"Broken" by Social Work's Lisa Young Larance Named the 2026 Best Scholarly Book

Assistant Professor of Social Work and Social Research Lisa Young Larance’s book Broken: Women’s Stories of Intimate and Institutional Harm and Repair has received the 2026 Best Scholarly Book Award from The Society for Social and Work Research (SSWR).

The award was established to recognize original contributions to social work knowledge that are most likely to have high-level impacts on research, practice, and advocacy. Selection criteria for this award include the rigorousness of the research, its originality and theoretical framing, and its usefulness in addressing complex social problems.   

“Lisa's book meets all aspects of these criteria and provides groundbreaking insight into how, when we are working across social service systems, it is important to ‘move beyond the binary’ to have a holistic understanding of how vulnerable people are impacted by oppressive systems,” says Janet Shapiro, dean of Bryn Mawr’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. “Her work also suggests a path forward for innovative and strengths-based approaches to violence prevention and intervention.”

In her book, Young Larance explores the experiences of 33 women she followed for three years, many of whom both survived and caused harm in their relationships. Through extensive qualitative research, she examines how societal systems — such as probation, child protective services, and anti-violence interventions — affected their lives. The book also highlights the healing and resilience that emerged through the connections these women formed and reflects on their lives many years after the intimate and institutional harm. 

Through writing this book, Young Larance has given a voice to those who are often overlooked, especially within community-based systems that tend to label and define individuals by their worst moments. The women in Broken described their experience participating in this project as a “relief” in that they could finally tell their stories.

For more on Broken: Women’s Stories of Intimate and Institutional Harm and Repair, read this October 2024 article from Bryn Mawr’s website.