Let us be realistic and admit that making the decision to take your abuser’s life and breath is not that of a weak and wrecked woman. That decision, that action comes at the exact moment when your entire being says “no more.” It is the moment when a woman decides to move forward and save her life. Women who have killed their abusers are not murderers, they are simply women who want to LIVE. Unfortunately, these women are placed on the same … [Read more...]
TO KILL OR BE KILLED: A True Crime Memoir Of Domestic Violence, Survival, And A Prison Sentence
Twelve years of domestic violence at its absolute worst. Constant abuse, control, manipulation, and threats. It had to end some day, some way. The day we met in October of 1997, I was working at the District Court in Traverse City, Michigan as a Deputy Clerk. It was like most other days with arraignments, sentencings, civil case hearings and the like. People shuffling in and out, everyone taking care of their important business with court … [Read more...]
Book Trailer for TO KILL OR BE KILLED
Official book trailer for the true crime book, To Kill or Be Killed by Joni Ankerson. Learn more and get your copy here: wbp.bz/tkobka Available in paperback and ebook. Obviously, I knew better than to take a life — but that was before. Before him. The day we met in October of 1997, I was working at the District Court in Traverse City, Michigan as a Deputy Clerk. It was like most other days with arraignments, sentencings, civil case … [Read more...]
Joni Ankerson
Joni Ankerson lives in her hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. After being released from prison in April of 2017, she returned home to the house she grew up in and is moving forward with her new, independent life. She is a strong advocate for victims of domestic violence and has many family members, friends and community members that support her and stand behind her. She hopes that by sharing her story, other victims will gain the … [Read more...]
Detective Paula May On Domestic Violence Victims And Why They Stay
"Hidden beneath our outward surfaces are layers of ourselves that we never see and others never see. Sometimes we do see the 'red flag' layers and easily dismiss them. We accept these red flags as 'normal defects' that could be present in every single human being. I was one who did dismiss red flags. I didn't know people like this could exist. I was raised to love people and do no harm. I had much to learn! Paula writes a profound and passionate … [Read more...]
PLAYING DEAD: A Memoir Of Terror And Survival
Winner of multiple literary awards! Monique, the daughter of San Diego Charger's football great Earl Faison, married her high school sweetheart soon after she discovered she was pregnant with his child. Her relationship with Chris was shaky from the start, but turned tumultuous as he became verbally and physically abusive. When she could no longer put up with the abuse, she left him with their children. That was when the stalking and genuine … [Read more...]
PLAYING DEAD Photo Gallery
THE BEAST I LOVED’s Robert Davidson Warns “Don’t Believe The Con Man”
Domestic violence is all about power and the need to control, which comes from the monumental insecurity virtually all batterers suffer from. Like little children, they have a constant, nagging, inescapable fear of abandonment that they never outgrew like normal children do, and so carry around their warped perception of a fearful world that leads so reliably—and unfairly—to the abuse of their partners. Because most batterers have experienced … [Read more...]
Robert Davidson Answers The Question “Why Didn’t She Just Leave?”
There are many issues regarding domestic violence, but the one that, to me, is most infuriating, most unfair, and most misunderstood is the most commonly asked question of all: “Why didn’t she just leave?” But that should not be the question. The question should be, “Why do men batter women?” And as a society, “How do we stop it?” That’s what we should be asking. Why don’t they leave? There are many issues involved, and very complicated ones … [Read more...]
Robert Davidson
Robert Davidson speaks nationally and has written numerous columns for various publications. In The Beast I Loved, originally published by Ballantine Books in 2000 under the title Fighting Back, now revised and updated with new material, he examines family dysfunction, the psychology of violence, and the resulting tragedy. He was the winner of New England’s venerable Seacoast Writers Association award for Best Nonfiction. He also wrote How … [Read more...]
