...extraordinary ... She powerfully dismantles the question of why women seem to stay in violent relationships ... There’s an immediacy in these scenes, the raw, ragged tension of people exhausted by fear, that recalls Donna Ferrato’s portraits of domestic violence in Living With the Enemy. I read Snyder’s book as if possessed, stopping for nothing, feeling the pulse beat in my brain ... In its scope and seriousness — its palpable desire to spur change — this book invites reflection not only about violence but about writing itself. What kinds of reportage really move policy? ... She brings all of fiction’s techniques to this new book — canny pacing, an eye for the animating detail and bursts of quick, confident characterization. There is a fullness and density to every one of her subjects ... She glides from history to the present day, from scene to analysis, with a relaxed virtuosity that filled me with admiration. This is a writer using every tool at her disposal to make this story come alive, to make it matter.
...the product of copious, immersive research, an investigation into a universal and insidious violence and what can be done about it ... No Visible Bruises sounds like an appallingly dark read, and it's true that the content is deeply disturbing. But by focusing on case studies--individuals' stories--Snyder returns humanity to the horrifying larger issue ... told with such compassion and curiosity, they turn out remarkably accessible ... an impressive body of knowledge about domestic violence in the United States.
... invaluable, deeply reported ... Snyder’s discussion...regarding mass shootings, is particularly astonishing ... 'Domestic violence is like no other crime,' Snyder writes, and by the time you finish this book, you will believe it ... Snyder is unsparing on the role of guns in our culture, acknowledging that the US is 'the most dangerous developed country in the world for women.'
'Michelle was buried with her children in the same casket, oversized, with her arms wrapped around each of them,' Rachel Louise Snyder writes, a detail almost unbearable in its poignancy ... Her empathy for the victims is powerful, and infectious. But so is her interest in the perpetrators, some of whom may be able to recover, to change and atone. And as she makes very clear, those who undertake reform — studying and quantifying risk, asking smart questions about whether women’s shelters help or hurt, counseling survivors and getting them the support they need — are heroes.
... compulsively readable ... In a writing style that’s as gripping as good fiction, as intimate as memoir and deeply informed, [Snyder] takes us into the lives of the abused, the abusers and the survivors. The stories are devastating, but Snyder keeps us reading by pointing us toward possible solutions. She delves into how researchers and front-line interveners are creating practical, cost-effective, evidence-based ways to save lives ... [No Visible Bruises] will save lives.
...[a] powerful new book ... Snyder exposes this hidden crisis by combining her own careful analysis with deeply upsetting and thoughtfully told accounts of victims ... Much could be done if law enforcement were more responsive to the problem. According to Snyder, the communities that have made the biggest gains in dealing with the issue have been able to meld the functions of law enforcement and domestic violence crisis centers. Still the current culture of law enforcement is deeply entrenched and I wonder whether Snyder’s hope for change is overly optimistic ... Snyder makes an especially strong case for more coordination among both agencies and jurisdictions ... Less convincing is her call for perpetrators to get more jail time, to give the victims more time to get their own lives in order. I wondered what was to stop a perpetrator from being more angry (and potentially abusive) when he was released post-trial ... To her credit, Snyder takes seriously the underlying causes of violence, interviewing perpetrators and noting that many have often been victims themselves.
Snyder is here to tell us, in her clear, smooth and accessible style (never folksy but never academic, and so matter-of-fact you can feel the writer holding herself in check so as not to overwhelm us with painful details), that we have misunderstood. The most dangerous place for an American woman to be – the most dangerous place on Earth – is in her own home ... There is a river of shame and grief in this book, and even the most well meaning wade in it ... once you read Snyder’s book it is impossible not to see a whole culture (at its most normal – I am including lots of fond dads and grandpas, not Trump and his henchmen) of women fetching and soothing and placating ... It turns out that this ancient and unending wave of violence can be, if not stopped dramatically, permanently limited. Snyder lays it out and says: what will it take?
Although domestic violence is a difficult subject, this sympathetic look at victims, perpetrators, and intervention efforts by law enforcement and social agencies makes for compelling reading ... This is not a series of individual commentaries but rather honest, ongoing conversations, with multiple instances of horror, fear, guilt, bravado, remorse, forgiveness, and frustration ... Snyder’s chilling body of evidence shows that domestic abuse is a pervasive epidemic that can and does happen everywhere.
Snyder’s careful reporting about Michelle’s case lays the foundation for the many other stories she examines ... Although No Visible Bruises is not easy or light reading, Snyder’s willingness to tell the intimate stories of domestic violence sheds light on an often neglected subject. All of us have a stake in becoming more aware of and responsive to private violence, and this book proves why.
