***Previously published on Quail Bell Magazine on March 20th, 2019.
As a native Southerner, I appreciate authentic approaches to our unique genre of music, folktales, and other art. The South has many rich and many complicated legacies. All That Held Us by Henrietta Goodman, winner of the John Ciardi Prize for Poetry, is a fresh new take on that same legacy, but from a personal and feminine standpoint.
While I wouldn’t paint All That Held Us as a total Southern Gothic piece, its haunting and lyrical words weave a tale of strange connections. Each page starts with a variation of the ending line of the last, and revolves around the lingering of unfinished memories. It all starts with a perceived wrong from the maternal line of the speaker’s family, critiquing the double-standard of women’s and men’s bodies. It unwinds into sharp cultural observations intertwining with trauma and a Bildungsroman of budding sexuality and understanding of the impact of a strongly maternal lineage. More precisely, it concurrently follows the antics of a mother who is only together with the speaker’s father part-time, an aunt with a hoarding and possessiveness problem, and a girl trying to keep it together.
This book is for anyone who has ever felt the need to feel held by a common bond when things seem like they are falling apart. Or maybe for the ones who avoid talking about the painful reality to avoid severing the rest of a strange, thinning bond. In short, it is something that highlights a new kind of Southern experience while balancing a universal practice of remembering the power of buried memories.
***Previously published in Quail Bell Magazine on March 23rd, 2017.
It often seems our opinion on war changes, but as the video game franchise Fallout often mentions, “War. War never changes.” Perhaps thanks to both my American education and being born in the mid-nineties, I feared my ignorance of the Croatian War would cause me to miss essential cues in Small Crimes by Andrea Jurjević. But like any successful poetry collection, it does not rely on the reader’s knowledge of world politics to communicate universal truths about life amidst war.
Jurjević’s first collection won the 2015 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry for many rightful reasons. One in particular is giving war-torn adolescence a stage to redefine what the word “fortunate” entails. The prelude poem “For Yugoslavia’s More Fortunate Ones” is a piece of the bizarre reality that teenage rebellion during the Croatian War was surviving long enough to “[kill] time, and your livers” beneath unstable infrastructure. So begins the poetry that captures what C.G. Hanzlicek, the 2015 judge of the Philip Levine Prize, beautifully says,“[the speaker, regardless of the] midst of bombings, sniper shootings, and firing squads…. manages to live an almost normal adolescence.”
The collection continues to deliver the understated “small crimes” that add up over the sojourn from the desecrated Yugoslavia to America. From “lit-up skies,” bombings, sexual harassment, executions of “suspected Fascists,” dates with assault rifles, and lovers tucked away amidst the chaos, the collection is sprinkled with bits of Croatian and vivid, uncut memories. It is not a presentation of historical poetry, rather poetry that uses history to highlight the speaker’s adolescent reality. After all, names of battles do not matter when your own are much more captivating and urgent.
Small Crimes is currently available from Anhinga Press for $20. Watch performances of select poems in the links below:
I had two firsts before writing this post: visiting Nashville and attending TIC-CON 2026.
It’s hard to pinpoint the “best” part of the experience, but one of them was getting to see the author’s table with so many authors with Tourette’s presenting their books at the Author’s Table. There are so many of us who are telling our story, and many of us who are forced to do so through self-publishing since traditional publishing is not only difficult to break through, but historically exclusionary to marginalized authors.
At some point, I look forward to adding myself to the list. For now, I have several essays, poetry, and short stories not ready to be full collections. You can also check out my other pieces I’ve published about Tourette Syndrome on my writing page or at the end of this list. But for the time being, enjoy these titles written by authors with Tourette Syndrome.
This blog is always evolving. Have a book I should add? Tell me! There are many books I already have to add, but need time to represent with accuracy and praise they deserve. I’m doing this the human way, not the AI way.
Fiction
Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry
Forget Me Not is a beautiful middle grade novel in verse about two characters: Calliope June, who has Tourette Syndrome, and Jinsong P’eng, her new neighbor and classmate. The dual perspectives allow readers to empathize with both character’s perspectives and journeys. It would be perfect for a novel study in school as well. When I asked middle grade children with Tourette’s about this novel at the conference, they all enthusiastically talked about how much they loved it. Purchase your copy here.
