Overview

Violet Budd's philosophical fictional memoir offers outstanding authenticity of life experience and narrative voice. She creates an intricate tapestry of fact and fiction, woven together with mythology and history. In the same vein as Clarissa Pinkola Estes' novel, Women Who Run With the Wolves, Violet captures the strength and resilience of women and the feminine archetype. Those who have suffered child abuse or are in search of a deeper meaning of the female psyche will be captivated by Violet's childhood memories, where her mother's love is replaced by a burning wind of patriarchy, making her world unsafe.Sharing her experience of child and sexual abuse speaks the unspeakable. Violet survived the secrets and lies of a deeply dysfunctional family to write this truth, joining the movement to bring about systemic change to embedded patriarchy and toxic masculinity in our society.Her studies of women in philosophy, mythology and literature have informed Violet's own transformation and will enlighten and deepen your reading experience.She is determined to 'write' the wrongs so others can learn and create safer futures for vulnerable people.

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9781922375339

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Reviews

Being My Own Witness may well become a signpost in Australian feminism. This fictional memoir vividly addresses the struggle faced by women and girls who suffer from the current instruments of a patriarchal society.Females of all walks of life will surely be moved by the protagonist's strength and heroism in the face of overwhelming challenges: parental betrayals, men who exploit, abuse and suppress female rights, and other misogynists who wield power in contemporary societies. While using effective verisimilitude to describe shocking events in her life, author Violet Budd also applies insightful observations of gender politics.Violet's literary processes explore how female identity is subsumed by predominantly male narratives within families. Despite government attempts at reform, unfairness toward females is still discernible in court judgements and the way police implement the laws on domestic violence, incest and other areas where sexual exploitation is rife. Society, and especially the mass media, must focus on raising awareness of the sexualisation of young women and educate youth about issues of consent and respect.Violet's story urgently needs to be heard. As a child, the meanness, cruelty and blatant sexism that Violet suffers at the hands of her parents and siblings makes us ask: How many more girls and young women are also ""out there"" suffering in silence?Violet's grief is downtrodden. Her silence is parentally enforced. Her story alerts us to the plight of such children, globally, who suffer post-traumatic stress disorders with little hope of either recognition or help. Through sheer determination and her observations on human nature, Violet reaches a pivotal moment that many women yearn for: in spite of the harm she suffers, Violet finds her voice to speak up against injustice.Violet's story has universal application. It should inspire women across the world to protest the forms of societal advice that serve the dictates of men, both powerful and ordinary, who seek to marginalise, exploit and suppress women.David Alpe, Art teacher (ret'd) and writer

Author Information

Violet Budd is the pseudonym of an author who overcame the horrors of a violent childhood marred by not just an abusive father, but a mother who was taught to carry out his patriarchal demands. She has gone on to educate herself and others on how women have been portrayed in literature and in society throughout the ages, and how those women are rising up and creating lasting change.

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