Moving beyond the narrow clinical perspective sometimes applied to viewing the emotional and developmental risks to battered children, this book, offers a view that takes into account the complex ways in which a batterer's abusive and controlling behaviors are woven into the fabric of daily life. This book is a guide for therapists, child protective workers, family and juvenile court personnel, and other human service providers in addressing the complex impact that batterers -- specifically, male batterers of a domestic partner when there are children in the household -- have on family functioning.

Domestic violence in gay male relationships is the third largest health problem for gay men in America today. Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them breaks the silence surrounding gay male domestic violence and exposes this hidden yet prevalent and destructive problem. The authors paint a vivid picture of gay men’s domestic violence, bringing its brutality to life by including personal narratives, written by one of the authors, by clearly defining what it is and what it is not through lists of violent acts and criminal code categories, and by thoroughly examining and analyzing the criminal, mental health, medical, political, and interpersonal issues involved. The authors boldly depart from the battered women’s literature by asserting that batterers have a diagnosable mental disorder, that battering is not gender based, and that much further criminalization of domestic violence is necessary. Striving for victim advocacy, the book underscores the idea that gay men’s domestic violence is totally unacceptable and is caused solely by individual abusive gay men who choose to batter. The book builds on and departs from what is known about domestic violence, with the authors challenging several fundamental premises in the literature, unabashedly identifying battering as a mental disorder. The authors explain that victims cannot stop their battering partners from battering and virtually all batterers choose to harm their partners in a premeditated fashion. The authors provide practical steps and suggestions for victims who want to leave and stay away from their violent partners and for friends who want to help battered gay men. Chapters describe the scope of the problem and refute myths and misconceptions. There are several detailed theory chapters in which the authors explain why gay men’s domestic violence occurs, who the batterers are, who the victims are at different stages of victimization, and how domestic violence can be stopped. A visionary, wide-ranging governmental and private plan of action is introduced, including lists of necessary laws and policies, as well as outlines of strong education, training, and advertising problems needed in various sectors of society. As a self-help book, Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them provides practical information on a never-before discussed topic. As a trainer’s manual or teaching guide, it includes specific criteria for understanding the problem and for providing treatment.

Working with both the perpetrators and victims of intimate partner abuse has given the author a unique insight into the tactics employed by the male abuser. He suggests that male intimate abuse and violence are driven by an entitlement to sexual priority and that the other tactics of control and violence are motivated by this entitlement. It is this motivation that distinguishes male intimate violence from other forms of `domestic violence' such as female to male violence and elder abuse --

An award-winning investigative journalist provides a disturbing new look at an underreported type of domestic violence—the abuse of men. The first edition of Philip W. Cook's book, Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence (Praeger, 1997), drew attention and praise nationwide from individuals and from media, ranging from CNN and Fox network's The O'Reilly Factor to scholarly publications such as The Journal of Marriage and Family. On the 10th anniversary of that groundbreaking book, Cook began revising and expanding his work. The result is this second edition—a disturbing look at a trend that continues to increase. The new edition of Abused Men: The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence offers up-to-date data on the prevalence of intimate partner violence against men, incorporating personal interviews and cases drawn from the media. It also includes updates on law, legislation, court activity, social responses, police activity, support groups, batterer programs, and crisis intervention programs. The final chapter contains a detailed and specific description of needed reforms in the current approach to intimate partner violence, whether the victims are male or female.