Rachel Louise Snyder’s latest book should be required reading for lawmakers across the country ... She makes a powerful case for a national call to action as she shows the ways cops and advocates can make a difference if they see a domestic violence incident for what it so often is — the warning sign of a future homicide or familicide ... The book is far from a collection of grim statistics, even though it’s packed with upsetting information. Snyder is a talented storyteller, and is largely a series of moving and fascinating in-depth profiles ... One of Snyder’s greatest accomplishments in No Visible Bruises is also what kept me reading — she carefully reveals the ways that the deaths of women...affected their communities and beyond, leading to very real, concrete changes in how advocates and cops work together, saving lives. There’s hope here, amid all the heartbreak.
... powerful ... Using her journalism chops, Snyder presents an array of almost unbearable personal stories to illustrate her key points and drive home the shocking statistics ... Snyder’s in-depth reporting and vivid writing imbue the book with drama and tension ... Snyder’s description of police officers trying to defuse a hostage situation is so tense that you forget she is reporting on a training session. In a stark prison ward, she captures the raw emotions of men in an anti-violence workshop ... Snyder skillfully takes on the challenging task of depicting the humanity of the perpetrators without diminishing their crimes ... Snyder’s comprehensive examination of this crucial issue clearly illustrates that domestic violence is pervasive in US society and intersects with nearly every social issue we face from mental health to homelessness, from poverty to sexual assault, from gender equality to prison reform. Her book is a welcome addition to the efforts that bring this brutal crime out from behind closed doors and provide hope for the future.
The book is deeply impactful and thoroughly researched ... No Visible Bruises reset something in me. Oh, I thought. Oh ... [Snyder] confesses in the book to having consigned [domestic abuse] to being a feature within the lives of damaged people ... She robbed the issue of complexity, as so many of us do ... No Visible Bruises is a masterful attempt to counter that position ... No Visible Bruises also takes the novel and rather brave approach of engaging with abusers and batterers to gain a sense, through how they talk and think about their crimes and their victims, of how they came to be the way they are, and whether it is possible to rehabilitate a person with the hallmarks of an abuser ... Snyder’s openness to the humanity within abusers while acknowledging the horror of their actions and her own circumspection around their ability to reform themselves is something rarely encountered in this kind of writing. So too is Snyder’s account of victimhood, which manages to sidestep cliches and make a victim’s life seem less far away from one’s own ... Where the book falls short is in its wider contextualisation of how abusers and victims come to be, and the cycles in which they both become locked ... In short, the philosophy and psychology of abuse is far vaster than Snyder has scope, and perhaps inclination, to examine. However, the book is a truly unique and beneficial account of abuse and its cultural context.
... a powerful book — part reportage, part polemic — challenging these assumptions, arguing that not only does domestic violence have wider societal ramifications, but that there are ways to prevent abusers killing their victims ... [Snyder] also shows the broader repercussions, the way violence often spills out from the domestic sphere ... She also offers wider solutions ... a call for action, not a cry of despair. Snyder has written not only an admirable book, but one that should spur change. No one could read it and ever again say dismissively: 'It’s just a domestic.'
Snyder provides a valuable tool for understanding domestic violence and for thinking about a way forward. In its mix of storytelling, cultural analysis, and skilled reporting, No Visible Bruises is an essential part of the ongoing conversation ... Before it all seems too bleak, Snyder manages to find some light ... With its harrowing stories and lack of easy answers, No Visible Bruises is a demanding read, even though Snyder’s prose and pacing carry it well. For many readers – and not only those new to these topics – the book will bring vital information and at least some hope. Our continuing culture of violence in general and of domestic violence in particular creates some grim situations, but advancement remains possible, first through knowledge and then through effective change. Snyder’s look at these matters should become an important part of that process.
A powerful exploration of the sinister, insidious nature of domestic violence in America ... Intriguingly, Snyder probes the chilling territory of the perpetrators, sketching them from the inside out ... the author contributes her own profound introspection on the nature of empathy and relatability ... Bracing and gut-wrenching, with slivers of hope throughout, this is exemplary, moving reportage on an important subject that often remains in the dark due to shame and/or fear.
[A] powerful investigation ... She humanizes the price tag...with closely observed, compassionate portraits of victims, advocates, abusers, and police ... Balancing the gut-wrenching stories are hopeful explorations of resources that could prevent domestic homicides ... Penetrating and wise, and written in sometimes novelistic prose, Synder’s sobering analysis will reward readers’ attention.
