This was a bit hard for me to read, not because of the subject of domestic violence, but because of all of the ways Joy tried to fight back even while trying not to hurt or take revenge on the man who was hurting her, along with all the rest of the roadblocks she ran into along the way. This.....this is what still needs to be fixed in our society. This is more than 'just leave....why don't they just leave', but in her own words and with her own proof. I didn't want to like it. I still don't. And that has nothing to do with Joy. But it needs to be read, and shared, and truly fixed. Thank you so much for telling your story.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

Such an interesting book! I expected that this would be almost entirely a memoir, however, the author does a wonderful job combining multiple kinds of storytelling & genres to create A Survivor’s Education.

Set in Russia, and uniquely tied to European history and well as college campuses across the globe. Albeit a little difficult to follow at times, the author overall did well at covering such a dense and intense topic, while also making it digestible for the reader. A sincere reminder that domestic violence is a threat to everyone, not just certain demographics. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

A Survivors Education: Women, Violence. And the Stories We Don’t Tell – Joy Neumeyer – 2024-

In her debut narrative of investigative reporting, Joy Neumeyer uses her own story related to IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) combined with her launch of a Title IX investigation (2017) that consumed over two years of her life; and to further her research of the historic and cultural impacts of domestic abuse and violence against women.

After working as a journalist in Moscow, Joy arrived at UC Berkeley to complete a PhD program in European Studies with a focus on Russian History. The relationship she had with Daniel, a fellow in her program, slowly evolved over time. After a serious relationship began, his behavior, allegations, threats against her were vicious and appalling. The love she had for Daniel, could not prevent him from committing a felony assault that nearly killed her on April 29, 2017. It was fortunate Daniel was able to access hospitalization, mental health treatment, counseling through the Universities excellent health coverage for PhD candidates. Professor Alexander, who was the advisor for both Daniel and Joy, advocated for Daniel to remain in the program to continue access to treatment. Joy felt an obligation to formally report the IPV and alert others to future potential acts of abuse and violence.

In 2018, Joy returned to the Russian Siberian Alta region to the village of Yekaterinburg, where the tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandria, and children were brutally assassinated (1918) and later declared holy martyrs of the Russian Orthodox Church. Joy compared the violence against women in Russian society to American women was and realized the widespread and troubling similarities. When Title IX was enacted (1972), it applied to college and university sports teams and unequal campus hiring practices. The Women’s Liberation Movement added sexual harassment (1976-77) to Tile IX investigations hoping that allegations of misconduct launched by female staff members would be taken seriously and offered a level of protection. A shocking true-crime historical narrative of violence against women in the Berkley area was informative, as were the changes made to Title IX investigations by the Trump administration (2016). Joy was advised by her therapist that the Title IX investigation against Daniel was never meant to offer her any form of closure, and indeed, she was right. With thanks to Hachette Books via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is set to be published August 20, 2024.

What an incredible read! I'm a huge fan of memoirs and I knew I needed to get my hands on this as soon as I read the description. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.

A Survivor's Education is an intensely personal and moving memoir about the author's experience with an abusive relationship while her and her partner were working on their PhDs at Berkeley. It also details her experience with the Title IX system at her university. Neumeyer uses her training as a historian and journalist to piece together the "truth" of what happened to her and her relationship. She also explores the history of Title IX and explores the MeToo movement and how things have changed (or not changed) in the last few decades.

This is a deeply personal and moving story and I think Neumeyer does a wonderful job at balancing the many aspects of this book. It is part memoir, part history book, and part commentary on how abuse and misconduct is treated in our society today. This was beautifully written and so compelling. I loved how she weaved her academic studies in Russian history with what she was experiencing in her personal life. I learned so much but never felt bogged down with information.

Overall, I think this is an incredible read and I would highly recommend it!

Joy Neumeyer writes a timely book what Title IX has done to our college campuses. A thoroughly researched book with the added strength of her own story of being assaulted during her time as a graduate student. This book is timely, harrowing, and deeply moving. If you are at all curious about this situation or you were assaulted yourself, you should read this book, as she is writing from a position of strength from coming out the other side of this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Well. I wasn't sure I was up to another domestic violence book, but this one was really valuable. The author was a grad student at the time as was her partner, when he began abusing and stalking her and trying to get sympathy for himself in the fallout--he was always the victim. But the author after deciding this was not just her fault, really began taking steps to keep herself safe, and was able to tie her experiences into the Russian history and literature that she was studying at the time, making this a really fascinating and very different domestic violence book, one that reminds us so well that this can happen to anyone, of any class or education level. Recommended.

Part memoir, part historical non-fiction, part social critique; this book brilliantly weaves together many genres. Neumeyer takes this book to tell her story of domestic violence and connects to a greater whole, specifically within the American college campus. Neumeyer is a historian so I wasn’t surprised to find history within these pages but for me, the history of Europe slowed the pacing and distracted from the social issues and my overall enjoyability of the book. Even with that, I found this to be a very interesting and informative piece of work that shines the light on how violence against women is perceived and handled.

Thank you Public Affairs and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Available 08/20/2024!

A unique and captivating journey through one woman's abusive relationship and the related aftermath. Neumeyer structured this book in a very strategic manner - specifically the first two thirds.
The prologue is a masterpiece - the bait and switch: I returned to the prologue after completing the book. Neumeyer does weave European history alongside her story - which at times slowed the pace - but, didn't necessarily disrupte the flow.
I appreciated her attention to nuance, specifically when it comes to the somewhat progressive group think surrounding restorative justice. As she so succinctly explained, being expelled from a world class PhD program does not constitute imprisonment in any sense of the word. Understanding the limitations of therapy and mental health awareness is crucial - hearing about her (and others) abuser's robust community support is sickening, but something I have witnessed first hand.
I appreciate Neumeyer's efforts in creating this book which no doubt was a difficult process and hope it receives the positive recognition it deserves.

An extremely important book about domestic abuse in the US. The stories in this are relevant, timely, and heartbreaking and show that this is not a new problem that we suffer from. These women deserve to have their stories told and justice served.

The way this book is written, it comes across like a stream of consciousness. All the stories and recollections kind of blur together, which made it difficult to follow at times. It didn’t help that many of the conversations in the book seemed to take place via text message and email.

I also didn’t realize there would be such a heavy emphasis on 1. European history and 2. the actual legal process of prosecuting sexual assault on a college campus. I was definitely expecting more of a memoir, and this felt more like reading a research paper or article.

However, I did find it informative in regards to domestic violence and how it is handled at universities in the united states. I also liked that the author included actual copies of various documents relative to the story, such as the initial domestic abuse affidavit they submitted.

This book isn’t exactly what I expected, but it was still enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy!

“A Survivor's Education” is a harrowing account of one woman's experience with abuse and the journey to reclaim her life. The author, who moves from Moscow to the United States to pursue her graduate studies at Berkeley, finds herself in a toxic relationship with Daniel.
The escalation of abuse is chilling, as Daniel becomes increasingly controlling and threatening. The author's fear and sense of isolation are palpable as she navigates the legal system to protect herself from her abuser. Her strength and determination shine through as she fights for justice and ultimately wins her case after two years and two months of perseverance. The parallels she draws between her own situation and historical figures add layers of depth to her story.
This is a powerful and important memoir that sheds light on the realities of domestic violence and the long road to healing and recovery.

Highly recommended for anyone seeking insight into the complexities of abusive relationships and the strength it takes to break free.