Lidisaiah546

This is a Christian library built to offer resources to women in abusive situations, as well as those who want to be available to help them. Women in these situations often don't have the financial resources to buy books that will help them. Church and public libraries generally seem to carry few, if any, resources for these women.

The books are available to women in my area, as well as to those who want to help them. While the library focuses on books about abuse, it also contains books which will help abused women find their way in their faith and in child-rearing, as these can be particularly difficult issues for women who have suffered abuse. I've also included numerous books which I think would be appropriate for pastors and other leaders to read to educate themselves about abuse. Most of the books are written by Christian authors, though in some cases, I've included secular books which I think may be helpful. I would appreciate any feedback you have on any of these books. Please note that while I completely recognize and am concerned about other abusive situations -- child abuse, for example -- God has called me to particularly focus on the abused woman. However, most of these books could be used to help someone in any type of abusive situation.

How to use the tags: I have tagged these books according to the area I feel they address most. In many cases, though, the categories overlap.

Helping: These are books which I think would be particularly useful for those who want to help abused women, or even just educate themselves about the matter. Please also see the category, identifying abuse.

Identifying abuse: Books in this category are especially helpful in understanding what abuse is (and is not) -- both for abused women (who often don't recognize that what's happening to them is actually abuse and not something they brought on themselves) and for those who want to help them.

Solutions: I've found very few good books for this category. Most of the books I have in this category are for those whose marriages still have hope ... if some very strong boundaries are established.

Healing: These books will help women through the very difficult and usually lengthy process of finding healing.

Rebuilding: Once healing is taking place, it's necessary to rebuild one's life. Usually, this involves changing our way of thinking, some of our core beliefs, and many of our behaviors.

Relationship with God: Those who have suffered abuse often end up with a distorted view of God. These resources can be used to help rebuild one's relationship.

Child-Rearing: Those who are abused can often become abusive. We can also become overly permissive, feeling that we need to make up for the abuse our children suffered. These books are aimed toward breaking those cycles, and establishing good parenting skills.

How to use the library: If you live in the East Tennessee area, please feel free to contact me via my email address: isaiah3020@yahoo.com. If you are counseling an abused woman, I encourage you to borrow the books for her in order to maintain confidentiality. I'm available to help you decide which books would be most helpful, but please understand that I'm not qualified to offer counseling.

If you are someone who wants to help abused women, and especially if you are a pastor (whether or not you have encountered abuse), you are more than welcome to borrow books to help you educate yourself about this area of ministry and/or to find wisdom in dealing with situations you have already encountered. As one author points out, once you have become educated in this area, women in your church who are being abused will come out of the woodwork. I also want to thank you for being willing to face this difficult situation head on. Pastors can especially be instrumental in helping women and families who find themselves in abusive situations. Please note that you may find theological material in some of these books that do not fit with your own theology, especially in the area of roles for Christian women. However, I believe that the material in these books can still be helpful for you. Understand that no book except the Bible is going to be perfect and use your discernment to determine which information will be useful.

If you don't live in the East Tennessee region, I invite you to use my list as a resource to build your own library for abused women.

Check back often. We usually add books every month. You can also let me know if you would like me to email you when we add new books.