The Primordial Violence

"...an excellent exploration of a topic that impacts all families regardless of race, socioeconomics, or nationality. It should be considered a must read by every professional working with parents and children, as well as anyone considering taking on the role of parent. The book has much to contribute to the understanding and response to a world where the increase in the frequency and severity of child-initiated violence appears to be on the rise. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries." – D.A. Mathews, Salisbury University, in CHOICE, March 2014

"An impressive review of decades of research, this book will be a critical resource for academics and all who seek an end to everyday violence against children." – Joan E. Durrant, University of Manitoba, Canada

"The Primordial Violence is a milestone in research on the causes and consequences corporal punishment. Murray Straus and his co-authors convincingly demonstrate the huge social costs of spanking children across the world." – Manuel Eisner, University of Cambridge, UK

"In this important and timely volume, Straus and colleagues integrate decades of research on corporal punishment and significantly advance understanding of the causes and consequences of spanking children. This book is critically important to all practitioners and researchers who work to promote the wellbeing of children."– Shawna J. Lee, University of Michigan, USA

"This is a much needed work which will contribute significantly to the field. …There is no doubting its relevance or quality of its scholarship. ... The strength of the book is 40 years of research and accumulating knowledge." – Penelope Leach, University of London, UK

"[It will] be a very useful tool for professionals who work with families and ... as a ... supplement for college courses that deal with the topic of parenting, child guidance & discipline, or family violence." – Brigitte Vittrup, Texas Women’s University, USA

"It will be of keen interest to scholars who attend NCFR, SRCD, SRA, and other family- and child-oriented meetings ... and to a general audience. .... I would like my graduate students to read [it] ...so that they can get a "feel" for how science is done." – Patricia K. Kerig, University of Utah, USA

"It has significant practical implications for parenting. …[It] …is easy to understand and follow. …Relevant as a supplementary textbook for postgraduate courses on child development, child psychology, criminology, family violence, pediatrics, education, social work, and sociology…this book undoubtedly fills a hole in systematic research evidence on spanking."– Chan Yuk-chung, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China

"Attractive to researchers, graduate students, policymakers, and community leaders who are interested in ... preventing family violence ... I would …use [it] for my …course on children and public policy and for a …course on family violence [and] …recommend it to colleagues for its comprehensive review of data on both the use of and effects of corporal punishment in the U.S. and internationally." – Elizabeth Gershoff, University of Texas at Austin, USA

"This volume is a must-read for psychologists, educators, child welfare professionals, and anyone responsible for taking care of children."–Clifton R. Emery, Yonsei University, PsycCRITIQUES