Lori Osterman

I have worked as a lawyer representing victims of domestic violence in the past, and have friends who have been through this trauma, so nothing in this book was necessarily new to me. However, it cannot be stressed enough how important this subject is. Women (and some men) suffer years, decades, lifetimes, in abusive relationships, because they are so broken down by their partner and do not have faith in the justice system that is supposed to be there to help them. It is a very common social problem and when survivors like Lori Newman speak out, we need to make sure they are heard.
Lori shows in this memoir how she was able to get out of, not one, but two, abusive relationships, even though she had lost all her self-confidence, and was badly treated not only by her ex-husbands, but by the police and court system. The whole justice system, that was supposed to be able to support her, and keep her safe, let her down; but by finding the strength inside herself to fight on, with faith, she was able to help herself and her daughters.
Lori's message, 'You are stronger than you know', is a very powerful one. She has related her story well, with emotion and passion. She has shown how, by someone's actions and words they can break a person's spirit, and she is an inspiration to us all because she was able to find courage within herself to face her greatest fears and come out on top.
I believe this book would be invaluable to anyone who is suffering, or has ever suffered at the hands of an abusive partner. It contains a lot of good advice, and positive, motivational stories. It is also a useful book for anyone going through adversity in their life, as Lori has written about a time in her life when she was at her lowest.
Everyone should read this book. It's so important that victims are given a voice in this subject, which is, unfortunately, usually swept under the carpet.… (meer)