Choosing to read, watch, and listen to stories about intimate partner violence is one way you can help end intimate partner abuse. Stories help us to process our experiences, sympathize with the experiences of others, and bond in shared experiences. Although some popular stories perpetuate myths and out-dated assumptions, so many offer insight to understanding. Today we’ve compiled a list of stories for you to consider and contemplate.

Trigger alert: If you are a survivor, some of these stories could trigger memories. If you need to talk to someone, remember our hotline is available 24-hours a day: 800-544-2022.

Read

Picture Perfect, by Jodi Picoult (Sold by Penguin Group, Kindle Edition)

From Amazon.com: “To the outside world, they seem to have it all. They shared childhood tales, toasted the future, and declared their love in a fairy-tale wedding. But when they return to California, something alters the picture of their perfect marriage. A frightening pattern is taking shape—a cycle of hurt, denial, and promises…”

Dreamland, by Sarah Dessen (Sold by Penguin Group, Kindle Edition)

From Amazon.com: “Caught in a trap that is baited with love and need, Caitlin must frantically manage her every action to avoid being hit by the hands that once seemed so gentle. All around her are women who care–best friends, mother, sister, mentor–but shame keeps her from confiding in any of them…”

Black and Blue, by Anna Quindlen (Sold by Random House, Kindle Edition)

From Amazon.com “For eighteen years Fran Benedetto kept her secret, hid her bruises. She stayed with Bobby because she wanted her son to have a father, and because, in spite of everything, she loved him. Then one night, when she saw the look on her ten-year-old son’s face, Fran finally made a choice—and ran for both their lives.”

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini (Sold by Penguin Books, Kindle Edition)

From Amazon.com: “Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond…”