Based on a solid framework of theory and research, this book illustrates definitive ways in which we learn to recognize psychological boundaries―our unique inner territory―and to defend our rights in every relationship. In a study that interweaves poetry, drama, and psychological theory, the author describes patterns of family dynamics in the context of everyday lives and how they affect us from generation to generation until we break the destructive chain. Following the paths of ten remarkable women, from the narrative of a resourceful inner-city child to the survival of a Holocaust victim, this luminous book, filled with compelling voices, will touch the reader in unexpected ways.