Black and Blue

by Anna Quindlen (Oprah Book)

Fran Benedetto decided to leave her abusive husband, Bobby, a New York City cop, and get away, taking their son Robert with her. After living for years with bruises and broken bones, and finally a broken jaw, she contacts an agency that helps women escape from domestic violence in the home. She takes her son and they are relocated in Florida under the name Crenshaw. Fran lives day to day in fear of her husband returning, meanwhile trying to develop friendships and creating a normal life for Robert. It is an edge-of-your-seat, emotional tearjerker. It displays the thoughts and emotions of a battered woman and what a half million women go through each year.