Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo

20 reviews

madisongturner's review against another edition

3.75

I think this is a great alternative to some popular books on how PTSD can affect our bodies. It feels incredibly personal, but I'm thankful for the author letting us into their life through such an intimate retelling. I related to a lot as someone with chronic illness and trauma, but specifically this really helped me understand those I love who have C-PTSD. 

Definitely make sure you read content warnings before reading! While I know this is realistic because it is a retelling of the author's experiences, it can be a bit shocking to listen-especially if you resonate with some of the experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence

paloma_sanchezh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

waterbear0821's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

Despite the challenging subject matter, I enjoyed this book immensely. I knew Stephanie Foo is a fantastic storyteller from TAL. While the story is horrifying, the way she tells it is captivating, and she weaves in history, culture, and so much research and science. I am so glad she wrote this book. I do not have a history of complex trauma like the author, but I have volunteered with children who have experienced complex trauma and in some ways I could even see my own experiences in the stories shared in this book. It’s both a singular, very personal memoir, but also illuminating about how across many cultures we hide our pain, how suffering is encoded in our genes, how medical professionals can exacerbate issues by ignoring the brain/body connection, how racism amplifies and causes complex trauma, and much more that reveals so much about all of us. I think it would be a valuable read for anyone and so insightful about the pain so many people live with. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Moderate: Medical trauma and Racism

clarabooksit's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

I’m not good at reviewing books that wow me, but this blew me away. I love a book that both moves me and educates me, and this did both in spades.

Foo narrates her journey toward self-discovery and well-being with incredible candor and immersive storytelling. Her writing feels effortless and inclusive: it’s not just her story but an invitation to the reader to join her on her journey.

I loved it. Highly, highly recommend. A favorite of the year, for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Addiction, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Suicide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical trauma

Minor: Death and War

emileesmith's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical trauma, and Drug use

provo's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Luckily, Stephanie Foo did not just write a memoir - as a journalist, she researches very well and takes the reader on a journey from her childhood to the first real results of her recovery. 
By doing so, she doesn’t try to paint a picture of a miracle healing, but shows, how hard it is to find individual solutions in a dysfunctional medical system where not enough professionals are familiar with this young diagnosis. She elaborates how racism and sexism play a part in c-ptsd and does not shy away from talking about genetics and intergenerational trauma.

At some points in the early chapters the abuse is written quite graphic, so be aware of that, otherwise I’d say it is the perfect book for someone recently diagnosed with c-ptsd or people who are close to someone with this diagnosis. It also has a lot of quotes for follow-up-literature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Self harm, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Racism

kayfab's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

allthingsnerdy's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

This is one of those books that I think everyone should read, because even though it's about one person's experience with having complex PTSD, it's so much more than that. It really made me reflect on my relationships with my friends and family, how I treat people, and how I treat myself.  I definitely want to reread it because it was filled with so much information and thought, it seems like one of those books that you have to read multiple times to get everything out of it. It's definitely a tough read at times, but very worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

jessdekkerreads's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Mental illness, Medical content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic

beccarwolf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexism

Minor: Self harm