Woman-to-woman sexual violence : does she call it rape? /

Girshick (Warren Wilson College) investigates one of the few remaining silent and unrecognized victim groups: lesbian and bisexual women who suffer abuse from their female partners. The author reviews the limited information available and draws heavily from her study of 70 women who agreed to provide information about their victimization though questionnaires and interviews to examine the dimensions and dynamics of sexual victimization of women by women. Her work addresses a broad range of issues, including the impact of societal sexual phobias; the limitations inherent in reporting a homosexual victimization to a heterosexual, predominately male, justice system; the dynamics of the victimization; victim response; societal perspectives; and the absence of social services. The book is well written and within the grasp of the average reader. Given the limited literature in this area, it is well referenced. The questionnaire used to gather data from the 70 subjects is included in an appendix. Adequate index. Recommended for libraries serving departments of counseling, psychology, social work, sociology, and women's studies. All levels. R. T. Sigler University of Alabama

Perhaps the most isolated crime victims are lesbian and bisexual survivors of woman-to-woman sexual violence. Multifaceted sexual-identity issues combine with shame and institutionalized heterosexism to make society unable to acknowledge such assaults. The legal system, women's support services, and the lesbian community are just beginning to name such behaviors, let alone confronting and dealing with them. Women's studies professor Girshick breaks new ground as she plumbs the experiences and thoughts of 70 women, gleaned from a nationwide U.S. survey and in-depth interviews. She documents the women's responses to the violence, whether they received or were denied aid, and whether silence was imposed on them. Her insightful and provocative work well may stir controversy even as it sheds light on a previously shadowed subject. Dedicated to "those who are still silenced," the book also powerfully explores the need for community and such preconceived notions and myths as lesbian utopia. A worthy addition to the sociology of violence in women's lives. --Whitney Scott