Review by Choice Review
The primary focus of this collection is on causes, consequences, and possible cures for the various forms of abuse associated with unhappy families; the origin, character, and dynamics of such families are less fully attended. These essays originated as clinical seminar presentations. The authors include some leading contributors to the interdisciplinary literature on family violence and abuse (e.g., Richard Gelles, David Gil, and David Finkelhor). Chapters on a variety of interrelated phenomena consider sexual abuse, physical abuse, incest, parricide, reporting guidelines, and the roles of police and physicians in responding to family violence. The primary value of these essays is their cogent review of the present state of knowledge on family violence, the useful distinctions they draw between different forms of abuse, and the practical implications they extract from the research literature. They are written in an easily accessible fashion-with relatively little jargon-and the transcribed question-and-answer sections help clarify some issues. This volume should prove especially useful to those who work with violent families and victims of family abuse. Upper-division undergraduate readership and above.-D.O. Friedrichs, University of Scranton
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
