Book Review: Judging Victims: Why We Stigmatize Survivors, and How They Reclaim Respect

• Date: 01 September 2011
• Published date: 01 September 2011
• Author: LaDonna Long
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016810385887
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Book Review
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partner abuse. Society’s silence on the topic often contributes to victims’ self-blame as opposed to
naming the experience for what it is: degrading violence perpetrated by a person who should be
trustworthy. Further, the author puts forth a thought-provoking idea, based on the data from this
study, which is that nonviolent control mechanisms in intimate partner abuse are a powerful means
to gain victim compliance and that dynamic warrants further research. The message of the book is
strong and the argument is well developed. This is an underdeveloped and understudied area of
research that has wide ranging implications. It is time to break the silence and begin talking about
partner rape. This book helps to push along the dialogue in which too few have participated.
J. L. Dunn
Judging Victims: Why We Stigmatize Survivors, and How They Reclaim Respect
Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc, 2010. xi, 241 pp. $55.00. ISBN 9781588267023
Reviewed by: LaDonna Long, Capital University, Columbus, OH, USA
DOI: 10.1177/0734016810385887
In Judging Victims: Why We Stigmatize Survivors, and How They Reclaim Respect, Jennifer
Dunn provides a complex exploration of the multifaceted issues surrounding victimization. Unlike
other explorations on this topic, Jennifer Dunn looks at this issue from three main perspectives, the
influence of the women’s movement on how society defines victims, how victims view themselves
as victims, and the counterculture that has arisen as a backlash against the rise of ‘‘victim identity.’’
To enhance her analysis of societal perceptions of victims, she uses narratives of women who have
been victims of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, incest and clergy abuse, and how they have
managed the stigma of victimization as well as reclaimed their identity. It is important to note that all
three perspectives are intertwined throughout her book, complementing each other to explain how
each are inextricably linked to each other.
Jennifer Dunn...