Truth and Repair

Part manifesto, part exploration of what justice truly means for survivors of trauma and abuse, Judith Herman forces us to reconsider our perspective on victims, revealing uncomfortable truths about our justice systems and proposing new ways to implement justice. A follow-up to the bestselling Trauma and Recovery the book is divided into three parts, Part One :Power, examines the structure and nature of tyranny, patriarchy and white supremacy; Part Two: Visions of Justice, reveals how our current system is woefully ill-equipped for victims and corrects our misguided assumptions about what survivors need in the aftermath of violence, and finally in Part Three: Centring Survivor Justice, Herman proposes alternative methods of justice, offering hopeful new ways to think about its meanings and possibilities.

Truth and Repair is a profound and timely commentary that lies at the intersection of several cultural moments including the #MeToo movement, a resurgent interest in trauma, and the global movements focusing on racial injustices and abuses of power towards people of colour. Thoughtful, visceral and moving, Truth and Repair is a necessary call to action that invites us to envision a new approach to justice-one that centres on healing and solidarity to stand with survivors everywhere.

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 . . . 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 No. 1 New York Times bestseller THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE
Through masterful storytelling, 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, lawyer, educator and author
Herman has written some of the most seminal, life-changing books on violence against women. [Truth and Repair] does something even more radical. She listens to the survivors themselves and skilfully 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
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 -- Michelle Bowdler, author of IS RAPE A CRIME?
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
This book is a revelation. With careful precision and dogged research, 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
A compelling outline of the necessary conditions of personal and collective recovery from trauma -- Kirkus Reviews
An incisive report on the links between patriarchy and gendered violence . . . The result is a scrupulous and ardent call for change -- Publishers Weekly
A vital text to understanding the processes that underlay trauma, how it unfolds, what it does to victims, and several larger discussions about recovery -- Booklist
An intriguing exploration of alternative methods of justice for trauma survivors -- Library Journal

An extraordinary book . . . beautiful, profound, and important

-- New York Times Book Review

Judith L. Herman, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and co-founder of the Victims of Violence Program at The Cambridge Hospital, MA. She is the author of two award-winning books: Father-Daughter Incest and Trauma and Recovery. Considered one of the world's leading experts in the field of psychological trauma, Herman has lectured widely on the subject of sexual and domestic violence. She has received numerous awards including: a Guggenheim Fellowship, Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Woman in Science Award from the American Medical Women's Association, and was named a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Part manifesto, part exploration of what justice truly means for survivors of trauma and abuse, Judith Herman forces us to reconsider our perspective on victims, revealing uncomfortable truths about our justice systems and proposing new ways to implement justice. A follow-up to the bestselling Trauma and Recovery the book is divided into three parts, Part One : Power , examines the structure and nature of tyranny, patriarchy and white supremacy; Part Two: Visions of Justice , reveals how our current system is woefully ill-equipped for victims and corrects our misguided assumptions about what survivors need in the aftermath of violence, and finally in Part Three: Centring Survivor Justice , Herman proposes alternative methods of justice, offering hopeful new ways to think about its meanings and possibilities. Truth and Repair is a profound and timely commentary that lies at the intersection of several cultural moments including the #MeToo movement, a resurgent interest in trauma, and the global movements focusing on racial injustices and abuses of power towards people of colour. Thoughtful, visceral and moving, Truth and Repair is a necessary call to action that invites us to envision a new approach to justice-one that centres on healing and solidarity to stand with survivors everywhere.

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