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What My Bones Know
- Narrated by: Stephanie Foo
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
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What My Bones Know
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Summary
A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life.
Every cell in my body is filled with the code of generations of trauma, of death, of birth, of migration, of history that I cannot understand.... I want to have words for what my bones know.
By age 30, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: she had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.
Both of Foo's parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she'd moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD.
In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown in California to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don't move on from trauma—but you can learn to move with it.
Powerful, enlightening and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body—and examines one woman's ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.
Critic reviews
“Achingly exquisite…providing real hope for those who long to heal.” (Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone)
"A sharp, insightful and stirring memoir." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Foo's writing is shrewdly insightful. Highly recommended." (Library Journal, starred review)
What listeners say about What My Bones Know
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cee Jay
- 25-06-23
but how to cure cptsd?
an interesting intro (to me) to Korean/Chinese/Malaysian/Japanese recent history.
the book deals with generational trauma, and the story of one girl's neglectful, abusive childhood, common to too many, of different countries and cultures.
Why do people have children at all if they don't intend to raise them lovingly?
It was too much biography for me until ch.37, and therapy. What to do for the cptsd sufferer? First, differentiate btwn pain & suffering. Then, get therapy (you can't heal alone: your brain needs rewiring). With Jacob Ham (he's on YouTube).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- joanna
- 30-03-23
Favourite book on cptsd to date!
Words can’t cover how much I have enjoyed listening to this. It has felt like coming home. It has been so encouraging and comforting. Educational and emotive. I have read a lot of trauma stuff. This is maybe my favourite. Thank you Stephanie for sharing your story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- RVS
- 04-09-23
Moving and illuminating
What a wonderful book and the first time I've listened to a book instead of reading one. As a victim of CPTSD myself, Stephanie's book has taught me so much and moved me to tears several times. I've earmarked some of her recommendations and look forward to experiencing them. Thank you for being so honest and for writing your story Stephanie. I'm sure your words will help many people over the years to come.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 21-02-24
Fantastic!
A thoroughly honest look at what it feels like to suffer from CPTSD. Brilliantly told and empowering.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-11-22
Just wow 👌
I have read many books like this but there's something about What My Bones Know that has really affected me. Her writing is stunning, it's very relatable and there are pieces of information that I've never heard put this way before but make so much sense. I will definitely be doing further reading into Dr Ham and Rupture and Repair. Thank you Stephanie Foo, I'm feeling hopeful 🙏
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MadAboutReading
- 12-02-24
Beautifully written, powerful and inspiring read
I listened to this incredibly quickly and enjoyed it enormously. Stephanie writes with self awareness and compassion, and I found this to be one of the best books I’ve read on living with complex trauma.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- rachel birkenshaw
- 01-03-24
Simply said... You're not alone
A very raw insight of cptsd, healing and statergies to cope 10/10. A good read
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sonia McMillan
- 26-06-22
GRATEFUL TO HAVE FOUND THIS BOOK
Beautifully narrated and thank you for sharing your therapy sessions. A remarkable insight into CPTSD. When the sky falls, use it as a blanket.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 28-09-22
I could never be as eloquent as the author, but...
Brilliant. Life changing. Hope giving.
I'm immensely grateful to have read this beautiful book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jane
- 10-10-22
Recommending it to everyone I know
Breathtaking, beautiful, personal, educational, painful, raw, gentle, loving, challenging, embracing, triggering, insightful, healing.
Narrated by the author which gave it even more authenticity and made it more captivating.
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