Life After Johnnie Cochran

It is clear to me that the reviewer who wrote 3 negative reviews and then published the same review three separate times so as to give the book a negative star rating did not read the same book that I did. Clearly, whoever wrote this review has some personal beef against the author and chose to take it out on her in this forum rather than give an unbiased review of the book. For example, the author never stated that she was "chronic"ally abused. Rather, she said that he hit her on 3 separate occassions. I think most women would agree that being hit 1 time by a man is 1 time too many. Second, "if . . . Johnnie was fighting this woman to stay out of his life," then why did he keep begging her to come home, and why was she the one to actually file for divorce after more than a decade of marriage? Third, if it was actually true that she was just using Johnnie for his money, then she would have stayed with him because she was much better financially off with him than without him. Fourth, I never read in this book that her daughter wanted her to go back with Johnnie. Fifth, she didn't divorce him just because he was "with a 'white' woman." Rather, he was emotionally, verbally and physically abusive and ran around on her with multiple women throughout their marriage. Sixth, she clearly didn't leave him because of his cut in pay because she stayed with him throughout that time period. He had left the DA's office and reopened private practice for a number of years when she left him. Finally, I would add that the book was very poorly edited by the publishing company. There are numberous spelling and gramatically errors throughout it which is the reason for my 4 star rating.

This book debunks the myth that every woman who's in an abusive relationship must've been raised in a trailer park with parents who beat her. It debunks the myth that all relationships where women are systematically abused take place in "poor families". The book shows that emotional abuse and abandonment matter. It shows that under the cover of wealth, a husband with a successful career can still be an abusive mate. Of all things, it shows that Johnnie's parents aided and abetted his affair with, and child with a white woman, while still married to his black wife. (Crazy family dynamic.) The book reads well, is easy to follow, and documents one woman's journey to a point where she finally had to say "No, I can't stand this any longer -- even if I have to live in poverty." Not a given, but she finds a positive marriage after that, and you can't help but rejoice with her. A great book to read if you've ever known anyone living with someone who didn't treat them right, and wondered why they stayed.

I didn't expect much, coming from a non-public personality writing a "my life with..." tome. I was very pleasantly surprised. Barbara Cochran Berry is a likeable and intelligent storyteller. She shows herself to be way above the league of that (in my opinion) smooth-talking sociopath she married. She gives it to him straight between the eyes, but in a restrained manner, which only adds to her aura of dignity and veracity.This is a solid, well-written book about a woman who has gone through emotional hell and come through it stronger. I would recommend it particulary to women who are themselves experiencing the pain of marital betrayal. Best of luck to her.