Something To Be Brave For

SOMETHING TO BE BRAVE FOR tells the sometimes tender yet often harrowing story of abuse and of a woman’s resilience and courage, a tale that culminates in the triumph of self-discovery.

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Critical Acclaim

"If you couldn't get enough of 'Big Little Lies', either the series or the book, then you should get your hands on 'Something To Be Brave For'. Ms. Bennett has put a unique spin on the age-old story of a woman trapped in an abusive marriage. She creates a world of privilege that becomes a gilded prison for her protagonist, and that traps the reader into turning page after absorbing page to see how she'll manage to escape. This is absorbing reading at its unputdownable best." — Luther L., Amazon Review

"I just finished reading Something to be Brave For. The book was very intense and shocking as it centres around domestic abuse. It was very heartfelt and sad to know that there are many people out there that are suffering in silence and just because of your families social status it does not mean that you are immune to it. The book was very well written and realistic." — Dr. Stars, Goodreads Review

"This book handles the emotional subject of Domestic Violence, a subject I'm passionate about through my paid work and previous volunteer work with Victim Support. The Author delicately handles the subject and shows how a couple on the outside can be the envy of everyone who meets them; outwardly seen as being a happily married and successful couple, but behind closed doors the story couldn't be more different."— Lisa Hardy, Bookalicious Travel Addict Review

"The novel, Something To Be Brave For is a unique—yet still universal—story of domestic violence. Katie lives in an Architectural Digest home with her husband, a surgeon whose skill is known to the world and whose brutality is known only to his wife. This story of a women trapped in a gilded cage, living with a monster, transcends race, color and class: Katie is a sister to every battered woman. She’s also a survivor and as she turns her life of horror into one of hope, the reader will want to stand up and cheer!"— Rosemary Rogers, author of eight books including the bestseller Saints Preserve Us! and numerous magazine and newspaper articles.

"Well-written story beautifully told that will help those who are suffering from mental and physical abuse."— Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D Healthcare Entrepreneur and Former CEO and President of Javelin Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge MA

"Spellbinding…captures the world of high society; the elegant homes, political and sexual alliances, the affairs, dalliances and even the world of cosmetic surgery that often attends this glamorous-and frequently dangerous-lifestyle…" — Lewis Burke Frumkes, Author.  Read More 

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Five Ways To Get Money Matters In Order Before You Leave

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends: Here are five tips you can use to organize your finances: 1. Gather Documents. Try to have access to shared accounts. Compile PIN codes, passwords, copies of credit reports, print-outs of any financial records or bank accounts, birth certificates for you and your children, your driver’s…

Abusers Are Using Smart Home Technology Against Survivors

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Abusers unlock doors, change temperatures and listen in on cameras as a new way to torture. Survivors who have left their abusers assume they are living a safe, new existence but are being besieged by random acts of confusion aimed at setting them on edge, and…

JUST ONE MORE CHANCE

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Why do domestic violence victims give their abusers one more chance over and over again? Abusers are cunning and manipulative. They know exactly what to say to change the minds of their victims who are caring and traumatized. Trauma bonding is the type of attachment one…

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It provides an opportunity to shed light on the domestic violence issue and work towards ways of preventing it. Domestic Violence Awareness Month originated from the Day of Unity, first held in October 1981 and created by the National Coalition…

Sexual Child Abuse

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Sexual Child Abuse refers to the involvement of a child in sexual activity to provide sexual gratification or financial benefit to the perpetrator. It includes contact for sexual purposes, molestation, statutory rape, prostitution, pornography, incest, or other sexually exploitative activities. Children living through abuse and violence…

How Witnessing Domestic Violence Can Have Lifelong Effects

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, According to a recent study, witnessing domestic violence as a child could be just as damaging as being abused. When a child is exposed to either violence directly or witnessing violence, the fight or flight mechanism of the child is activated on a regular basis, and…

Alarming Effects of Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and I want to bring attention to the effects of children’s exposure to domestic violence and the significance of it. Blake Griffin Edwards who wrote this article, says domestic violence takes many forms including chronic arguing and yelling, controlling…

‘Coerced Debt’

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, ‘Coerced Debt’ often follows domestic violence survivors and is another roadblock to building their future. Abusers use debt to trap their victims. Credit cards and loans taken out under two names, but never paid back, can cripple a survivor financially. Angela Littwin, a law professor at…

How Narcissistic Parents May Use Their Children

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Narcissistic parents tend to see their children as possessions and as extensions of themselves, as opposed to individuals in their own right. This can lead to the child growing up to develop serious identity issues. “Who am I?” and “Who can I trust?” are common questions…

Patrick Stewart Says Domestic Violence Is A Man’s Problem

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Another common perception is that domestic violence is a women’s issue, and therefore men don’t have to take responsibility. Often the victim is blamed for doing something to have caused it. Patrick Stewart, the English actor, with a career spanning almost six decades, is challenging the…

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I read an article about why domestic violence awareness hasn’t caught up with the #MeToo movement and thought I’d share some of the findings. After the #MeToo movement went viral, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence created its own hashtag,…

Can You Spot An Abusive Partner Before You Get Involved?

