Introduction

If you seek some realistic answers to questions

about violent men, then this book is for you,

whether you are an abused woman or someone who

helps them. Why is he so violent toward me? Will

he ever change? Do men s counseling programs real-

ly work? Abused women ask these questions again

and again about their batterers. They ask out of a

desire for safety and change.

Man Against Woman offers an in-depth look at

violent men that is free of blanket stereotypes or

simplistic solutions. It presents a readable digest of

the latest clinical observations and research find-

ings. It also draws on the author s extensive exper-

ience as a man working with programs for men who

batter women.

Man Against Woman is not, however, just an-

other advice book outlining how women ought to

think and act. The idea of this book is to give

women the essential information, so they can make

their own decisions about their unique situation.

The reasons for the violence and the chances for

nonviolence are discussed.

What s not considered are the many emotional

tugs, financial pressures, self-doubts, and deep fears

that affect a woman s thinking about her abusive

relationship. Each woman must address these her-

self, with support or counsel from other women or

women s shelter staff. Moreover, several excellent

guidebooks written by women for battered women