“Ruth Glenn’s story combines powerful personal testimony with the deep knowledge, hard facts, and brave advocacy needed to confront the reality of domestic violence. It will change your understanding and inspire you. It’s a portrait of an extraordinary woman, a moving tribute to survivors of domestic violence—particularly children—and an urgent call to address the causes of violence in our society.”—Angelina Jolie, Academy Award-winning actress, Humanitarian, and Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Description
The raw, uplifting, and unforgettable memoir from the CEO and president of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence chronicling her personal battle against abuse, violence, and even a murder attempt.
Ruth M. Glenn wasn’t surprised the first time her husband beat her. She was hurt and disappointed but after a childhood in a broken and violent home, she was not surprised. After all, this was just the way things were, right?
It was only after she lay bleeding in a carwash parking lot, after being shot three times by him, that Glenn resolved—if she managed to survive—to spend the rest of her life standing up to domestic violence.
Now, she brings her full story to the forefront with this survivor’s tale crossed with a rousing call to action. She reveals her difficult but ultimately rewarding journey from that parking lot to sacrificing everything to obtain her advanced degrees. With her evocative and thoughtful voice, Glenn explores the dynamics of domestic violence, why women and children are seen as lesser in our society, how to stop victim-blaming, and how to demystify domestic violence to stop it once and for all.
A memoir of resilience and courage, Everything I Never Dreamed is a necessary book that proves that abuse does not have to define a survivor’s entire life.
Reviews
"Interwoven with stories and statics of the thousands of other women who have suffered and sometimes died at the hands of their abusers, the book sheds light on a profoundly tragic issue while also offering hope...inspiring and courageous.”—Kirkus Reviews
"Ruth Glenn’s Everything I Never Dreamed should be a textbook in every criminal justice and public policy class. Ruth takes on the complexities of domestic violence and makes clear the urgent need to end it. We learn why telling women to leave violent relationships can put them in greater danger and how insidious the effects of psychological abuse can be. Ruth educates us about what interventions make a difference and what failures have been on display. But most of all, Ruth’s book is a heart-stopping journey through life, hers and our own. From growing up in poverty to the terrifying moment when her life might end, Ruth shows us the true meaning of resilience. As a daughter, a mother, a survivor, an activist, Ruth touches a chord in all of us."—Lynn Rosenthall, former White House Advisor on Violence Against Women and President, the Center for Family Safety and Healing
"In this truly riveting book, Ruth M. Glenn takes us through her experience of unspeakable intimate partner violence with unflinching honesty, courage, and compassion. This is a must-read book that will change forever how you understand the dynamics of power and control that abusers inflict on so many women and children. Glenn’s transformation from victim to survivor to national leader in the fight to stop domestic violence inspires us all to do better in any way we can, and to join her in her crucially important mission."—Diane L. Rosenfeld, J.D., LL.M., author of The Bonobo Sisterhood: Revolution Through Female Alliance, Lecturer on Law and Director of the Gender Violence Program, Harvard Law School