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A review by paperindy
See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Violence by Jess Hill
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This was a powerful, honest, raw look at domestic abuse in Australia that was told with such incredible feeling, empathy and intelligence. Jess Hill turned over so many stones in writing this book to look at what lived in the dark places underneath, and then stepped back to look at the foundations that have allowed this issue to fester.
This is one of the best structured non-fiction books I’ve read. Each chapter, themed and informative, builds upon the previous in a way that leaves you with a feeling of a broad reaching overview of domestic abuse and takes you on a real journey through the topic.
She covers everything from the complex factors underpinning “women who stay” and confrontingly empathetic investigation into the psyche of men who abuse, to the messy intersection of children, custody and the law, to the impact of colonialisation on abuse rates in Indigenous communities - and more.
But she doesn’t just look at the problem, she looks at the problems in trying to address the problem - why there aren’t tangible metrics set against policy goals around domestic abuse? What programs have worked? Why? How can we learn from them at a bigger scale? How can we can use the knowledge discussed in this book to talk more openly and empathetically about addressing this serious issue in our country?
Peppered with real stories, interviews, research, critique - this was a highly insightful, gripping, important read and just so, so well done.
This is one of the best structured non-fiction books I’ve read. Each chapter, themed and informative, builds upon the previous in a way that leaves you with a feeling of a broad reaching overview of domestic abuse and takes you on a real journey through the topic.
She covers everything from the complex factors underpinning “women who stay” and confrontingly empathetic investigation into the psyche of men who abuse, to the messy intersection of children, custody and the law, to the impact of colonialisation on abuse rates in Indigenous communities - and more.
But she doesn’t just look at the problem, she looks at the problems in trying to address the problem - why there aren’t tangible metrics set against policy goals around domestic abuse? What programs have worked? Why? How can we learn from them at a bigger scale? How can we can use the knowledge discussed in this book to talk more openly and empathetically about addressing this serious issue in our country?
Peppered with real stories, interviews, research, critique - this was a highly insightful, gripping, important read and just so, so well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence