READING LIST on trauma

The books listed here dive into the issues of sexual abuse and assault. they serve as resources and as an opportunity to learn and grow from survivors and allies.

The trauma of sexual abuse is shared by one out of every six men, yet very few have broken their silence. Unflinching and compulsively readable, Chosen eloquently speaks for those countless others and their families.

Lucky is a powerful account of her sexual assault and the harrowing trial that followed.
Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple delivers a simplified approach to learning the most essential parts of cognitive behavioral therapy and applying them to your life.
Behavioral Activation for PTSD: A Workbook for Men is an evidence-based therapy program that helps men take back their lives from PTSD. It empowers men to overcome triggers and reintroduce positive activities.
Healing from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse shares the stories of 18 women abused as children, explaining that healing can occur at any stage of life, and that healing, itself, occurs in stages.
In Speaking Truth to Power, Anita Hill reflects on events before, during, and after the hearings, offering a complete account that sheds startling light on this watershed event.
Feminist Fight Club is a humorous guide to navigating subtle sexism at work. Every month, the women meet to share sexist job frustrations and trade tips for how best to tackle them.
The Fear that Stalks provides a framework that locates gender based violence and the commonality between these diverse forms of violence.
Ellen K. Pao sued a powerhouse Silicon Valley firm, calling out workplace discrimination and retaliation against women and other underrepresented groups. In Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change, she tells her full story for the first time.
Brotopia: Breaking up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley reveals how Silicon Valley got so sexist despite its utopian ideals, why bro culture endures, and how women are finally starting to speak out and fight back.
Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis’s true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to Canada after being raped. On the trail, she found that survival is predicated on persistent self-reliance.
In The Girls brave women for the first time describe a predators increasingly bold strategies through the years, recount their warning calls unheeded, and demonstrate their resiliency in the face of a nightmare. The Girls will be released August 6, 2019.
In Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in College, Krakauer chronicles the experiences of several women in Missoula – the nights when they were raped; their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; how they were treated by the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them.
No Big Deal is the story of Torey Ivanic’s childhood in gymnastics. In this memoir, Torey transparently and brilliantly shows how the abuse started, the collateral damage, and her journey of healing and justice.
Cracked Surface is the second installment of the Surface Series based on real life experiences which explores the continuing journey of struggle, under- standing, and self-discovery of a life riddled with grooming, manipulation, and sexual abuse. After winning the World Games at sixteen in Sur- face Tension, David dreams of becoming a whole person by reinventing, adapting, and assimilating to fit into college, the entertainment business, and so- ciety. But first, he has to face the past, recognize repeating patterns, and find his true self.
In Fighting Back, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison has always been a fighter–yet as a young teen, no one knew she was also a victim. Combining Kayla’s powerful story of sexual abuse by her judo coach with science-based information from two renowned therapists, this unique book provides critical guidance for parents and professionals.
Wounded Lions recounts the Penn State child molestation case that stunned the nation. As subsequent revelations uncovered an athletic program operating free of oversight, university officials faced criminal charges while unprecedented NCAA sanctions hammered Penn State football and blackened the reputation of coach Joe Paterno.
The Big Fight; After winning a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, Ray wanted to call it quits and go to college, but his family’s financial needs made him go pro. Boxing history was made. All the while, another, darker Ray—one overwhelmed by depression, rage, drug addiction, sexual abuse, and greed—battled for dominance. In The Big Fight, Ray comes to terms with both these men and shares a brutally honest and remarkably inspiring portrait of the rise, fall, and ultimate redemption of a true fighter—inside and outside the ring.

In What Happened To You? Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves.

In The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, Dr. Perry explains what happens to the brains of children exposed to extreme stress and shares their lessons of courage, humanity, and hope. Only when we understand the science of the mind and the power of love and nurturing, can we hope to heal the spirit of even the most wounded child.

Surface Tension is a novel that dives in to the narrative of author John-Michael Lander and his experience in competitive diving and abuse in sport. With each dive, the fictional character, David, must silence the voices in his head to perform a near-perfect final dive and change his life forever. Returning home to Aulden, Ohio, David is faced with the reality that people aren’t what they seem.