My story will appeal to readers who feel trapped in an abusive relationship, the family, friends or therapists/coaches who want to help them. I will also appeal to people who are interested in taking charge of their lives and choosing the direction that speaks to them. After a disastrous marriage, I became an activist in the Domestic Violence movement of the 1980's, using my own experience to bring the issue out in the open and help women worldwide leave violent relationships. Now the time feels right to share life lessons learned, about leaving the violence behind, and rebuilding the life you really want. Beyond Surviving is the memoir of a California native daughter. Born in the South Bay of Los Angeles at the end of WWII, and raised in the Mojave Desert, I returned to Los Angeles to study at my mother's alma mater, UCLA during the early 1960's, a period of hope, change and a challenge to the status quo. Ready to jump out of school and into life, I got a job at a bank in Beverly Hills and met the man of my dreams, tall, good looking, intelligent, fun and very charismatic. After 4 years of dating, I finally married him, not realizing that my life would change in ways I never imagined. After 20 years together, my life had turned into a series of desertions and I decided to take my son and leave him. He turned on the charm and begged for a second chance. Believing the marriage vows I took, I stayed to work things out. That's when it all descended into Hell!