Warning Signs: A memoir about domestic violence

by Kate Mageau

Overview

I wrote this book to help people learn the warning signs of intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic violence (DV). IPV is a subset of DV, in that IPV is abuse between intimate partners and DV is abuse between any family members. In both cases, they are abuse with one person's intent to exert power and control over another person. It can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or psychological acts or threats of violence.
This book is my personal story of enduring abuse and how I eventually left. After each chapter in the story, there is a section called "warning signs" that discusses the warning signs of abuse that I did not see at the time. When I experienced this, I did not know what DV or IPV was, and thus I did not know what I was experiencing or that I needed to leave the relationship. I wrote the warning signs sections after each chapter to help people see the signs in the context of abuse as it occurs.
My hope is that this book can teach people the warning signs so that people can: 1) Not enter abusive relationships; 2) Leave if they are in them; 3) Help people notice if someone is in an abusive relationship, and then teach them the warning signs so they leave; 4) Help people whose loved ones have experienced abuse understand what happened and why it was hard for them to see the signs and leave; and 5) Create a global discussion so that we can change these patterns, so as a society we can work toward ending abuse.
As a community of people reading this book and people that care about survivors, I hope that we can help people make smart decisions. Share your thoughts and stories using #WarningSigns so we can grow together. I dedicate this book to all the New Beginnings participants I have stood alongside in our journeys to not only survive, but thrive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765565780
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	05/23/2022
Pages:	662
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.46(d)

About the Author

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am a domestic violence and intimate partner violence survivor. After I experienced abuse, I attended a support group at a domestic violence advocacy agency and learned about the cycle of abuse. I also saw a mental health counselor who taught me more about abuse and how to heal from it. Five years later, in 2019, I returned to the same agency and volunteered my time to co-facilitate the same support group, where I continued to learn even more about the abuse.
I am currently in my last year in a Master’s of Counseling Education, specializing in Mental Health Counseling, where I am learning further more about abuse and domestic violence. And if you think that isn’t enough, I am also in an internship at an agency that specializes in helping domestic violence survivors heal from abuse, where I — you guessed it —learn even more about abuse. When I graduate in December of 2022, I plan to continue helping domestic violence survivors as a mental health counselor.
I also enjoy my life and spend time not thinking about abuse! I enjoy kayaking, reading, writing, painting, traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with those I love – my family, my friends, my wonderful and supportive boyfriend who is nothing like my ex, and my cat, Penelope.