SALE ON NOW! PROMOTIONS
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.
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
