My Partner, My Enemy

April 11, 2016
As the presiding judge of the Brooklyn Domestic Violence Court (the first of its kind in the nation when it opened in 1996), author Leventhal certainly knows his stuff. Startling statistics immediately draw readers in—a woman is beaten by her domestic partner every 15 seconds in the U.S., accounting for at least four million reported incidents against women every year. Domestic violence is a crime “committed across all strata of the population,” and certainly the cases presented by Leventhal reflect that. This is an important book in its field, but here’s the strong warning: pay attention to the “unflinching” adjective in the title. The graphic nature of the cases described will deter many readers. Moreover, alliterative chapter titles (“Deadly Dave,” “Predator Paul”) come across as inappropriately jocular. Leventhal does occasionally pause the grim narration to describe helpful legislation or observe positive changes in procedures, but most of the useful suggestions—such as how police departments and courts can better protect victims—don’t appear until the end. It’s clear that books like this are needed to raise awareness; whether many readers will be able to persevere through its disturbing contents remains to be seen.