The Awkward Agenda by Beth Morton
Finally, a romance novel with a protagonist with Tourette’s! I was so excited to see this title on the table as a fairly recent romance novel enthusiast. I finished it in a day. The fun thing about this title is that there are illustrations throughout to represent the male main character, Simon Goldberg’s, graphic novel and web comic artist career. Cali Barton, his neighbor, approaches him to help her fix her “standoffish” personality she has adopted from childhood trauma and perfectionistic tendencies. Both characters are well-rounded and fully human. Nothing felt forced or inauthentic, and there was no point where Tourette’s was the plot driver, though has a few crucial moments that all people with Tourette’s could recognize and relate to. I hope Morton writes another one sooner rather than later!
The second romance book on this list is a holiday-themed, wholesome novel by Britney Wolf, who appears twice on this list and has an active presence with the TAA. Carson, our protagonist, is struggling with Tourette’s while seeking love on a dating app. Will she find true love during the holidays? Or will her secret disrupt it all? Buy a copy here.
Poetry
Twitch and Shout, Hallelujah, Amen: Poems of Love, Forgiveness, and Living with Tourette’s Syndrome by Gregory John Nashif
An autobiographical depiction of Tourette’s Syndrome through passionate, devoted verse, Nashif’s collection documents his journey while tying it into his faith. Buy a copy here.
Nonfiction
Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen
The book that inspired the Hallmark film, Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had by Brad Cohen with Lisa Wysocky documents Cohen’s journey in the classroom. Purchase a copy here.
From Trauma to Triumph: A lived experience of Tourette Syndrome, late diagnosis, and finding purpose by Paul Stevenson
Stevenson’s book closes the gap in the late diagnosis in Tourette’s representation. With short chapters and illustrations throughout, this book is an accessible look into the shame and guilt of growing up undiagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and the shock, relief, and freedom provided by late diagnosis. Buy a copy here.
Ticcing My Way Through Life by Britney Wolf
Version 1.0.0
Britney Wolf’s account of her life growing up with Tourette’s in all aspects of life balances the good, bad, and ugly of having Tourette Syndrome. This book brings relatability without sugarcoating it and is appreciated among fellow members of the Tourette’s community, parents, teachers, and more. Purchase your copy here.
Children’s Picture Books
Come back soon when I’ll add some of the ones I picked up for review!
Gretchen’s Tourette’s Experiences and Commentary
Looking for my story so far? I’ve written about it for several publications. See below!
***Previously published on Quail Bell Magazine on September 19th, 2018.
The value of a woman’s chastity has long been used to determine her worth, but the 1990’s brought a unique and insidious form of sexual shaming to a new generation of women: purity culture. Though other essays and books have touched on purity culture’s destructive legacy, none have reached such a painfully relatable level for thousands of women around the United States. Pure is a stunningly unique combination of investigative journalism, interviews, and a memoir of the effects of purity culture on an entire generation of church-goers, particularly young women attending Evangelical churches across the United States. The book 12 years in the making is written by author and activist Linda Kay Klein and has been praised by feminist and religious leaders alike for its thorough investigation and testament against the purity movement. The book opens with an introduction to Klein’s early life as a blossoming young woman aspiring to be a missionary. But while her future seemed to be dedicated to spreading the love of God she had always known, it also meant facing that the same love came with a binding contract of keeping any hint of sexuality on lock. The comparison widely used by purity culture to justify the control of female appearance and behavior is a “stumbling block”, or the implication that young girls are solely responsible for the sexual reactions of young boys and men.Klein explores how deeply this opens up every woman to blame for the unacceptable, yet not often held accountable behaviors from men such as ogling, cat-calling, and assault. As another result, people put in power at church are given free passes to objectify and abuse other church members under the presumably safe environment of a worship experience.
And yet, the abuse is still very much insidious and complex. Many church members, both current and former, can recall or still experience very fond memories growing up in the church. Though many outside of a church setting can easily demonize the movement as an obvious danger to the mental and physical well-being of young women, Klein’s direct experience as a dedicated follower of Christ and a first-hand witness of the impact it made on her community and beyond guides her to an empathetic -but honest – critique. Klein openly discusses her conflicting feelings with the good intentions of the purity movement – such as reactions from family and old friends, her former church community, etc. – while also facing the devastating emotional and physical impact that it has had on romantic relationships and marriages, such as intense intimacy problems and PTSD-like symptoms. Klein also rebukes the church’s idea of “suffering” as a level of one’s dedication towards Christ by citing her own diagnosis with Crohn’s disease. In her writing, she bravely and assertively pushes against the movement that has clouded the messages that are intended to uplift marginalized people instead of pushing them further beneath the shadow of society.