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Is it possible to spot an abusive partner before you get involved? It is difficult in many cases. Many abusers are highly intelligent, clever and charming. They use this technique to deceive and manipulate drawing the victim in. As survivors know, the transition from love to…

What Survivors Can Collect For Evidence Of Abuse

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Here are some suggestions for collecting evidence of abuse. I hope they are helpful. Any written rules imposed by the abuser Information about abuse of previous partners Proof that you are being financially marginalized Records proving you provide most of the child care Diary of physical…

Statements Abusers Make To Control Their Victims

It’s almost summer, and I hope everyone had a pleasant Memorial Day Weekend. Often the holiday weekends bring on more violence and abuse instead of peaceful enjoyable interactions. I wanted to share some of the statements abusers will make to keep their victims under control. These are only a handful…

Children’s Domestic Abuse Wheel

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, As we come to the end of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, I wanted to share how violence affects children in relation to the Children’s Domestic Abuse Wheel. The wheel is divided into eight sections with these headings: Emotional Abuse, Physical and Mental Effects, Sexual Abuse,…

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, April brings spring flowers and is also National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Child abuse is under-reported and is a hidden epidemic. Over the past 10 years, more than 20,000 American children are believed to have been killed in their own homes by family members—almost five a…

White Ribbon Day

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Last Thursday State leaders in Massachusetts launched the White Ribbon Day campaign to end domestic violence. Thousands of men and boys took the pledge to end violence against women and promote safety and respect. The pledge reads, “From this day forward, I promise to be part…

The Cycle Of Abuse

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, The cycle of abuse will continue over and over until the abused one stops it. There’s a script domestic violence follows with the abuser rigidly in control. The survivors develop a script of their own and repeat the same lines over and over to themselves, friends…

Perspecticide

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, I just read an article on Perspecticide and thought I would share some of the ideas about it. Perspecticide is the abuse-related incapacity to know what you know. It’s often part of a strategy of coercive control that may include manipulation, stalking, gaslighting and physical abuse.…

Why Doesn’t She Just Leave?

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, It’s 2018 and I hope the holidays well and have hope for this coming year. It’s important to have hope. Life is always changing. At a recent party, I got into a conversation with another woman about my previous nursing career and the domestic violence issue,…

Surviving The Holidays

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, I hope your holidays were peaceful and that you are staying warm. The emergency room I worked in was busiest during the holidays. Alcohol and drug consumption, high expectations of families and close quarters over an extended period of time seemed to contribute to the rise…

The Abuser And Food

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, Now that we’ve entered the holiday season, abuse seems to escalate in so many ways. Food is such an important part of enjoying the festivities along with certain customs and traditions connected with food and other pleasures. Sometimes the abusers decide to use food as a…

Sex And The Surgeon

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, My mother, who was an operating room nurse, inspired me to follow her into the nursing profession. She told many stories of surgeons misbehaving in and out of the operating room, and in the 1970s they got away with it. She saw surgeons grab nurses behinds…

Eating The Leftovers

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, I hope you were all safe over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Often domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse escalate during the holidays. When I worked in the emergency room, I saw it over and over. Drugs and alcohol played a part along with high expectations of…

Sexual Harassment In The Workplace And At Home

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, The spotlight is now on sexual harassment from Hollywood to Congress with much in between, and it’s long overdue. Women have put up with it, considered it part of the job description and have been silent out of fear. Sexual harassment and rape occur in situations…

Protect The Children

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, I hope you had a restful weekend. Now it’s the start of a new week, and I wanted to share more on the effects of domestic violence on children. They are the innocent victims that don’t understand what is happening—filled with fear, helplessness and self-blame—they try…

Practicing Humane Medicine

Dear Priscilla Bennett Friends, It’s Friday and it feels like summer—amazing weather for November. I hope you have some relaxing plans for the weekend. Harry and I are going to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow to pick up some fresh vegetables, honey and fruit. This week was difficult for Harry who…