Dianna Cook Thomas

I Can't See the Azaleas: True Crimes Against Women and Children Dianna Cook Thomas

Shreveportpolice officer Dianna Thomas, decided three years ago to write a book, ofstories from her 12-year career with the department.¿ She uses her gift of writing to put intowords those things so familiar to law enforcement officers that are beyond theimagination, let alone the experience, of most of us.¿ The book would be of stories of violenceagainst women and children, stories so horrific that the author felt a moralobligation to tell them and in doing so help others avoid being similarlyvictimized. Thomas recounts the stories shetells in clear, explicit terms, not in glossed-over newspaper-articlewording.¿ She says what needs to be said. I Can¿t See the Azaleas, referring to life and the choice we haveto see its beauty or not; to choose life over death, good over evil, positiveover negative; the allegory of the beauty of azaleas and their ¿petals of hope¿is woven throughout the book. It is informative, fascinating,brutally frank, thoroughly vivid, and frequently shocking.¿ And that is just what it is meant to be.¿ This book is about real violent, vicious,evil abuse. Unfortunately, the discussions ofdomestic violence we most often are exposed to give rise to the notion that anytiff, any argument, any thoughtless word is abuse, a notion that does greatinjustice to the victims of the real thing.¿But this book is about the real thing.¿It is about true brutality and how no one, especially no woman or child,is immune to victimization. Indeed, it is about all manner ofviolence and how everyone ¿ but again, especially women ¿ can protectthemselves.¿ From domestic violence torape, to child abuse, abuse of the elderly, and even to drunk drivers andbeyond, Thomas leaves nothing barred.