Violent Partners - Linda Mills

Reviewed By: Kashiko Black
Review Date: June 23, 2012
Category: Informational, Monogamous, Relationship

Back Cover Summary:

A radical new take on the crisis of intimate abuse, Violent Partners argues that as a culture we misunderstand the root causes and basic effects of abuse, and until that changes there is no hope of fixing the problem. Dr. Linda Mills challenges assumptions, tears down myths, and offer solutions, all the while telling riveting stories of couples who have conquered violence in their relationships. In Violent Partners, she describes several programs that hold promise for addressing intimate abuse, including two nationally known and groundbreaking treatment programs-Peacemaking Circles and Healing Circles. Controversial, provocative, and accessible, Violent Partners is unlike any other book on abuse and relationships, and highlights in great detail the complexities of violence through the stories of men and women who have acknowledged their abuse and sought to do something about it. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand violence in their own relationship, friends and family members of victims and abusers, and legal and mental health practitioners looking for a new and valuable approach to treating couples in crisis.

Reviewer Comments on Rating:

I found different sections of this book to be equally good to equally boring. I found the first part of the book where the author relates her personal history a bit harder to get through as it is a straight narrative with little explanation, aside from trying to relate to those who have also suffered abuse, as to why the story was being told with such detail. The book got significantly better once the types of abuse started being discussed as well as the type of treatment normally employed. I find it a fairly easy read in terms of having accessible language and the author did her best to give you different perspectives on how abuse can range and used lots of real life examples to illustrate the point. I enjoyed the fact that this book, unlike much other literature on domestic abuse, offered other opinions on treatment options other than the immediate break up of the couple. The book acknowledged that some situations are not so clear cut and obvious and made a distinction between situations that are highly dangerous and situations that have the potential to become dangerous but also the potential to be better. I also appreciated that this book did not hold to the assumption that women are the only victims of domestic abuse, they did address that women can be abusers as well. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking more information on domestic abuse.