This text provides for the first time in book form an exploration of the communicative aspects of the darker side of family life, ranging from, for example, severe acts of violence to more subtle forms of conflict.

Loreen N. Olson is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Elizabeth A. Baiocchi-Wagner is Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia
Jessica M. W. Kratzer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech and Theatre at Middle Tennessee State University
Sarah E. Symonds is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri-Columbia