The text outlines the scope of the family violence problem and defines specific types of abuse. Two chapters analyze the effects of family violence on women and children and portray their plights when they escape to shelters. The backgrounds of battering men are reviewed in order to identify who these serious offenders are and to show how they contribute to the dynamics of family violence. Additional chapters consider various options open to women, i.e., staying with the batterer, leaving him, or even killing him. The discussion of the option of going to a women's shelter describes the services offered, the type of people a woman will live with temporarily, and further assistance provided through the shelter. The legal aspects of domestic violence and the frequent lack of meaningful police response to it are examined. Recommendations focus on pressuring legislators to fund programs for abused women and their children, educating the general public about the scope and frequency of family violence, and increasing financial support for shelters in local communities. Combining moving case histories of abused women from various walks of life with comments from lawyers, law officials, and social workers, the text shows how the cult of violence permeates American life. The Family Place in Dallas, Tex., is specifically examined. Tables, a questionnaire, a severity index, chapter notes, and about 50 references are supplied.