New Book by Coordinator of Hospital Ministry at The Queen's Medical Center Addresses Teen Dating Violence

The Rev. Al Miles with the cover design of his new book, Ending Violence in Teen Dating Relationships.

Ending Violence in Teen Dating Relationships is a new book by the Rev. Al Miles, coordinator of Hospital Ministry at The Queen's Medical Center for Pacific Health Ministry, the third in a series that began with Domestic Violence, What Every Pastor Needs to Know (Fortress Press, 2000) and Violence in Families, What Every Christian Needs to Know (Augsburg Books, 2002). While the other two books focus on adult intimate partners, Ending Violence focuses on the unique challenges of teen dating relationships. Ending Violence addresses its topic from a Christian perspective, but the material transcends this context to become relevant to people of any background or faith. It is also relevant for health care professionals.

Miles tells the unvarnished truth about what's going on with our adolescents. It's an important book that paints a bleak picture-but it offers hope and solutions, and could prevent deep emotional and spiritual scars. "As I talked more and more with survivors of domestic violence," says Miles, "I learned that this was a significant problem among teens as well." A national speaker on domestic violence, Miles has also served on the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women in Washington, D.C., since 2002.

From the first chapter, Miles weaves together actual stories from teens-some positive, but most horrific in nature. The stories serve as a backdrop to the established facts of the book.

In Ending Violence, you will find a specific definition of teen dating violence: controlling, abusive and aggressive behavior in a romantic relationship that can include verbal, emotional, physical or sexual abuse, or a combination of these. Miles explores how popular culture and distorted Christian teachings contribute to abuse and are even used to justify it. He also segues into the special challenges of urban African American teens. Solutions come in the latter half of the book, which explains how clergy, youth ministers, Christian educators and parents can address the problem of teen dating abuse and violence, and the importance of becoming partners with and using community resources to battle the problem.

Reading Ending Violence in Teen Dating Relationships is the first step you can take to guide children as safely as is possible through a very difficult and potentially dangerous period of life. The book can be found at amazon.com, augsburgfortress.org and most major booksellers.