Oprah's Books
Books Seen on the Show
Not to People Like Us: The Hidden Abuse in Upscale Marriages
By Dr. Susan Weitzman
From the show Oprah Investigates: Emotionally Tortured Wives

'Not to People Like Us' book From The Publisher:
Not to People Like Us explores a heretofore overlooked population of battered wives—the highly educated and upper-income women who rarely report abuse and remain trapped by their own silence. With keen insight and profound sensitivity, Susan Weitzman, psychotherapist and educator, draws on her in-depth study of battered women to unveil the unique path taken by the upscale wife—the early warning signs, the internal dilemmas and decisions, and the dangerous desire to cover up abuse and maintain appearances. She shows how abusive relationships between upper-echelon men and women follow a different course from those in other socioeconomic groups. And these distinctions—for example, the absence of the "honeymoon period" when the abuser seduces his wife into forgiving him—have profound implications for understanding the true nature of this behavior. Delving into the stories of these women—wives and girlfriends of CEOs and attorneys, of physicians and professors, the women often professionals themselves—Weitzman builds a harrowing psychological profile of both the abused and the abuser.

Not to People Like Us is the first book to condemn the legal and social service system for failing to recognize domestic violence among upper-income families. From a chart that explains patterns of abuse to specific intervention strategies, Weitzman offers crucial information to help women find their way out of abusive relationships and toward safety and independence.