This interview aired in the October 2nd, 2024 episode of Crosscurrents
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Today’s installment is a hard listen, with deep insights into a tough subject: domestic violence. Berkeley author Joy Neumeyer was a UC Berkeley graduate student in Russian and Eastern European history, when her relationship with a friend shifted into romance, and from romance into terror. She juggled days and nights of violence with work on her thesis and her duties as a teacher’s assistant. Ultimately, she pursued action against her abuser under Title Nine protections against gender-based discrimination.
In her book, A Survivor’s Education: Women, Violence, and the Stories We Don’t Tell, Joy parallels the characters and events of Russian history with the shifting alliances of her friends and colleagues as she fought her way out of the relationship.
