and how to help a friend of family member who wants to leave or has left a violent man.
Child Custody and Domestic Violence
By Peter G. Jaffe.; Nancy K. D. Lemon; Samantha E. Poisson
Child Custody and Domestic Violence outlines the essential differences between custody disputes with and without allegations and findings of domestic violence, and the different analyses and distinct interventions by judges, policymakers and mental health professionals necessary in domestic violence cases.
Next Time She’ll Be Dead
By Ann Jones
Next Time She’ll Be Dead explains the dynamics involved in domestic violence, and it offers specific suggestions for what the criminal justice system, medical and mental health establishments, schools, clergy, the media and every one of us can do to acknowledge and champion the right of women to be free from bodily harm.
Defending Our Lives: Getting Away from Domestic Violence and Staying Safe
By Susan Murphy-Milano
Defending our Lives explains what domestic violence is, how to deal with the police and enlist their help, how to make the decision to leave, what steps to take during the actual move, how to navigate the legal system and how to ensure the safety of one’s children.
This book also suggests ways that family members and friends can help.
Information Every Woman Should Have: Domestic Violence Handbook
By Catherine Paris
Information Every Woman Should Have contains information about the various forms of domestic violence, actual stories from survivors and a directory of approximately 200 domestic violence shelters. This book helps women understand domestic violence and how they can get themselves out of an abusive situation.
Folwell
Suggested Reading
2009
3

Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships
Edited by Claire M. Renzetti and Charles Harvey Miley
Violence in Gay and Lesbian Domestic Partnerships recognizes and addresses domestic violence within gay and lesbian relationships. It takes a look at the social service needs of gay and lesbian domestic violence victims and perpetrators.
A Place for Starr: A Story of Hope for Children Experiencing
Family Violence
By Howard Schor
A Place for Starr is a fiction story that can be used as a therapeutic tool with children who experience family violence.
Latinas’ Narratives of Domestic Violence: Discrepant Versions of Violence
By Shonna L. Trinch
This book discusses domestic violence in the lives of Latina women, including the truth about domestic violence, the protective order process and receiving help from social services agencies
The Battered Woman
By Lenore E.A. Walker
The Battered Woman explains the psychology of the battered woman, including the cycle of violence, coercive techniques used in battering relationships and steps to take when leaving an abusive relationship.
Family and Friends Guide to Domestic Violence: How to Listen, Talk and
Take Action when Someone You Care About Is Being Abused
By Elaine Weiss, Ed.D.
Family and Friends Guide to Domestic Violence explains it all – the dynamics involved in domestic violence, the abusive personality, how to talk and listen to someone involved in a domestic violence relationship and how to take action. The book contains checklists for the warning signs of domestic abuse, safety planning and judging the danger level of an abuser.
Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free
By Elaine Weiss
Surviving Domestic Violence tells the stories of twelve women. Each was a victim of domestic violence, and each left her abuser and reconstructed her life. This book is intended to encourage and inspire hope in those who have left an abusive relationship and those who have yet to leave.
Folwell
Suggested Reading
2009
4

Not to People Like Us: Hidden Abuse in Upscale Marriages
By Susan Weitzman, Ph.D.
Not to People Like Us discusses domestic violence in upscale marriages, including the early warning signs, the internal dilemmas and decisions and the desire to cover-up abuse and maintain appearances. This book also helps all women find their way out of abusive relationships.
Violence in the Lives of Black Women: Battered, Black and Blue
Edited by Carolyn M. West, Ph.D.
This book explores violence as it occurs in the lives of black women. It offers an overview of violence, the various types of violence and how to break free of an abusive relationship
When Violence Begins at Home: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Ending Domestic Abuse
By K.J. Wilson, Ed.D.
When Violence begins at home addresses the needs of multiple audiences, including battered women from various backgrounds, teenaged victims of dating violence, family members or friends of victims, educators, community leaders and the batterers themselves. This book educates about the dynamics involved in domestic violence, and it offers a list of resources that provide help for anyone interested in this issue.
Suggested Reading: Non-Physical Abuse
The Emotionally Abused Woman
By Beverly Engel, M.F.C.C.
The Emotionally Abused Woman explains how to recognize and understand the abusers in your life, identify the patterns that have kept you emotionally trapped, decide whether or not to leave an abusive relationship and how to heal the damage caused by emotional abuse by building self-esteem.
Encouragements for the Emotionally Abused Woman
By Beverly Engel, M.F.C.C.
Encouragements for the Emotionally Abused Woman shares quotes, insights, feelings and suggestions of emotionally abused women. It is intended to offer hope and encouragement, and to help emotionally abused women grow stronger
The Verbally Abusive Relationship
By Patricia Evans
The Verbally Abusive Relationship describes verbal abuse, and explores the damaging effects of verbal abuse on children and the family. It offers insight and recommendations to therapists, and to those who seek therapeutic support.
Folwell
Suggested Reading
2009
5

Controlling People
By Patricia Evans
Controlling People tackles the “controlling personality,” and reveals how and why these people try to run other people’s lives. It unravels the behaviors that plague both the controller and the victim, and it explains the compulsions that make them continue this behavior.
Verbal Abuse: Healing the Hidden Wound
By Grace H. Ketterman
No Visible Wounds
By Mary Susan Miller, Ph.D.
No Visible Wounds identifies the many types of non-physical abuse. It offers the stories of survivors who have escaped their abusive relationships and guidelines for safety when getting ready to leave.
Psychological Abuse in Violent Domestic Relations
By K. Daniel O’Leary
Psychological Abuse in Violent Domestic Relations is a resource for all professionals in the field of domestic violence. It addresses the importance of measuring psychological abuse, and it identifies measurement issues and contains scales for measuring this type of maltreatment. This book also discusses the interpersonal dynamics with specific populations, including battered women, low-income women and African American women.
Folwell
Suggested Reading
2009
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