From one of America's most influential psychiatrists, an "extraordinary" and "profound" (New York Times) manifesto for reimagining justice for survivors of sexual trauma
The #MeToo movement brought worldwide attention to sexual violence, but while the media focused on the fates of a few notorious predators who were put on trial, we heard far less about the outcomes of those trials for the survivors of their abuse.
The conventional retributive process fails to serve most survivors; it was never designed for them. Renowned trauma expert Judith L. Herman argues that the first step toward a better form of justice is simply to ask survivors what would make things as right as possible for them. In Truth and Repair, she commits the radical act of listening to survivors. Recounting their stories, she offers an alternative vision of justice as healing for survivors and their communities.
Deeply researched and compassionately told, Truth and Repair envisions a new path to justice for all.
From one of America's most influential psychiatrists, an "extraordinary" and "profound" (New York Times) manifesto for reimagining justice for survivors of sexual trauma
The #MeToo movement brought worldwide attention to sexual violence, but while the media focused on the fates of a few notorious predators who were put on trial, we heard far less about the outcomes of those trials for the survivors of their abuse.
The conventional retributive process fails to serve most survivors; it was never designed for them. Renowned trauma expert Judith L. Herman argues that the first step toward a better form of justice is simply to ask survivors what would make things as right as possible for them. In Truth and Repair, she commits the radical act of listening to survivors. Recounting their stories, she offers an alternative vision of justice as healing for survivors and their communities.
Deeply researched and compassionately told, Truth and Repair envisions a new path to justice for all.
Judith L. Herman, MD, is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and is a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
"Herman's greatest contribution in Truth and Repair is more than
her reflections on criminal procedure or the merits of restorative
justice: it is that she knows how to speak to rape victims in a way
that honors #MeToo's hopefulness rather than instrumentalizing it -
not with patronizing pity, but with something that looks more like
respect."--Bookforum
New York Times Editor's Choice Pick----
"An extraordinary book....Beautiful, profound, and important."
--New York Times Book Review
"Truth and Repair is a vital text to understanding the processes
that underly trauma, how it unfolds, what it does to victims, and
several larger discussions about recovery."--Booklist
"A compelling outline of the necessary conditions of personal and
collective recovery from trauma."--Kirkus
"An intriguing exploration of alternative methods of justice for
trauma survivors."--Library Journal
"An incisive report on the links between patriarchy and gendered
violence... The result is a scrupulous and ardent call for
change."--Publishers Weekly
"This book is a revelation. With careful precision and dogged
research, Judith Herman offers us not only a diagnosis of our most
pressing social ailments, but a prescription for healing. Rarely
does a book offer this level of insight, hope and remedy."--Rachel
Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises
"For thirty years, every single book written about the impact of
trauma has stood on the shoulders of Herman's groundbreaking book
Trauma and Recovery. Now, thirty years later, we receive a bookend
to that masterpiece, examining how survivors of gender-based
violence seek justice and healing. Truth and Repair is a deeply
researched and thought-provoking book offering hope and healing for
victims of violence, many of whom have felt betrayed, ignored, or
retraumatized by existing larger societal institutions."--Michelle
Bowdler, author of Is Rape a Crime?
"Herman has written some of the most seminal, life-changing books
on violence against women. Here in her new book, Truth and Repair,
she does something even more radical. She listens to the survivors
themselves and skillfully shapes their voices and wisdom into a
practical and truly enlightened road map for our future. Every word
rang true and essential."--V (formerly Eve Ensler), playwright of
The Vagina Monologues
"Herman's earlier studies of abuse of women and children recast our
understanding of trauma. Now, in Truth and Repair, she comes full
circle in describing how initially powerless victims can, through
innovative social arrangements, achieve hard-won survivor justice.
In the process, we learn much about what justice really means for
traumatized people. Herman's perspective is deeply humane and
grounded in historical and political reality. Her work stands alone
in its arc and originality."--Robert Jay Lifton, MD, Columbia
University
"Three decades after the publication of her foundational Trauma and
Recovery, Herman brilliantly confronts us with another vital, but
much ignored, aspect of recovery: social justice. Justice is an
essential component for healing the godforsaken sense of
humiliation and abandonment so central in traumatizing experiences.
When justice is denied, trauma's imprint is likely to fester in the
form of helpless rage. A magnificent and inspiring contribution
with profound implications for the healing professions and for
society at large."--Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of the #1 New
York Times bestseller The Body Keeps the Score
"Through masterful storytelling, Judith Herman charts the course
from trauma to justice and compels us to follow it. An inspiring
and practical call to action, Truth and Repair celebrates
survivors' wisdom and their power to heal themselves and the world
we live in." --Anita Hill
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