Crazy Love by Leslie Morgan Steiner

() I love uninhibited, non-fiction books. Memoirs of people growing from turbulent times are amazing and inspiring. And this is one of those.

This woman was on both ends of the spectrum for success: she had intelligence, work ethic, and a financially-sound background. However, she struggled through her teens with drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. Yet she works with these issues while still achieving her academic ambitions, goes to Harvard, and lands a dream career working at Seventeen magazine.

But then she stumbles upon a man who seems a little too perfect, but nonetheless charming. They fall deeply in love. But their relationship dynamic changes the first time he lays a violent hand on her. She keeps sticking around for it, thinking that the love they felt for each other could help them work past this. But eventually, after sacrificing almost everything in her life for this man who has become her husband, she researches and recognizes the need to love herself first.

There's even a great analogy that occurs within the story that relates to what the author was going through. She accidentally killed her dog by feeding him a chocolate treat every morning. "I had killed him through a daily treat that I thought showed Blue [the dog] how much he meant to me." (pg. 307) I see this being similar to how she was slowly killing herself by continuing to try and help or put up with her husband's violence.

Also, this novel is great because it does somewhat attempt to see the man's point of view in the situation. She even calls up a Professor conducting research on batterers to find out what is going through her husband's head.

One should never sacrifice too much of oneself in the name of another person, place, or thing.