The Refuge: My Journey to the Safe House for Battered Women by Jenny Smith (Engl

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FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

Until 1971, female victims of domestic violence were expected to 'kiss and make up' with their husbands, hide their black eyes and bruises, and bear the shame that somehow their partners' brutality was their fault. Chiswick Women's Aid was Europe's first ever refuge for what were then called 'battered women', and Jenny Smith was one of the first females who bravely made their way to this much-needed safe house. Desperate, and in fear for her life and the welfare of her two small children, Jenny had fled her dangerously schizophrenic partner, carrying only a few possessions. In the Chiswick shelter, founded by famous women's rights campaigner Erin Pizzey, Jenny found other women in the same position, all with harrowing, extraordinary stories to tell. Amenities were basic, but the respect, kindness and humanity of the community would help to give Jenny a new lease of life and strength. When the safe house came under threat of closure, she lobbied parliament and drove across Europe in a convoy of women in camper vans to raise awareness of their plight. Jenny's story is a slice of social history that begins in a Derbyshire mining village in the 1950s and takes the reader to inner city of Hackney in the 1960s, and Jenny's heart-breaking journey to the refuge. The house was the subject of a famous documentary, Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, which, when first broadcast in 1974, sent shockwaves through the UK. Jenny was one of the first women to break a taboo by speaking publicly about domestic abuse. With the new start afforded her by the refuge, Jenny went on to find love, have another child and work as a foster carer.

Notes

An engaging memoir by one of the first women to live at the famous Chiswick Women's Refuge in the 1970s. Smith writes candidly about her 2 years in this extraordinary community of women, in a narrative that covers mental illness, women's changing roles post war, racism and domestic violence.

Back Cover

'Where is she? She is the Devil and I've come to kill her!' Lenny was out of control, a human wrecking ball. I frantically scrambled upstairs to the attic. I scanned the room for a weapon because when he made it up here I had to be prepared to fight to the death. Until the 1970s, victims of domestic violence were expected to 'kiss and make up' with their husbands, hide their black eyes and bruises, and bear the shame that their partners' brutality was somehow their fault. Chiswick Women's Aid was Europe's first ever refuge for what were then called 'battered women', and Jenny Smith was one of the first people to make their way to this much-needed sanctuary. In fear for her life and the welfare of her two small children, she had fled her partner carrying only a few possessions. In the Chiswick shelter, founded by famous women's rights campaigner, Erin Pizzey, Jenny found countless women in the same position, all with harrowing stories to tell. Amenities were basic, but the respect and kindness of the community helped to give Jenny strength and a new lease of life. This powerful memoir chronicles a life that begins in a loving family in Derbyshire mining village in the 1950s that was torn apart by tragedy, and follows Jenny's story through a changing East End in the 1960s to her place in the refuge and beyond.

Author Biography

Jenny Smith was born in 1946 in a Derbyshire mining village. She was one of the first residents of the Chiswick Women's Refuge, when domestic violence forced her into hiding with her children. Jenny was a long-term foster carer, is now in her sixties and lives in London.

Details ISBN1471129489 Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd Year 2014 ISBN-10 1471129489 ISBN-13 9781471129483 Format Paperback Subtitle My Journey to the Safe House for Battered Women Place of Publication London Country of Publication United Kingdom DEWEY 362.8292092 Publication Date 2014-04-24 Media Book Pages 320 Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd Author Jenny Smith Short Title The Refuge Language English NZ Release Date 2014-04-24 UK Release Date 2014-04-24 Illustrations 8pp plates AU Release Date 2014-04-30 Edition Description Paperback Original Audience General We've got this

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