Crazy Brave #1

Discuss what the book has to say about the problem of domestic abuse, both in Joy's own life and more generally (for example, pages 142-147 and 156-159). Why are several men in Joy's life abusive? Why do the women they abuse accept the behavior? is it simply that these people are weak and violent? Or do certain social circumstances contribute to the problem?

The theme of domestic abuse in Joy’s life and in the lives of the people around her is branched out through the entire novel from beginning to end. At the beginning of the book you read about Joy's first encounter with domestic violence at home between her parents. When Joy was very young her father was loving and happy according to her very early memories. Then after some time her father became very angry and aggressive. I don’t really recall what triggered this change in her father but I think that how her father acted had strongly influenced how Joy thinks of men and her relationships with men when she gets older.  After the fallout with her father Joy then goes from one broken home to another, when her mother marries another abusive man.

         I don’t know if it was Joy’s intention to shared these stories of domestic violence that occurred in her own personal life and the lives of her friends and family to shed some light on how domestic abuse was a such a issue during that time. She mentioned a number of times in the book that there were no homes for abusive women during that time. Without a safe place for women to go when being abused I believe that they stay with their abusive spouses or boyfriends because they are afraid of the starting over again. Also during this time in Joy’s life women were treated differently than they are today. Today women have accesses to a number of different resources that could help if they find themselves in an abusive relationship. Also women today are very independent and are accepted into society without the having a man glued to their side.