cover image Surviving Sexual Violence: A Guide to Recovery and Empowerment

Surviving Sexual Violence: A Guide to Recovery and Empowerment

Edited by Thema Bryant-Davis. Rowman & Littlefield, $49.95 (376p) ISBN 978-1-4422-0639-7

In this comprehensive anthology on coping with sexual violence, psychology professor and trauma expert Bryant-Davis (Thriving in the Wake of Trauma) has included essays covering childhood sexual abuse, human trafficking, the value of self-defense training, and the reintegration of faith as a method of healing from trauma, among other subjects. The result reads like a social work textbook (which it probably will become), but one that is free of academic jargon, and accessible to laypeople. Sexual abuse survivors, as well as their friends and family, will find suggestions for recovery strategies and supporting research, though the book%E2%80%99s overall tone may make it a challenging read. If readers are looking for more direct support for recovering from sexual abuse, they will likely benefit more from a title written for the general public since this may be better suited to clinicians. (Oct.)