This book provides an important perspective on gender based violence, focusing on the impact on women of Asian descent but also making broader points.
In a society where coercive control is so commonplace, what is the impact on women and on society? This book explores these questions in depth.

Survivor Injustice is not what I thought it was going to be. While there is plenty of research that shows actual injustice towards true victims and how some individuals were held criminally for the crimes committed against them, there really wasn't much on how to correct the injustice being done, other than tearing down "the white supremacist system". I wanted to not finish this on so many levels, but kept on reading as this subject is worth exploring and identifying where we are getting it so wrong, even if we disagree at points, so we can learn from our mistakes and correct them, not sit and point fingers and call names. The book could have been shorter, as I agree with others that there was a lot of repetition, and while I walked away with some new information (real life examples used in the book), it didn't really change my understanding of the information at large. Personally, No Visible Bruises was much better at explaining and understanding the root cause with actions moving forward.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

This book is not to be taken lightly, especially in the age of now. I'm impressed with the amount of research that went into it while still maintaining an interesting tone. I did notice a lot of repetition and with some restructuring, this book could be even more impactful.

Extremely well researched, very informative and interesting points. But structure made it difficult for me, and there was lots of repetition. Could have been brilliant but unfortunately lacked execution for me.

2.5

An essential read. A rallying cry. The angst is potent. With much precision, Cheung blurs the line separating the personal from the political, yielding a profoundly affecting outcome that resonates powerfully, even among intimately acquainted with these matters.

I read this book and then I told my daughter that she needs to read this book. I also told my son he needs to read this book. The systematic sexism is so often overlooked. Combine that with a resurgence in fascism and you have a dangerous time to be a woman. I enjoyed that the book itself was balanced and forced me to be balanced about a topic I find inflammatory on a personal level. The consistency was the most profound and disturbing.

This is a very well researched piece on how survivors of sexual and domestic violence are systematically denied justice, disempowered, and often further victimized whether they seek justice or merely expression. While it focuses on the US it still offers valuable (in my opinion) thinking material for those of us who are outside of the US.
Free of needless jargon and rich in examples it is perfect read for intro level readers, but it is also a very heavy read that would advise to approach with some caution if you aren't in the best headspace.
The transitions between battles/topics are also seamless which further highlights that none of them are happening in a vacuum or independently from one another, in other words I enjoyed the structure of this book a lot.

I thought this book was interesting and had some particularly interesting discussion around the Heard/Depp trial. However, I thought the book was quite repetitive and could have been much shorted and covered the same subjects.

I received an ARC for Survivor Injustice from Netgalley, and I was super excited to dive into it. It's available August 15th 2023.
I'm a clinical social worker AND a white person, so I always gravitate towards books like this exploring the intersections of all the -isms to make sure that I'm staying informed and educated about different perspectives.
That being said, I work in an arena that has to be familiar on a regular basis with abuse and all of its dynamics, so I did come in with a significant amount of background knowledge just from working with survivors. Though I enjoyed this book overall and found so much of this research helpful and eye-opening, there was something about the tone and the way that the research was presented that felt a little pretentious to me at times.
For example, there were a few times I noticed quotation marks put on words as a nod that the author disagreed. ( i.e, "feminist" used in quotes when the author found something 'unfeminist') I get irritated when any author does that in a book like this: to me that always feels like the book doesn't trust that I got the point so they have to draw the conclusion FOR me. It felt very 'let me explain things to you because I went to grad school" in a way.
I think that a lot of the information was super helpful, and I did learn a few things that I didn't know. I did start to glaze over at the repetitive nature about halfway through.

A very powerful and gripping story that is difficult to read in some parts but worth sticking with. The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I've read a few books in my time on this topic, however I do find Cheung's to be the more accessible by far in it's language (it's not overly academically jargoned making it an ideal read for the average reader and almost definitely a primer to those who want a critical introduction on the topic of VAWG, and how this can ultimately affect any woman (and unlike stereotypes often the perp is not some stranger!)

An amazing book that was perfect for me to expand and further think through my thoughts on issues and beliefs I have and also now have after reading it. Some stuff I knew a little bit about but this book connected a lot of stuff and is really frustrating to really see laid all out. Book had the good balance of being upsetting but also inspiring in a way because it included so much on what we can do and should do on our own, especially because those in power who are suppose to be on our side will not go all the way and do what is needed.

Heartbreaking yet truthful. This book covers a very important topic and it does so, so beautifully. Well written, easy to read and comprehend, and definitely a book everyone should read!

**Thank you to NetGalley and North Atlantic Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

DNF at 35%.

I requested this book because domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault are important topics to me. These are definitely issues that we need to keep talking about.

What sexual assault is perceived as is that stranger in a dark alley that you spend your whole life trying to protect yourself from as a woman, when most abusers are people the victim knows.

The author gives perspective on some things that might not initially be thought of by others or the victim themselves as domestic abuse: voting coercion (forcing someone to vote for a specific person or keeping them from voting at all), reproductive coercion (forcing them to have an abortion, keeping them from having an abortion, and messing with their birth control), economic sabotage (taking out a loan in their name, hurting their credit score, etc). This might be because they are not violent acts, or relatively small issues in the grand scheme of things.

She talks about how the pandemic affected domestic abuse: We were all told to stay home, but home isn't safe for everyone, and the more victims are forced to stay there, the more control their abusive partners have over them. It also left the friends and family that a victim might normally try to go to for help unable to help because they were also highly affected by everything.

Sometimes speaking up ends in the victim being criminalized for various reasons, such as "mutual abuse" (when they try to fight back against their abuser and are now seen as an abuser themselves), failing to keep children safe even though they know the environment is dangerous (but are helpless to get out of the situation no matter how much they try), and rape kits being used against them later on. Many victims are arrested and taken to prison, where police officers and guards may abuse them again. The author also mentions how differently we see victims when they have a past, as if they don't deserve sympathy.

There was a lot of talk about voting coercion, and how it ultimately leads to the continued election of white conservative men that keep trying to control women and their bodies.

This book disappointed me for a couple of reasons:

-The Author is Asian American and personally experienced sexual assault herself as she states in the introduction. She begins by talking about how most of the coverage and talk about domestic violence and sexual assault is by and/or about middle class, straight, cis white women; the fetishization of Asian Americans; and the "model minority" myth, among other things. I was expecting the whole book be to about the Asian American experience of these topics, and was excited to hear what she had to say about them. But, after the introduction, this is not mentioned again (as far as I read, anyway).

-It is very repetitive, and this is what ultimately lead me to DNFing it.

I literally have no words other than WOW! This book was truly heartbreaking but inspirational, as a young woman having gone through SA and DV I connected to this book a deeper personal level, it truly open my eyes and in away helped me understand the bigger picture with certain factors! Kylie Cheung portrayed such important topics in a respectful and graceful manner with such delicate details