The Award Winning Book

Written from a Black feminist perspective by therapists, researchers, activists, and survivors, Violence in the Lives of Black Women sheds new light on an understudied field. For too long, Black women have been suffering the effects of violence in painful silence. This book provides a forum where personal testimony and academic research meet to show you how living at the intersection of many kinds of oppression shapes the lives of Black women. With moving case studies, in-depth discussions of activism and resistance, and helpful suggestions for treatment and intervention, this book will help you understand the impact of violence on the lives of Black women.

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Carolyn Payton Early Career Award

Book Reviews

Chapters

Overview of Violence

Battered, Black, and Blue: Overview and Psychological Consequences of Violence in the Lives of Black Women

Carolyn M. West

Black Women and Community Violence: Trauma, Grief, and Coping

Esther J. Jenkins

II. Types of Violence

Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Lives of Black Women: Risk and Resilience in a Longitudinal Study

Victoria L. Banyard, Linda M. Williams, Jane A. Siegel, & Carolyn M. West

Grounding Our Feet and Hearts: Black Women's Coping Strategies in Psychologically Abusive Dating Relationships

April L. Few & Patricia Bell-Scott

The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back: African American Women's Strategies for Disengaging and Terminating Abusive Relationships

Janette Y. Taylor

Living at the Intersection: Effects of Racism and Sexism on Black Rape Survivors

Roxanne Donovan & Michelle Williams

Racialized Sexual Harassment in the Lives of African American Women

NiCole T. Buchanan & Alayne J. Ormerod

III. Marginalized Populations

There's a Stranger in This House: African American Lesbians and Domestic Violence

Amorie Robinson

Head and Brain Injuries Experienced by African American Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Martha E. Banks & Rosalie J. Ackerman

IV. Breaking Silence: Activism and Healing

Talking Back: Research as an Act of Resistance and Healing for African American Women Survivors of Intimate Male Partner Violence

Janette Y. Taylor

Fragmented Silhouettes

Salamishah Tillet

Using Celluloid to Break the Silence About Sexual Violence in the Black Community

Aishah Shahidah Simmons

Striving for a More Excellent Way

Rev. Rosalyn R. Nichols

I Find Myself at Therapy's Doorstep: Conclusion and Suggested Resources

Carolyn M. West

Award

Violence in the Lives of Black Women: Battered, Black, and Blue has been named the winner of the 2004 Carolyn Payton Early Career Award. This honor, sponsored by Section One (Psychology of Black Women) of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychology of Women (Division 35), is awarded to recognize the achievements of a Black woman in the early stages of her career. Violence in the Lives of Black Women won the award for creativity and for making a major contribution to the understanding of the role of gender in the lives of Black women.

Reviews

“This book should be read by all healthcare providers, including physicians, nurses, clinic staff, researchers in the family social sciences, program administrators, and probably the police and court personnel as well as community workers and helpers in all settings. The book is important for anyone, including interested laypersons, who want to understand an unacknowledged problem or who want to increase their cultural sensitivity. This is an important book that belongs in our libraries.”

Marcie Parker

Journal of Comparative Family Studies (2004)

“This book is noteworthy because it moves beyond the terrible toll of violence to catalogue Black women’s strengths and resilience. Liberally illustrated with quotes from literature and song, the book is a must read for anyone concerned with increasing their cultural competency.”

Mary P. Koss, Ph.D.

Professor, Public Health, Family and Community Medicine, Psychiatry and Psychology

University of Arizona

“The book has a very strong emphasis on intervention strategies that will be useful to therapeutic practitioners as well as survivors of intimate violence—A fresh approach.”

Traci C. West, Ph.D.

Author of Wounds of the Spirit: Black Women, Violence, and Resistance Ethics