Boys, Childhood Domestic Abuse and Gang Involvement. Violence at Home, Violence on‐Road by Jade LevellBristol: Bristol University Press, 2023ISBN: 978–1 529 219 807, 216 pp, £85.00 (hb).

Abstract

This book provides a detailed and insightful account of innovative research in which Levell interviewed men who had been gang-involved about childhood domestic violence and abuse (DVA). The book is particularly timely, as until the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act in 2021 (UK Government, 2021), children had not been recognised under UK legislation as DVA victims in their own right. Levell provides extended accounts from research participants and in-depth discussions of these accounts. Her work is informed by feminism as she engages with the intersections of race, gender and class as they shape men's lives and identities. I found that some of the accounts she outlines are heart-breaking and evidence the complex ways in which the men she interviewed navigate violence, vulnerability and identity. Levell's engagement with the tensions of vulnerability and violence is important. While it is well known that DVA often occurs alongside other forms of family violence and adversities (Lamers-Winkelman et al., 2012), these intersections are not often critically examined. This book explores the intersections of DVA with other forms of violence that are specific to the lives of men who are gang-involved or on-road, and who have grown up with DVA. A key strength of this book is Levell's use of creative research methods. Music is used as a method, and this is supported by Levell's curiosity and capacity to stay with tensions evident in men's accounts, and the tensions that arose from listening to and making sense of their accounts. This book complements the work of other researchers who have used qualitative methods to explore lived experiences of childhood DVA (e.g. Callaghan et al., 2015). However, a unique contribution of this book is Levell's gendered analysis of men's accounts. Levell argues that boys are very excluded, for instance, they have limited access to refuge spaces, and they tend to be framed as posing a threat from a young age, particularly if they are Black. Importantly, this book addresses calls for intersectional approaches to childhood DVA research (Etherington & Baker, 2018) by examining interlocking systems of power. This is a crucial and much-needed in DVA work (Damant et al., 2008; Sokoloff & Dupont, 2005). Levell invites readers to resist individualising conceptualisations and practices, which can be pathologising and deterministic. She invites readers to stay with the tensions that these men navigate by holding both vulnerability and violence simultaneously. What struck me was that Levell offers an excellent example of how personal and professional lives intersect, as she demonstrates her use of feminist theory to explain how she arrived at her research questions and came to theory to make sense of her own childhood experiences of DVA. The book offers a carefully crafted weaving together of personal experience and knowledge production. This feels important for two reasons. Firstly, epistemic trust and value must be placed in personal experiences of DVA as we continue to generate knowledge about the lived and living realities of experiencing violence. The experiences of those who have experienced violence must be privileged in research, including valuing the personal stories we bring as researchers. Secondly, I suspect this book may offer hope to others that it is possible to talk about the painful things they may not talk about often. Finally, this book offers crucial recommendations for practice and policy. It will be of interest to a range of readers including researchers, practitioners, policymakers and those in the DVA field and beyond (e.g. youth offending, social work, criminal justice, policing, addictions and mental health). It will also be of interest to people who are studying or working in related areas such as gender studies, criminology, psychology or sociology. While the book speaks to a UK context, it will be of interest to an international audience who are keen to get underneath and beyond simplistic and deterministic perspectives on childhood DVA and engage with the politics of gender, race and class. Tanya Frances is a Lecturer in Psychology and Counselling at The Open University, UK. She is a counsellor and psychotherapist, and has interests in violence, intersectionality, and trauma.