War on Women

So I'm reading Brian Vallee's new book, The War on Women.

Brian Vallee has become most famous for telling the story of Jane Hurshman, who killed her husband after years of torture.

I like that Vallee is a man who is advancing the agenda of ending violence against women. I like that her tells the stories that other people won't/don't.

I like that he speaks uncritically about the fear women have. That he debunks the idea that only weak people would stay. Or that no sensible person would put up with it. Or that it's as easy as just walking away.

Ironically, since women's shelters and other support programs have been put in place, fewer abusers have been killed by the people they abuse. Women are still dying.

I am not huge on the style of this book, though. And that might sound like a shitty thing to say, but my goodness. And I understand but don't understand the feeling that telling all of these stories would be too overwhelming, to distressing for a journalist. This is a question about ability and obligation: Some people get the call, we must answer as best as we can.

If you remember anything from this post, remember that twice as many women and children were killed by their partners and fathers in the last few years as there were troops that died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The deaths of those troops is an outrage - and it's a very public one. Where's the outcry for the ones who die at home?