The Ultimate Betrayal

Acknowledgments
About the Author

Chapter 1: Overview of Intimate Partner Violence

Chapter 2: Causes of Intimate Partner Violence

Chapter 3: Why Does She Stay?

Chapter 4: Signs and Lethality of Intimate Partner Violence

Chapter 5: Intimate Partner Violence Touches Every Area of the Heart

Chapter 6: Just for My Girls: Intimate Partner Violence among Girls and Young Women

Chapter 7: The Perpetrator of Abuse: The Not-So-Obvious Guy Next Door

Chapter 8: State of Intimate Partner Violence Prevention, Intervention, and Research

Chapter 9: Moving Forward: Yes, We Can Reduce Intimate Partner Violence

Index

Tricia B. Bent-Goodley, PhD, is professor of social work at Howard University. Dr. Bent-Goodley has a passion for creating solutions to improve the safety and viability of families, with a particular focus on the development of culturally specific faith- and community-based interventions that strengthen families and communities of color. She is the author or coauthor of three books in the area of social policy. Dr. Bent-Goodley serves in a number of local, state, and nationally elected and appointed leadership positions, for example, as a member of the Prince George’s County Domestic Violence Fatality Review; member of the National Association of Social Workers Committee on the Role and Status of Women; Steering Committee member of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community; and cochair of the NABSW National Academy for African-Centered Social Work. Before coming to Howard University, she served as an administrator and clinical practitioner in the area of family violence, school, and community practice. Dr. Bent-Goodley received her PhD in social work with specialization in social policy, planning, and analysis from Columbia University; her master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania; and her bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Queens College of the City University of New York. Dr. Bent-Goodley finds her greatest joy in being a wife and a mother of two boys.

Dr. Bent-Goodley’s book, The Ultimate Betrayal: A Renewed Look at Intimate Partner Violence, is a very serious book that addresses a critical social problem. It is beautifully, almost intimately, written. The author encourages the reader to examine partner violence on a personal and private level. She has written this cogent work in a near conversational way to encourage self-reflection and self-edification.

Skillfully planned and masterfully written, this book provides valuable content that examines divergent aspects of intimate partner violence. The book also integrates cultural content, an essential component of this discussion, since intimate partner violence is not exclusive to any particular group.

A provocative book, written with clarity, insight and creativity, The Ultimate Betrayal: A Renewed Look at Intimate Partner Violence is an excellent book for undergraduate and graduate students in social work, psychology, sociology, and women’s studies. This book will also become an incredibly valuable resource for professional practitioners, including social workers, psychologists, and counselors.

Iris Carlton-LaNey, PhD
School of Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill