It took a while, but I finally got my hands on Resilience is Futile by Julie LaLonde. If you haven’t read it you can find it on Amazon or any number of booksellers in Canada.
I know Julie and consider her a dear friend, so reading a book like this wasn’t easy. It’s infuriating, heartbreaking, and, much like her, brutally honest and insightful.
Buy Julie’s book for yourself. We’re all locked inside and looking for things to do. Learn about stalking and how anyone, even loved ones and friends, can be part of the culture stalkers rely on to have their abusive behaviour dismissed as love and affection.
Buy Julie’s book for your daughter. Not enough of us share these types of stories because it makes us uncomfortable to question the goodness of our sons. Young adults are vulnerable to manipulation and can easily overlook abusive behaviour in those they’ve allowed to get close.
Buy it for your son. Talk to him about the harm that comes from viewing women as property or taking “no” as a challenge to wear someone down. Talk to him about the role he plays in ending violence against women and what he can do if he has a friend who crosses boundaries.
Finally, buy Julie’s book for Julie. She’s amazing.
About the Author
Julie S. Lalonde is an internationally recognized women’s rights advocate and public educator. Julie works with various feminist organizations dedicated to ending sexual violence, engaging bystanders and building communities of support. She is a frequent media source on issues of violence against women and her work has appeared on Al Jazeera, CBC’s The National, TVO’s The Agenda, Vice, WIRED magazine and FLARE, among others. She is a recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case.
