A Private Family Matter by Victor Rivers

“This is a story about how I was saved by love at a time when most people considered me beyond rescue,” begins Victor Rivas Rivers, spokes person for the National Network to End Domestic Violence, in this powerful chronicle of how he escaped the war zone of family violence -– too often regarded as a “private family matter” -– and went on to become a good man, a film star, and prominent activist. Though at times Victor’s odyssey is heartbreaking and disturbing, A Private Family Matter is ultimately a triumphant testament to humanity, courage and love. Profound and poignant, it is a compelling memoir with a cause. (www.victorrivers.com)

The Thundering Years:  Rituals and Sacred Wisdom for Teens by Julie Tallard Johnson

Shows teens how to harness the intense emotions and drives of the late-teen years using wisdom from cultures around the world. Book includes exercises, personal and community rituals, and resources that show how to successfully navigate the Thundering Years without heading toward violence, drug abuse, and other self-destructive behaviors. Also includes inspiring quotations from many spiritual traditions as well as the words and real-life experiences of other young adults. Presents an honest view of the passions and pain that occur during this major life transition.

Founding Mothers:  The Women Who Raised our Nation by Cokie Roberts

From the Publisher:
While the "fathers" were off founding the country, what were the women doing? Running their husband’s businesses, raising their children plus providing political information and advice. At least that’s what Abigail Adams did for John, starting when he went off to the Continental Congress, which eventually declared the independence of the American colonies from the British. While the men were writing the rebellious words, the women were living the revolution, with the Redcoats on their doorsteps.  

This will be the story of some of those women, as learned through their seldom seen letters and diaries, and the letters from the men to them. It will be a story of the beginnings of the nation as viewed from the distaff side.

Raising Cain:  Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys by Daniel J. Kindlon, et al

In Raising Cain, Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., and Michael Thompson, Ph.D., two of the country's leading child psychologists, share what they have learned in more than thirty-five years of combined experience working with boys and their families. They reveal a nation of boys who are hurting-sad, afraid, angry, and silent. Statistics point to an alarming number of young boys at high risk for suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, violence and loneliness. Kindlon and Thompson set out to answer this basic, crucial question: What do boys need that they're not getting? They illuminate the forces that threaten our boys, teaching them to believe that "cool" equals macho strength and stoicism. Cutting through outdated theories of "mother blame," "boy biology," and "testosterone," Kindlon and Thompson shed light on the destructive emotional training our boys receive-the emotional miseducation of boys.

The Lovely Bones:  A Novel by Alice Sebold

From the Publisher:
When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death, and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief--her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor--and begin the difficult process of healing. In the hands of a brilliant new novelist, and through the eyes of her winning young heroine, this story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful, touching, even funny novel about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

Whom Shall I Fear: A Spiritual Journey of a Battered Woman by Lavon Morris-Grant

A must have for agencies serving women who struggle with their faith while healing from domestic violence.  The author, a survivor, takes you through her journey of recognizing she was in an abusive relationship, to a place of triumph over tragedy.  It is a great gift for survivors and advocates alike.

The author was the keynote speaker for the 2007 Women of Color Institute and has since traveled to Michigan to provide training to faith communities and domestic violence agencies on the intersections of faith and domestic violence.

3893 Okemos Road Suite B2
Okemos, MI 48864
Phone: 517.347.7000
Fax: 517.347.1377
TTY: 517.381.8470

for survivors | resource center | public policy | publications

internet gateway | about MCADSV | support us | contact us