What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex TraumaWhat My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma
What it's about
By thirty, Stephanie Foo had a dream job as a producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend, but she was having panic attacks and crying at her desk. She was diagnosed with complex PTSD, the result of years of abuse and abandonment by her immigrant parents. She sets out to understand the condition, the science of trauma and how to heal.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's honest, deeply researched and full of hope.
You'll love it if you liked
The Body Keeps the Score
Educated: A Memoir
What Happened to You?Good to know
It describes child abuse in detail.
By the numbers
- Readers96 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller22 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking
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Quick answers
Is What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 73.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma about?
By thirty, Stephanie Foo had a dream job as a producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend, but she was having panic attacks and crying at her desk. She was diagnosed with complex PTSD, the result of years of abuse and abandonment by her immigrant parents. She sets out to understand the condition, the science of trauma and how to heal.
How long does it take to read What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma?
About 9 hours (353 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma?
If you liked it, try The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover or What Happened to You? by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey.