One of the most important books ever written on domestic violence, Coercive Control reframes spousal abuse as a liberty crime rather than a crime of assault. Evan Stark, founder of one of America's first battered women's shelters, shows how ""domestic violence"" is neither primarily domestic nor necessarily violent, but a pattern of controlling behaviors more akin to terrorism and hostage-taking. Drawing on court records, interviews, and FBI statistics, Stark details coercive strategies that men use to deny women their very personhood.