There is life, joy, and love after abuse

As a young wife and mother, Kelly White experienced violence and terror at the hands of her husband. She knows firsthand the love–hate relationships women often have with their abusers and the devastating effects these feelings can have on independence and self-confidence. She has sought refuge in a women’s shelter, worked to obtain help from law enforcement and struggled financially and emotionally as a single mother and sole breadwinner.

Twenty-five years later, as the leader of nationally recognized programs for battered women, she has helped thousands of women and children rebuild their lives. White’s own story, and those of other women who have survived and thrived, are related here. She also provides practical tools for abused women and the friends, family and professionals who seek to help them. You learn to:

• recognize dangerous red flags and break through denial
• use the legal, law-enforcement and organizational resources available in your community
• overcome fear and stress to build a new life
• discover the ways in which you are more powerful, competent and capable than you thought

White includes important information on the impact of domestic violence on children, the role of drugs and alcohol in abuse, violence against people with disabilities and battering in the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered communities. While violence against women is not a thing of the past, using this resource can help battered women make it a part of their pasts — and create a safe and fulfilling future for themselves and their children.