Violence – Domestic, Sexual Abuse and Assault, Child and Adult

Books on Sexual Assault

Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) has made up a list of the best books of sexual assault.

Cultural Examples

  • The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
  • I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
  • Sold – Patricia McCormick
  • Salvation Black People And Love -Bell Hooks
  • Left To Tell – Imacullee llibaigza
  • I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse – Lori Robinson
  • Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies (2014) – Renee Linklater and Lewis Mehl-Madrona
  • Surviving the Silence: Black Women’s Stories of Rape – Charlotte Pierce-Baker
  • At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance—a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black
  • Power – Danielle McGuire

Trauma & Healing

  • The Body Keeps The Score – Bessel Van Der Kolk
  • One Hour In Paris– Karyn L. Freedman
  • The Long Journey Home: Understanding And Ministering To The Sexually Abused – Andrew J. Schmut
  • The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse (2012)– Wendy Maltz
  • The Courage To Heal: A Guide For Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (2008) – Ellen Bass, Laura Davis
  • The Trauma Toolkit– Susan Pease Banitt

Ending Rape Culture

  • Asking For It – Kate Harding
  • Yes Means Yes: Visions Of Female Power And A World Without Rape – Jaclyn Friedman & Jessica Valenti
  • Believe Me – Jessica Valenti & Jaclyn Friedman
  • What you Really Really Want – Jaclyn Friedman
  • Sexual Citizens – Jennifer Hirsch
  • Unspeakable Things: Sex, Lies and Revolution – Laurie Penny
  • Missoula – Jon Krakauer
  • Bad Feminist – Roxane Gay
  • Not That Bad – Roxane Gay
  • We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Yes All Women – Rebecca Solnit
  • Representing Rape – Susan Ehrlich
  • May I Kiss You? A Candid look At Dating, Respect And Sexual Assault Awareness – Michael Domirtz
  • Violated: Exposing Rape At Baylor University Amid College Football’s Sexual Assault Crisis – Paula Lavigne
  • I have the Right to : A High School Survivors Story of Sexual Assault, Justice And Hope – Chessy Prout and Jen Abelson
  • We Believe You: Survivors Of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out (2016)– Annie E. Clark and Andrea L. Pino
  • I Never Called It Rape – Robin Warshaw, Gloria Steinem, Salamisah Tillet
  • A False Report : A True Story Of Rape In America – Christian T Miller , Ken Armstrong
  • We Believe You – Annie E. Clark
  • What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape – Sohaila Abdulali

LGBTQIA Survivors

  • Queering Sexual Violence: Radical Voices From Within The Antiviolence Movement – Jennifer Paxton
  • Written On The Body: Letters From Trans And Non Binary Survivors Of Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence – Lexie Bean, Dean Spade, Nyala Moon

POC Survivors

  • I Still Believe Anita Hill: Three Generations Discuss The Legacy Of Speaking – Amy Richards, Cynthia Greenberg
  • In a Day’s Work: The Fight To End Sexual Violence Against America’s Most vulnerable Workers – Bernice Yeung

Male Survivors

  • Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence
  • Joining Forces Empowering Male Survivors – Dr. Howard Bradkin
  • Evicting the Perpetrator – Ken Singer
  • History of Violence – Edouard Louis
  • The Perks Of Being A Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
  • Leaping Upon Mountains – Mike Lew
  • The Summer of Owen Todd – Todd Abbott
  • Victims No Longer : Men Recovering From Incest And Other Sexual Child Abuse– Mike Lew

Young Adult

  • Blood Water Paint – Joy McCullough
  • Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
  • The Lovely Bones – Alice Seobold
  • Asking For It – Louise O’Neil
  • The Luckiest Girl Alive – Jessica Knoll
  • The Tenth Circle – Jodi Piccoult
  • Exit, Pursued A Bear – E.K Johnston
  • Just Listen – Sarah Dessen
  • Sexual Assault The Ultimate Teen Guide – Olivia Ghafoerkhan
  • The Nowhere Girls – Amy Reed
  • Strong At Heart: How It Feels To Heal From Sexual Abuse – Carolyn Lehman
  • Push –  Sapphire
  • My Dark Vanessa – Kate Elizabeth Russell

Science Fiction

  • The Power – Naomi Alderman Memoir
  • A Stolen Life – Jaycee Dugard
  • Lucky – Alice Sebold
  • Girl In The Woods – Aspen Mathis
  • We Believe You : Survivors Of Campus Sexual Assault – Annie Clark & Andrea L Pino
  • South Of Forgiveness : A True Story Of Rape And Responsibility – Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger
  • Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest For Truth, Authenticity And The Perfect Knuckleball (2012) – R.A. Dickey and Wayne Coffey
  • Speaking Truth To Power – Anita Hill
  • Dear Sister: Letters From Survivors Of Sexual Violence – Lisa Factora-Borchers and Aishah Shahidah Simmons
  • Beads: A Memoir About Falling Apart And Putting Yourself Back Together – Rachel Brooks

Children’s Books

  • C Is For Consent – Eleanor Morrison & Faye Orlove
  • My Body’s Mine: A Book On Body Boundaries And Sexual Abuse Prevention – Kayla Marnach
  • The Summer of Owen Todd – Todd Abbott
  • My Body Belongs To Me From My Head To My Toes – Geisler Dagmar
  • Not In Room 204: Breaking The Silence Of Abuse – Shannon Riggs
  • Hands Are Not For Hurting – Nora Gaydos, Akemi Gutierrez
  • It’s My Body – Lory Freeman
  • Something Happened And I’m Scared To Tell – Patricia Kehoe, Carol Deach

Advocacy and Other Professionals

  • The Revolution Starts At Home: Confronting Intimate Violence Within Activist Communities (2016) – Ching-In Chen , Jai Dulani , Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
  • Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide To Caring For Self While Caring For Others – Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk (2009)
  • No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us – Rachel Louise Snyder
  • Homegrown: Home Domestic Violence Turns Men Into Terrorists (2019) – Joan Smith

Poetry

  • Milk & Honey – Rupi Kaur
  • The Sun And Her Flowers – Rupi Kaur