Resources
Recommended Books (In Alphabetical Order)
Dead by Sunset*
By Ann Rule. A “true-crime” story about real-life abuse by a psychopathic man named Bradley Morris Cunningham who murdered his wife. Free of any restraints of conscience, Cunningham devastated the lives of intelligent, talented women and just about everyone else around him. His ability to deceive and manipulate was incredible.
Divorce and Remarriage in the Church: Biblical Solutions for Pastoral Realities*
By David Instone-Brewer – written for the average lay Christian. No one is competent to interpret Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels on marriage and divorce until they have carefully read and assimilated what Instone-Brewer has discovered in his study of rabbinics. His book is very, very freeing to abuse victims and serves to silence all the amateur juries in the churches that are adding to the victim’s suffering.
Fool Proofing Your Life: How to Deal Effectively with the Impossible People in Your Life*
By Jan Silvious. Building upon the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, Silvious teaches us that abusers (fools) are not your normal brand of sinner and cannot be handled with typical methods we might use for dealing with other people. Caveat: This author says abuse is not grounds for divorce. We disagree with that, but find other useful things in the book.
In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People*
By Dr. George Simon. Dr. Simon has studied and worked with manipulators and other disturbed characters and their victims for over 30 years. In this book Simon explains that manipulative people have two goals: to win and to look good doing it. He goes on to describe manipulators’ mentality and tactics and shows victims how to identify and respond to these abusers.
How He Gets Into Her Head: The Mind of the Male Intimate Abuser*
By Don Hennessy. This book uncovers the layers of covert tactics which men employ to establish and maintain control over their intimate partner. By deepening our understanding of what is truly going on the author suggests that we can develop a more efficient and consistent response to the issue.
Steps to Freedom: Escaping Intimate Control*
By Don Hennessy. In this easy-to-read guide, best-selling author Don Hennessy offers advice to all those dealing with violent or controlling behavior in their own lives, based on his experience of dealing with hundreds of such people in a therapeutic setting. Most important, he explains to the reader how they can throw off the shackles and live lives free from fear and intimidation.
Here is a link to a 20 minute radio interview with Mr. Hennessy about his book. Very good!!
The Sociopath Next Door*
By Martha Stout. Conscienceless people are far more numerous than we realize and Stout helps us learn to recognize their mentality and tactics and how we must deal with them.
Trauma and Recovery: The aftermath of violence — From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror*
By Judith Herman M.D. The author draws on her own cutting-edge research in domestic violence as well as on the vast literature of combat veterans and victims of political terror, to show the parallels between private terrors such as rape and public traumas such as terrorism. The book puts individual experience in a broader political frame, arguing that psychological trauma can be understood only in a social context. Meticulously documented and frequently using the victims’ own words as well as those from classic literary works and prison diaries, Trauma and Recovery is a powerful work that continues to profoundly impact our thinking.
Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us*
By Robert D Hare. The author vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights into psychopaths.
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