Book reviews
It’s Time we Started Telling These Stories by Jane Tolerton
In It's Time We Started Telling These Stories by Jane Tolerton, eight people talk about the family violence they experienced as children and how this affected the rest of their lives. They shared these stories to give hope to others that their lives can be healed and that the cycle of violence can be broken.
The idea for the book came from a women's hui about family violence held in Hamilton in 2006. The stories show the devastating effects of family violence as it is passed on from one generation to the next.
These stories are intended to help others who have suffered from family violence and to help New Zealanders understand the impact of family violence on individuals, their families and their communities.
Family violence thrives in secrecy - so the more we talk about it and understand it the more likely we are to prevent it.
Serial Survivors collects the stories of some of the women who were raped by serial rapist Malcolm Rewa. It looks at the processes involved in surviving rape, and in particular the various aspects of the survival journey from surviving the attack itself, through the police and court processes and the parallel healing and recovery journey. Dr Jordan focuses on the experiences of the women as they describe them. The book is alive with the words of these survivors, telling their individual stories from their own point of view. As one survivor says: "What some of us have experienced has been an hour with the counsellor or three hours in court, or nine hours giving the statement. And for a specific reason - questioned for a specific reason with a specific purpose". In contrast, Dr Jordan has ensured that these women's stories are the very centre and fabric of this book.
The courage of the women interviewed is clearly evident from the fullness of their accounts, which also gives the reader a strong sense of how motivated they were to be heard, valued and acknowledged. A real strength of the book is the depth of understanding the reader gets of how varied and complex each stage of the journey is. The cumulative impact of the individual stories demonstrates how each aspect of the process is an exercise in survival itself: "Surviving the assault, managing police interviewing, surviving and coping with going to court, surviving all the many impacts on their lives, and also managing how those close to them were affected."
As well as challenging the notion that survival is a oneoff event Serial Survivors also illuminates the divergent ways that these women used resistance, self-defence and survival strategies even when they were being victimised by a serial rapist or whilst being positioned as 'witnesses', an adjunct to the real action, in our adversarial criminal justice system. It is this focus on the women's acts of resistance and survival that makes this book, despite its challenging content, one of the 'good, real and accessible' books about surviving rape that the participants were so motivated to contribute to.
Also read: Annette King, former Justice Minister's speech at the book launch
Review by Paulette Benton-Greig, Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation. Reviews kindly supplied courtesy of the Foundation.
If you would like to receive HELP's newsletter please contact them at admin@sexualabusehelp.org.nz with your details.
Surviving and Moving On is a book that was born out of repeated requests from survivors for more 'good, real and accessible' books about the journey of surviving sexual abuse. The book is a revised and (much) expanded edition of Warriors of Truth published in 1994. The warmth, practicality and depth of Warriors of Truth remain compelling in the new edition which also benefits from Dr McGregor's additional 15 years working with survivors and in the field of sexual abuse support.
The book is written specifically for adults who have survived childhood sexual abuse and their supporters. It is also clearly useful for those in the community working with all aspects of human wellness. The book is divided into sections; an information and educative resource on the nature, extent and consequences of child sex abuse. Using the words and stories of survivors, the myths and preconceptions about how children, families and offenders are implicated in abuse are dispelled and negated. In their place is the opportunity for all of us to know and understand the reality of child sex abuse.
The second and largest section of the book is packed full of tools and techniques for survivors to make use of on their journey of healing. Chapters such as 'recognising ways you have coped' and 'getting rid of self blame' recognise the diversity of impacts that abuse may have had in a survivor's life and provides practical exercises for acknowledging the strengths and limitations of coping strategies and for beginning to make changes.
Recognising that when one child is hurt by sexual abuse, a whole family and community are hurt, section three gives caregivers and supporters practical advice on the best ways to help. Openly addressing how challenging it can be to be a caregiver or supporter, the information and advice aims to empower supporters to be an important part of a survivor's healing process.
Review by Paulette Benton-Greig, Auckland Sexual Abuse HELP Foundation. Reviews kindly supplied courtesy of the Foundation.
If you would like to receive HELP's newsletter please contact them at admin@sexualabusehelp.org.nz with your details.
