A Survivor's Education

Women, Violence, and the Stories We Don't Tell

By: Joy Neumeyer

Narrated by: Joy Neumeyer

In this timely memoir, a journalist examines intimate abuse, campus politics, and the narratives we choose to believe.

In this poignant self-investigation, historian and journalist Joy Neumeyer explores how violence against women is portrayed, perceived, and adjudicated today. Interweaving the harrowing account of the abuse she experienced as a graduate student at Berkeley with those of others who faced violence on campus and beyond, Neumeyer offers a startling look at how the hotly-debated Title IX system has altered university politics and culture, and uncovers the willful misremembrance that enables misconduct on scales large and small.

Deeply researched, daringly inquisitive, and resonant for our times, A Survivor's Education reveals the entanglement of storytelling, abuse, and power–and how we can balance narrative and evidence in our attempts to determine what “really” happened.

Nothing New

Though well told, and initially interesting due to the historical and philosophical ideas woven into the narrative, the book ultimately devolves into a sad and familiar “me too” story ostentatiously draping itself in layers of academic finery. The last third of the book is a total snooze fest.

Honest and thorough look at intimate partner violence and Title IX

This story is needed now more than ever as women’s rights are making a decline. I really appreciated the careful attention to history and narrative alongside telling an incredibly personal and poignant story about intimate partner violence and the struggles of going through the Title IX process, even at a liberal university like Berkeley. Thank you for your courage, Joy, to put this story into the world! Well worth the read.