The book also gives an important disclaimer that Klein’s experiences, as well as the experiences of most of the interviewees in the book, are from the perspectives of white women. From the very beginning, she acknowledges the limited viewpoint her book presents by not being about to explore the experiences of people of color and further encourages the dialogue to be continued by the voices who best represent it. Instead of attempting to represent all marginalized sectors of the church community, Klein rightfully passes the dialogue on to the people who experience it first hand.
While many books preach – pun intended – about the importance of reform and change when it comes to socially-ingrained behaviors, not many follow through with their promises. They may even provide half-hearted solutions or no solutions at all. Klein takes the opportunity to give her readers the chance to dive further into resources, including other books about the same topic or organizations dedicated to healing. Klein also founded the Break Free Together initiative uniting people from backgrounds of sexual shaming to break away from the ideas that limited their life experiences and to overcome it.
Overall, the book builds an essential bridge between traditionally divided progressive ideas and religious thought. It is also the invitation for many women who have been victims of the movement to finally come together to heal. Pure is available now from Touchstone.
***Previously published on Quail Bell Magazine December 22nd, 2021.
Let me first say that I will always be a sucker for anything to do with fairy tales, folklore, history, memory, and ancestry. Where the Wolf is a combination of complicated memory as told through fables and elegies.
I particularly loved the delicate balance of past, present, and future, with the narrator’s perspective on her teenage son, withering mother, and her own childhood. The wolf, everything it is and isn’t, appears throughout the collection. The cover even features a wolf made of tangled flowers as it thinks of devouring another. It makes the reader, or maybe just me, think about how easily we devour our family’s stories or stories we’d rather think of instead. Another one to add to the collection.
The idea of a wolf, or what it means to explore our own histories through stories, is explored from the first page and further in some of my favorite poems from the first section.
“If a Wolf” challenges the reader’s idea of the folkloric wolf. What do we really mean when we each identify a wolf? Is it an animal? A cunning schemer? A cover for a vengeful daughter? A cover for a vengeful daughter who wants nothing more than to be loved and seen by a woman who resents her? I present to you a striking line from the piece:
“I say wolf but I mean gown / of changed night: / forecast of bones falling / from the rooks’ tongues, / the weight of a hundred skies inside.”
“What I Carry” examines the burdens and bonds of ancestry and familial trauma. The poem recounts her mother’s childhood prior to war, her uncle on the front lines, and ultimately, what she must carry as a result. Immediately following “What I Carry” is “Wednesday’s Child”, a dissection of a mother who is losing her identity to memory loss and declining health due to dementia. In it, the narrator observes how her mother no longer remembers the things she regrets and hates, including the narrator. This is all while the narrator waits to see her adopted son.
Later we see the son, all grown up in “Fairy Tale for Mother and Teenage Son”, where the identity of a wolf is once again explored with, “A wolf can be mistaken for a rock. / A wolf can be mistaken for the moon.”
The rest of the collection is just as haunting and stirring, carrying retold fables and wishes for the next generation. The juxtaposition of the poems “Almost Harmless” and “When You Call My Body an Odd Thing” summarizes the major battle the narrator faces: wanting a better life for her son while still fighting against the shards of harm from her own mother’s careless words. This is all while recalling the stain of a father’s absence.
Where the Wolf is a collection for former and current daughters, mothers, and wolves, whatever that may mean to you.
Where the Wolf Written by Sally Rosen Kindred 80 pages Publisher | Diode Editions $18.00 US
Note: This story was first published on Quail Bell Magazine (check out our new site) on December 22nd, 2019. It has since been archived and now has come back to life on my website to view. I figured it was perfect for Tourette Awareness Month to bring it back.There are media elements that were included with the original that I cannot find at the moment, but intend to bring back to make it as interactive as the original piece.
On November 25th, 2019, Billie Eilish was named Billboard’s Woman of the Year after a successful chart-climbing and record-breaking year. Just one year ago, Eilish confirmed she had Tourette Syndrome while addressing video compilations of her tics. When addressing why she never spoke about it previously, she simply wrote, “I’ve just never wanted people to think of [Tourette] every time they think of me.”
Fast forward to a few weeks later on December 10th of this year, rapper and TV personality Nick Cannon released “Pray for Him”, a new diss track against Eminem. The track is the second installment of a reawakened feudbetween the two rappers, which began in 2009 with Eminem’s “Bagpipes from Baghdad”. In the song, Eminem alludes to a relationship between himself and Mariah Carey, who was married to Cannon at the time. Cannon brought up racist lyrics from Eminem’s discography while Carey not-so-subtly dissed him in her song “Obsession”. Though it stayed quiet for some time, the two reignited the decade-long feud after Cannon appeared on T.I.’s podcast ExpidTIously. When T.I. asked what his reaction was to the track, Cannon responded with his memories of the incident:
“This m——— drops a song, talking s—.[He was calling Mariah] all kinds of [names]. I’m like, this is my wife. This is my new wife. I wrote a letter first….saying, ‘Look, I respect you as an artist. I’m actually a fan and I think you’re one of the best to ever do it. But from man to man, you talking out of pocket to my wife. You gotta be held accountable for that so I need to see you face-to-face.'”