It's About Boys: the Good Man Project by Celia Lashlie and Kathleen Pivac
This report is an outcome of The Good Man Project which aimed to develop a working definition of what makes a good man in the context of the education of boys in single-sex boys' schools in New Zealand. The key research questions at the start of the project were: What is the definition of a good man?; What is the essence of being male?; What does it mean to be a young man in the 21st century?; and What makes a good man in the 21st century?
The project methodology involved 'total immersion' visits of three days duration to 24 schools from September 2002 to August 2003. During each visit the author conducted and recorded a series of exploratory open-ended conversations with staff, management and as wide a range of students as possible. The project hoped to influence the direction taken by boys' schools in the education of their students. The report is intended as a discussion document about the needs of boys in today's world and discusses ways to deliver appropriate life skills to all boys in schools. It seeks to stimulate informed discussion about male rites of passage.
The author suggests the development of a training module for schools that seeks to maximise the inherent strengths of boys' schools and includes a module designed specifically for women teachers. She was surprised at how well developed boys thoughts were and how articulate they could be when given both the time to think about the question and then deliver their answer. It is suggested that schools need to create the opportunity to develop the art of conversation, including active listening, and outlines how this may operate from years 11-13. She also sees merit in investigating the potential positive impact of exploring in depth the concept of Maori warrior culture.
Boys Raising Babies: Adolescent Fatherhood in New Zealand by Gareth Rouch
Teenage fathers are not well regarded in society and there is a dearth of research on this group both here and overseas, whereas research on teenage mothers is prolific. In addition the author suggests that much of the research that is available on this group is based upon assumptions which are open to challenge. Barnardos chose to publish this research in order to share more of what is known about teenage fathers and their potential to be effective loving parents. The adolescent fathers were recruited with the aid of guidance counselors at high schools in the North Island. Discourse analysis is used to explore and present the indepth views of the 12 teenage boys about the experience and emotional impact of becoming fathers for the first time.
Contrary to prevailing stereotypes the boys were found to have undergone a transformative experience and seek to create a better life for the child they have fathered. The young fathers have a strong sense of duty and responsibility towards their children and want them to avoid the mistakes they themselves have made. Mike Coleman of Barnardos contributes a chapter which considers policy implications arising from the research.
In Love and in Danger: A Teen's Guide to Breaking Free of Abusive Relationships by Barrie Levy
Many high school students experience some form of physical abuse-being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend. Even more teens report emotional and psychological abuse in their relationships. This book is a revised and updated edition which is written for teenage readers. It aims to help teenagers who have questions about abusive dating relationships understand the causes and consequences of their situation learn what they can do about it, find help from parents and other adults, and discover how to build healthier relationships. It addresses young adults directly in a straightforward and noncondescending manner. It includes facts about dating violence, tips for how to tell if your relationship is abusive, information on dating abuse and on what you can do if you are being abused by (or are abusing) someone you love.
Do it Yourself Social Research by Yoland Wadsworth
This introduction to social research methods became a runaway bestseller when it was first published. For 15 years it has been used by students and professionals in sociology, social work, community development, education, health, welfare, psychology, management, environmental studies, legal studies and many other fields. Now thoroughly revised and updated, it takes the reader through the basics of research, including:
- Where to start
- How to manage a research project
- Methods, techniques and resources
- Interpretation, analysis and communication
- Examples and resources
Do It Yourself Social Research will continue to be an essential reference for anyone doing research in the social sciences and human services." -- Publisher's description.
Improvements to Sexual Violence Legislation in New Zealand: Public Discussion Document by the New Zealand Ministry of Justice
This discussion document from the Ministry of Justice seeks the views of the public on a number of possible law changes to the Crimes Act and the Evidence Act. The changes aim to improve the response of the criminal justice system to sexual offending. The areas of change under consideration are: the legal definition of consent and extending the rape shield (that is limits on the ability of the accused to cross-examine the complainant). For each issue, the current New Zealand law is set out followed by examples from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. The issues are discussed and disadvantages and advantages are considered. Options are provided and a preliminary proposal is presented as a possible preferred option for consideration and comment. Finally, questions are raised in order to get feedback on each issue. In addition the paper presents examples of some alternative models and practices that are designed to provide more positive experiences and outcomes for victims of sexual violence. These are the use of an inquisitorial rather than adversarial approach, the use of restorative justice processes, and specialisation of staff and agencies. Public feedback is sought in a more general way on these models and practices before policy options are developed for consideration by the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence and the Government.
