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Book Review: Journeys: Resilience and growth for survivors of intimate partner abuse

Dr. Susan L. Miller is a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, with work focusing on women and victims of crime. Journeys: Resilience and Growth for Survivors of Intimate Partner Abuse identifies and describes the challenges that survivors of intimate partner abuse face through anecdotes from women involved in a statewide activist group, Women in Nonviolent Domains (WIND). Dr. Miller brings to light issues that survivors of abusive relationships face in such relationships: planning to leave, actually leaving, and the challenges that arise after they have left. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of the issues that survivors of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPV/A) face in all the stages of the relationship. To begin, Dr. Miller defines IPV/A as the main term she uses to describe the relationships. Abusive relationships do not necessarily include physical violence. Some narratives included in this book come from women who were not physically abused by their partners, though they were abused nonetheless. Dr. Miller makes an important distinction in choosing to use the inclusive term “intimate partner violence and abuse,” and throughout the book, she recognizes and brings light to all types of abuse, including but not limited to physical violence. Her analysis is “survivor centered,” focusing on the women’s accounts and experiences and their definitions of survival and resilience. Dr. Miller refers to victims as survivors throughout the book. She explains that many victims of IPV/A do not associate themselves with a “victim” identity. They prefer not to be seen as victims, as this can have negative connotations such as helplessness, weakness, having “given up” or having “allowed” themselves to be victimized. The aim of this book is to provide an understanding of the process of survival and resilience from victims/survivors themselves: how they became free and stayed free of abusive relationships and the factors that helped or hindered that process. Dr. Miller dispels, through survivor’s stories, the common misconception that once an abused partner leaves, everything will just be fine. Dr. Miller describes the complex issues that abused partners face when leaving, such as child custody battles, continuation of stalking and abusive behaviors, and use of finances, family, or religion to manipulate and continue abusive behaviors. She details women’s experiences with their support networks or lack thereof and problems with the criminal justice system in handling IPV/A cases. The book thoroughly illustrates that when one leaves an abusive relationship, it does not guarantee a safe or stress-free time. Journeys describes vulnerabilities that prevented women from leaving abusive relationships, including religion, being threatened by their partner with weapons, and economic abuse. Through her work, Dr. Miller details women’s strategies for survival and what factors made them decide to leave for good. She continues to describe the journey in the postseparation stage through descriptions of survivors’ lingering fears and how their children and families impacted their strength postbreakup. Many women became involved in activism, and this was a Book Reviews