Living with the Enemy. - book reviews

Living with the Enemy is a work of black and white photographs of battered women and their violent husbands or boyfriends, taken by dint of award-winning photojournalist Donna Ferrato of novel York City. The photographs are accompanied by dint of text drawn from Ferrato's possess interviews with battered women, violent men and activists, and from interviews managemented by reporters with whom she worked upon domestic violence stories. To record the violence that in like manner appalled her, Ferrato said she "hung around courtrooms and hospital extremity rooms, rode with police, sat in upon batterers' therapy groups and women's self-defense classes lived in women's shelters and women's prisons and stayed in the violent abiding-places of the very rich and the actual poor..." She said the women who gave her permission to take the photographs believed "it was vitally important for others to diocese the nature of their problems" Although the gripping photographs are mainly of young and middle-aged women who were battered, the photos and true copy have a powerful message to transport to older women who have endur periods of psychological and physical abuse above many years.

The book will also be a powerful eye-opener to staff of organizations that work with older women As the introduction by the agency of Ann Jones notes, in speaking of battered women: "Social science gives us euphemisms. 'Domestic violence.' 'Spouse abuse.' 'Partner abuse.'... 'Marital strife' 'Familial dysfunction.' You'll notice, however, that these bourns conjure no images. Like Orwellian Newspeak, they aim to detain us from seeing what's what Rather, these terms whisper of insubstantial numbers and vague 'social problems' affecting (we must assume) not real individual women on the other hand relationships' and 'families,' chiefly in other people's neighborhoods... Ferrato's camera, upon the other hand, sees what domestic violence gazes like. Her photographs reveal the simple facts that the jargon is meant to hide."

Living With the Enemy explores the impair shame, and anger of women children, and their abusers and includes the story behind each image, as well as factual information upon domestic violence in America.

The 175-page work is available for $24.95, plus $500 shipping and handling (foreign, $800) NY residents add 825% sales tax, from APERTURE, 20 East 23rd way New York, NY, 10010-4463. Phone: 212-598-4205 Checks payable to "Aperture."

COPYRIGHT 1996 U conduct Printing Office

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