Women around the world routinely suffer from beatings, rape, torture and murder. These are not the practices of a few demented individuals, but are often institutionalized, culturally-sanctioned behaviors. Millions of women live in a constant state of isolation, terror and fear; for most, escape is nearly impossible due to economic, social, or cultural restrictions. Forsaken Females describes the many types of global brutalization that occur against women: including feticide, infanticide, female genital mutilation, sexual slavery, honor killing, acid attacks, trafficking, dowry death, rape, and intimate partner violence. The violence is varied in both method and practice and is often supported by patriarchal ideologies or policies that maintain the social conditions and cultural framework that accept womenOs brutalization. Forsaken Females also addresses the physical, emotional and economic impact of the violence. The discussion is structured around the experiences of women who describe their personal victimization. Each chapter concludes with examples of promising policies and practices developed to address and reduce violence perpetrated against women.

In March 2004, when award-winning photographer Lana Slezic went on assignment to Afghanistan from her native Canada, she never dreamed she would stay for two years. At the time she believed that since the ousting of the repressive Taliban in 2001, Afghan women and girls were living under considarably less oppressive conditions. She soon discovered that life for Afghan women was not as she expected, and felt compelled to stay and document their story. With the help of a young female Aghan as her friend and translator, Slezić photographed women all over the country. Over endless cups of tea in sitting rooms in cities and villages, she learned that Afghan women are still living in a harrowingly oppressive society where forced marriage, domestic violence, honour killings, and an unpalatable lack of freedom still exist. Even today many are not allowed to leave their homes or go to school, and the burka remains a common sight on the dusty streets of the war-torn country. This body of work represents a very emotional journey that has allowed Slezic to learn about the lives of Afghan women and girls in an intimate setting. Unfortunately, most of them understand subservience and fear all too well. Forsaken offers a moving, confrontational and intimate picture of the life of Afghan women who have dared to show their vulnerability in this book. Their fighting spirit and small steps towards equality give them and the viewer hope for better times.The book has garnered honors as one of the best photo books of that year, including PDNs Annual Best Photo Books.

The Forsaken Muse, a Woman's Journey from Sorrow to Hope takes you inside a woman's world as she struggles from despair, sadness, travail and self-examination to finding hope, growth and her own destiny. This is a book of poetry with PASSION, and a collection of beautiful PHOTOGRAPHS, DRAWINGS and other ARTt forms. ALL poems are beautifully illustrated by original photography which could stand on their own as beautiful art and were meticulously hand-picked. This book is for women, and therefore also relevant to men. ******************************************* "The book goes through a journey from despair to awakening, healing and triumph at the end. The poems in VOLUME I called 'Songs of Lamentation, My Life is Out of Rhyme' can be quite painful to read for some, but show the realities of life so we can appreciate when we have been through them. VOLUME II, 'I Endure, I Suffer, I Give Birth' takes us further to the woman's journey where she starts to awaken to her natural ability to fight for survival, to do something to change her situation, where she suffers and yet she is involved in birthing something beautiful within her life. VOLUME III, 'Changing...Loving myself, Loving others... Finding me, finding my destiny' shows us the beauty of her transformation, where she now has confidence to move forward, reconciles herself with herself, understands who she really is, and eventually, start to think beyond herself to help others. VOLUME IV is titled 'The Forsaken Woman Finds Herself'. - this provides a conclusion as to her journey and her self-realization. THIS BOOK OF POETRY, WHICH IS A WOMAN'S STORY, WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!

"Banks spins a head-bendingly complex tale of passion, mythology, war, and love that lasts till the grave--and beyond . . . devoted fans should relish this new chapter in a promising series."