U.S. National Institutes of Health

Dragonslippers: This is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like, Rosalind Penfold, 2006

Courtesy National Library of Medicine

Dragonslippers is based on author and artist Rosalind Penfold’s experiences living through an abusive relationship. Told through Penfold’s sketches, created after abusive events, the images show how the episodes were linked, and how she felt at the time and after ending the relationship.

The book begins when Penfold, a successful business-woman, meets Brian, a widower and father of four. The reader witnesses the evolution of the relationship as it moves from love and affection, to signs of control and abuse, to more severe abuse, and finally, to Penfold leaving.

For more information about abusive relationships, visit MedlinePlus.

Top