About

Reading Romantic Violence mobilizes fiction to help victims of domestic and intimate partner violence reimagine rather than relive their traumatic and troubling experiences. This project capitalizes on fiction’s ability to generate empathy, and it seeks to help victims derive empathy and understanding from literature that institutions and personal connections too often deny them.

Reading Guides

The Yellow Wallpaper 

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston

The Girl on the Train 

by Paula Hawkins

When I Hit You 

by Meena Kandasamy

My Story

A lyrical account of my own experiences living in a home ravaged by domestic turmoil and violence.

Have a book recommendation?

Suggest a book or short story that deals with romantic violence and abuse--preferably one that has altered or deepened your own understanding of the complicated and sensitive nature of romantic trauma.