Nearly one-third of American women report having been physically or sexually abused in a relationship at some point in their lives.??These women are of every educational level, race and socioeconomic status, and often evidence of their abuse remains hidden. Judith Strasser was one of these women and her book, \Black Eye"" provides a compelling story of abuse as she experienced it.
Released last week, ""Black Eye"" is a semi-autobiographic account of the author's life and relationships, dealing with abuse and afterwards rediscovering her creative voice.
Strasser's ""Black Eye"" is not an easy read on any account. However, she deftly guides the reader through segments of her memoirs interwoven with her own commentary throughout the book, softening disturbing details of her abusive relationship and marriage.
Strasser shows that, unpleasant as it is to discuss, the subject of abuse is both current and important, and it affects the lives of many in unexpected ways. Where abuse is concerned, opening the subject to discussion gives voice to many who may feel alienated and guilty because of their experiences.?? Strasser hopes ""Black Eye"" will create awareness, combating the silence created by fear and isolation.
While it does deal with common themes of domestic abuse, such as alcoholism and insecurity, ""Black Eye"" is not a conventional story of abuse.??The author, a political activist and feminist of the 1960s, suggests she would not have considered herself likely to be trapped as a victim of an abusive marriage.??Strasser hopes her perspective and background will help to get rid of the stereotypes of who is abused.
Strasser said when women see this book, they often remark, ""This could be about me!"" She hopes these and other women will notice the trends in her story, and avoid making the same mistakes.
""You can't turn away from your gut feelings,"" she said, ""Especially when you know they're right.""
The organization of the book itself is also unconventional, alternating between excerpts from the memoirs written during years she most seriously contemplated leaving her marriage and her reflections during a writing retreat years later. Cursory readers may find themselves frustrated by the hazy connections and disturbed by details of abusive situations. They could become lost in thoughtful digressions exploring analogous situations that attempt to elucidate unsettling events in Strasser's life.
However, the compelling realism of the book helps reveal the complexity of domestic abuse.?? Strasser asks-if she found it this difficult to extricate herself from this relationship, how much harder must it be for those women without a relatively strong base of familial support or friendship?
Strasser described writing the book as a process rather than a sudden decision. She did not originally intend for the manuscript to be published, but after she left the abusive relationship with her husband, she went back to school to take creative writing classes. That was when she began to work through the memoirs she recorded during that difficult time.
""I always thought of myself as a writer,"" she said, ""But not as a creative writer. I spent years writing grant proposals and writing for public radio. But it wasn't until after I left my marriage that I began to write creatively again.""
Currently, Strasser lectures and leads discussions about celebrities, memoirs and poetry for both adult and high school audiences, and also conducts writing workshops in Wisconsin and other states.
She has received awards for radio production and for poetry from the Wisconsin Arts Board, and her poems and essays have appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies.
