Recommended Reading
Children's Books
Healing Days: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma
by Susan Farber Straus, PhD
Healing Days is a sensitive and reassuring story intended for children who have experienced trauma and covers the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that many kids have after a bad and scary thing happens.
Library | Buy
Whimsy’s Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis
With exquisite illustrations and delightfully simple text, Whimsy’s Heavy Things is a sweet story about changing the things that weigh us down into the things that lift us up.
Buy
Help Your Dragon Cope with Trauma by Steve Herman
Fun, cute, and entertaining with beautiful illustrations without being scary and specific about traumatic events, this is a must have book for children, parents and teachers to teach kids to understand and overcome traumatic events that they might experience.
Buy
My Yellow Balloon by Tiffany Papageorge
Tiffany Papageorge has crafted a poignant tale of love, loss, and letting go that will serve as a comforting guide to children who are navigating the complicated emotions of grief. Rich, luminous illustrations by Erwin Madrid perfectly capture these timeless themes, making them accessible to even the youngest reader.
Buy in English or Spanish
A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes
This gently told and tenderly illustrated story is for children who have witnessed any kind of violent or traumatic episode, including physical abuse, school or gang violence, accidents, homicide, suicide, and natural disasters such as floods or fire. An afterword by Sasha J. Mudlaff written for parents and other caregivers offers extensive suggestions for helping traumatized children, including a list of other sources that focus on specific events.
Library | Buy | Spanish
Library | Buy | Spanish
The Day My Daddy Lost His Temper: Empowering Kids That Have Witnessed Domestic Violence by Dr. Carol Santana McCleary
The Empowering Kids Series is a collection of empathically reflective stories told from the perspective of young children. These books are meant to be used by parents and mental health providers to facilitate the child’s verbalization of their feelings and experiences, thereby advancing the healing process and are aimed at validating the readers’ experiences and feelings, thereby reducing feelings of shame and isolation.
Buy | Spanish
Healing Books for Adults
The Courage to Heal Workbook: A Guide for Women and Men Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Laura Davis
In this groundbreaking companion to The Courage to Heal, Laura Davis offers an inspiring, in-depth workbook that speaks to all women and men healing from the effects of child sexual abuse. The combination of checklists, writing and art Projects, open-ended questions and activities expertly guides the survivor through the healing process.
Buy
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
A memoir of betrayal and self-discovery by bestselling author Glennon Doyle, Love Warrior is a gorgeous and inspiring account of how we are all born to be warriors: strong, powerful, and brave; able to confront the pain and claim the love that exists for us all. This chronicle of a beautiful, brutal journey speaks to anyone who yearns for deeper, truer relationships and a more abundant, authentic life.
Library | Buy | Spanish
Rising Strong by Brené Brown
It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort.
Library | Buy | Spanish
Hope Rising by Casey Gwinn, J.D. and Chan Hellman, Ph.D.
Hope Rising provides a roadmap to measure hope in your life, assess what may have robbed you of the power of hope, and then provides strategies to increase hope. It challenges every reader to be transparent and honest about their own stories of struggle and adversity, calls for the end of shame and blame in addressing the struggles of those who have experienced trauma, illness, or abuse, and provides practical ways to increase your Hope score and thrive because of it.
Buy
Books About Domestic Violence
No Visible Bruises by Rachel Louise Snyder
Through the stories of victims, perpetrators, law enforcement, and reform movements from across the country, Snyder explores the real roots of private violence, its far-reaching consequences for society, and what it will take to truly address it.
Library | Buy
Crazy Love by Leslie Morgan Steiner
Gripping and utterly compelling, Crazy Love takes you inside the violent, devastating world of abusive love and makes you feel the power and powerlessness of abuse that can take place anywhere and to anyone. Crazy Love draws you in — and never lets you go.
Library | Buy
The Macho Paradox by Jackson Katz
Bestselling author Jackson Katz is a pioneering educator and activist on the topic of men’s violence against women. In this revised edition of his heralded book, Katz outlines the ways in which cultural ideas about “manhood” contribute to men’s sexually harassing and abusive behaviors and that men have a positive role to play in challenging and changing the sexist cultural norms that too often lead to gender violence.
Library | Buy
Books About Sexual Violence
Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl by Jeannie Vanasco
Unflinching and courageous, Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl is part memoir, part true crime record, and part testament to the strength of female friendships—a recounting and reckoning that will inspire us to ask harder questions, push towards deeper understanding, and continue a necessary and long overdue conversation.
Library | Buy
Heavy by Kiese Laymon
A personal narrative that illuminates national failures, Heavy is defiant yet vulnerable, an insightful, often comical exploration of weight, identity, art, friendship, and family that begins with a confusing childhood—and continues through twenty-five years of haunting implosions and long reverberations.
Library | Buy
Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she’s never written about before. A denouncement of our society’s failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #MeToo and #TimesUp, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts, SHOUT speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice– and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.
