This timely book provides an overview of violence against women.
It looks at different manifestations in the first section, then the justice system and how it fails women in the second section, finishing with ways we can change things.
The last section includes ways to make policing work for women which is especially important in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder.
This section sets a scene of cuts upon cuts to policing, rather than blaming police in entirety for the current situation.
Overall, this book is a good starting point for anyone looking to explore these issues.

I finished reading this book months ago and can genuinely say that it’s haunted me. Incredibly thorough & eye-opening, even if you feel educated on the topic. I highly, highly recommend & truly believe this should be required reading. Factual, powerful & compelling.

This is a very-much needed book. It should be read by every person of every and any gender. It is an impassioned and brutally truthful look at the very real problems. I really implore everyone to read it.

This is such an interesting book and the statistics are awful, but not surprising. The chapter about police violence towards women was really hard to read. I think every man needs to read this, and make a change. This book is powerful, and extremely important, but I wish it didn't need to exist.

‘Not all men practise violence against women but all women live with the threat of male violence every single day. All over the earth. - Fuad Alakbarov.

Hard-hitting and difficult to read but non less, a very important read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

'The culture you get is the behaviour you tolerate' 56%

My recurring thought while reading this was how interesting sitting next to Johnson at a dinner party would be. It wouldn't be uplifting, but you'd feel better for having explored her knowledge, experience and understanding. That's the tone of this book.

Barrister Harriet Johnson dissects the culture and legal system in the UK surrounding abuse against women. With her expertise and research, she explains the extent and diversity of how women are suffering and exposes the depth of the ways the criminal justice system fails to support them.

I appreciated that Johnson acknowledges her biases, such as the skewed nature of her data sample and experience (30%); the cases that are handled well seldom become part of her caseload. It lends a balanced tone to the discussion that lends further weight to her points. This balance is incorporated throughout, never focusing blame on one corner. Instead, she discusses the inherent issues that span across multiple sources, from the heights of the legal system, down to the slight comment that anyone can let pass unchallenged.

This is a truly thought-provoking book, one that has prompted many interesting discussions in my life since reading it. I aim to do Johnson proud and remember these facts and statistics, 'use them' and 'demand better' (63%).

'it is too late for sticking plasters.' 57%

In her work as a barrister, Harriet Johnson has seen how the criminal justice system can work and also how it can fail women. In this book, Harriet outlines many of the ways violence is perpetrated against women, how the justice system responds to it and how it can be more adequately addressed as well as prevented.

An overview of the law, statistics and case studies are presented about various ways that women experience violence: homicide, sexual violence, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, stalking, street harassment and online harassment.

The author clearly points out that even though a dark picture can already be painted using the statistics that are available, there are entire groups of women whose experience is not even captured in them.

If you’re not from the UK, you’ll find that the definitions of offences, the laws that relate to them and the maximum sentence applicable if someone is convicted won’t line up with the laws of your country. The statistics are also UK specific, although most didn’t seem dissimilar to what I know of stats from other countries.

None of the suggested strategies for ending violence against women surprised me. They focus on prevention, as well as making improvements to the systems that are currently in place. It’s about having enough resources and training. It’s taking a long, hard look at the way police and the courts respond to violence. It’s including marginalised women in the statistics because if we don’t have a clear picture of what’s happening, then how can we ever expect things to change.

Favourite quote: “the culture you get is the behaviour you tolerate.”

Content warnings include mention of ableism, death by suicide, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, homophobia, mental health, misogyny, racism, self harm and sexual assault.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

Thank you 4th Estate and William Collins, and NetGalley for giving me access to this eARC.

This is a book that has been on my watch list for a while so I was thrilled when I saw it come up on NetGalley and even more thrilled when I became approved for it. It's a real quick read so I did fly threw it once I got into it; it's a mixture of statistics, true life accounts, and information about the law, police, and the CPS. I found this book both informative and intriguing, whilst also being slowly horrified at the breadth and reality of the statistics.

The book focuses on the recent murder of Sarah Everard and the subsequent police suggestion of "included a suggestion that women in fear for their safety should resist arrest, refuse to be arrested until uniformed officers had arrived, run away from police or try to flag down a bus for assistance" - it would be laughable if it wasn't so terrifying.

Harriet balances sharing statistics with personal stories and informative knowledge. The book never felt heavy either way and was easy to follow for someone who is not knowledgeable in the law.

This is definitely a book I would want on my bookshelf and recommend everyone having a read.