even if you don't think you are in an abusive relationship...
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This should be a must read for all young people. This book was recommended to me by my abuse counseling facilitator. I was in an abusive relationship (emotional, psychological,physical) and it was so manipulative, I was really believing that his physical abuse was a direct result of my behavior (and by the way, i never criticized him about anything nor cheated on him ...[i know. the fact that i even feel that I need to put in that caveat shows that I'm still struggling...]). In fact, he had me convinced that *I* was abusing *him* even though he would scream at me and beat me.
I left because I started to seek guidance elsewhere (he was my sole source of information about anything) and after reading this book, has really opened my eyes.
I love how Bancroft says in the beginning that the abuser always tells you what to think so he wants to make it clear to think about the book on your own and come to your own decisions.
Easy to read - hard to put down. Main message: abuse is not an anger issue. It's about VALUES. NOTHING about anger.
Also, the info about traumatic bonding... wow.
So, if you have ANY suspicion - any little teeny tiny voice, or someone has said something, READ THIS BOOK. At the very least, you can toss it down and say, nah that's not him/her (he does address gay relationships). I say this because I think if I had read it a lot earlier, I would've left a lot earlier.