Library | Buy
Dear Sister: Letters from Survivors of Sexual Violence
Dear Sister shares the lessons, memories, and vision of over fifty artists, activists, mothers, writers, and students who share their stories of survival or what it means to be an advocate and ally to survivors. Written in an epistolary format, this multi-generational, multi-ethnic collection of letters and essays is a moving journey into the hearts and minds of the survivors of rape, incest, and other forms of sexual violence, written directly to and for other survivors.
Library | Buy
Dear Sister shares the lessons, memories, and vision of over fifty artists, activists, mothers, writers, and students who share their stories of survival or what it means to be an advocate and ally to survivors. Written in an epistolary format, this multi-generational, multi-ethnic collection of letters and essays is a moving journey into the hearts and minds of the survivors of rape, incest, and other forms of sexual violence, written directly to and for other survivors.
Library | Buy
Books About Abuse Against LGBTQ People
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
In the Dream House is Carmen Maria Machado’s engrossing and wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming.
Library | Buy
Woman-to-Woman Sexual Violence: Does She Call it Rape?
This provocative book offers much-needed insights on a subject rarely discussed in the literature on domestic violence, and it does so with compassion. Above all, it recommends how agencies can best provide services, outreach, and treatment to survivors of woman-to-woman rape and lesbian battering, using suggestions by the survivors themselves.
Library | Buy
No More Secrets: Violence in Lesbian Relationships by Janice Ristock
Based on interviews with more than one hundred lesbians who have suffered abuse and seventy-five case workers, No More Secrets is the first in-depth account of this startling phenomenon. Although one in four gay and lesbian couples are affected by domestic violence, the problem has remained hidden for several reasons. By giving voice to the victims, Ristock helps women to address violence by breaking silences, sharing secrets, and naming the forms of abuse.
Buy
Can’t Touch My Soul: A Guide for Lesbian Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Donna Rafanello
This groundbreaking study of lesbian survivors of childhood sexual abuse addresses the endemic feelings of horrible isolation and shame experienced by survivors through the words of 60 women who shared with Rafanello their inspiring stories of recovery. In addition, Rafanello includes up-to-date research and information on post–traumatic stress disorder and healing therapies; hard-to-find specific resources for lesbian survivors and those who help them; and detailed appendixes and resource guides. A systematic guide to recovery, from the earliest stages of remembering to overcoming the coping and defense mechanisms children adapt to survive.
Buy
Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them by David Island
Domestic violence in gay male relationships is the third largest health problem for gay men in America today. Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them breaks the silence surrounding gay male domestic violence and exposes this hidden yet prevalent and destructive problem. The authors paint a vivid picture of gay men’s domestic violence, bringing its brutality to life by including personal narratives, written by one of the authors, by clearly defining what it is and what it is not through lists of violent acts and criminal code categories, and by thoroughly examining and analyzing the criminal, mental health, medical, political, and interpersonal issues involved.
Buy
Books About Abuse Against Men
Victims No Longer by Mike Lew
The first book written specifically for men, Victims No Longer examines the changing cultural attitudes toward male survivors of incest and other sexual trauma. Now, in this Second Edition, this invaluable resource continues to offer compassionate and practical advice, supported by personal anecdotes and statements of male survivors.
Buy
Empty Playground: A Survivor’s Story by Callen Harty
Empty Playground is a memoir that shares the journey from childhood sex abuse through the repercussions suffered and into recovery and healing. It is the story of a male survivor, an often overlooked segment of the survivor community. It is a story often lived but not often told as men, both gay and straight, are so reluctant to speak about their abuse and often stay silent about their emotions as well.
Buy
Empty Playground is a memoir that shares the journey from childhood sex abuse through the repercussions suffered and into recovery and healing. It is the story of a male survivor, an often overlooked segment of the survivor community. It is a story often lived but not often told as men, both gay and straight, are so reluctant to speak about their abuse and often stay silent about their emotions as well.
Buy
Joining Forces: Empowering Male Survivors to Thrive by Dr. Howard Franklin
Joining Forces: Empowering Male Survivors to Thrive is an inspirational new book written to empower male survivors of sexual victimization to develop skills they can use to overcome the effects of trauma and learn to thrive in their lives.
Buy
Healing the Man Within: Hope for Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Randy Boyd
A male survivor speaks out about male childhood sexual abuse. Randy offers survivors and their families answers to their questions of why they act out the way they do, and strategies to start living with greater purpose and happiness. With contributions from Jerry Moe, Dan Griffin, Dr. Allen Berger, John Lee and Dr. Mic Hunter, Healing the Man Within is a well balanced book between an autobiography and a self-help book
Buy
Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence by Philip W. Cook
The new edition of Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence offers up-to-date data on the prevalence of intimate partner violence against men, incorporating personal interviews and cases drawn from the media. It also includes updates on law, legislation, court activity, social responses, police activity, support groups, batterer programs, and crisis intervention programs. The final chapter contains a detailed and specific description of needed reforms in the current approach to intimate partner violence, whether the victims are male or female.
Buy
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