In Slim Shady style, Eminem fired back on Fat Joe and Dre’s song “Lord Above”, insinuating that the former Nickelodeon hotshot is neutered. Cannon responded with “Pray for Him”, saying that the “Rap God” will never be a legend and that he gets facelifts like Instagram influencers. Cannon also called Eminem out on his extremely problematic view of black women. However, most notably to me, the Tourette Association of America, and thousands of other people with Tourette was the line, “Now all you do is just growl / Like you got Tourettes and hysterics.”
It is rare that pop culture shows the truth when it comes to Tourette Syndrome, or TS for short. Various movies, songs, and television shows have only shown the more rare side of the condition: coprophilia or copropraxia, or fancy words for rude language or gestures. Even if TS is portrayed in a different way, it is still often used as a joke or an insult. A lot of this stems from misunderstanding the condition or just plain lazy comedy and comebacks. So while it isn’t surprising that Cannon would rely on an old stereotype to assemble another mediocre diss track, it’s still exhausting to experience if you have Tourette Syndrome.
The Tourette Association of America called out the entertainer on their social media, condemning his lyrics:
“Nick Cannon, we are disappointed by your careless and misinformed reference to #TouretteSyndrome. You are a longtime advocate and role model for children. Let us help you get the facts about #Tourette and educate others. #TouretteAwareness”
The statement got support from indie artist and YouTuber Jamie-Grace, who replied to Cannon with her own admonishing message:
“We are more than a lyric. We are more than a joke. We are more than a laugh. We are more than the stereotype of verbal aggression that doesn’t even reach the surface of our diagnosis. We are more than what you portray us to be, and we will not be silent about it.”
“Nick Cannon, i am available if you would like to sit down and learn more about this condition. I do believe there are some things you could learn.”
Dear @NickCannon, i would be happy to sit down with you and explain Tourette Syndrome and how it truly impacts many lives, including my own.
We are more than a lyric. We are more than the stereotype of verbal aggression that doesn’t even reach the surface of our diagnosis.— Jamie Grace (@jamiegraceh) December 11, 2019
Of course, the line is far from the only problematic line a rapper has ever come up with in their career, but when an authentic example of a person with Tourette Syndrome is this year’s Billboard Woman of the Year, there isn’t an excuse for cruddy wordsmithing. Cannon’s quest for relevance after All That, The Nick Cannon Show, andAmerica’s Got Talent fails to acknowledge the existence of authentic representations of TS and other conditions in the industry. Speaking of Eilish, there has been no evidence that the “bad guy” singer has felt one way or the other about the track, but from her response from last fall, it is clear she knows how hard it is to push past the stereotype that comes with having TS. Similarly, many people with more manageable TS like myself will suppress their own tics in public to avoid scrutiny or jokes, no matter how painful it is.
Though Cannon has yet to respond to the criticism—and more than likely won’t—I’m optimistic that the incident has brought more people like me out in the open, vowing to bring attention to the realities of TS and to reject the half-baked lyrics of artists who are never too old to be educated.
As a lifelong Richmond and writer, I finally started venturing into local writing classes in 2024. Prior to that, I did a lot of online or self-paced courses (see this blog for my recommendations).
These are ones I’ve personally taken and have adored. I hope to keep adding more as time goes on and I keep experiencing everything Richmond has to offer.
Have one you recommend? DM me at @writinggales on Instagram or email me at gales.gretchen@gmail.com to recommend your favorite courses.
Writing the Shadow
Taught by Doug Jones, Writing the Shadow is offered at both the Visual Arts Center of Richmond as well as through the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). The class explores the darker side of human characteristics, from real life stories to fictional tales. This class is suitable for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writers and encourages exploration through all genres. While it’s no replacement for therapy of course, the class is incredibly therapeutic and allows for the taboo to be explored in writing. In my class, the prompts were thought-provoking and the readings included poetry, fictional stories like “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and excerpts from memoirs.
Doug has said each class is different, so every time you take it, it has different readings, prompts, and experiences. I plan to take the class again at some point to get a different experience.
To get a discount on the class, both places offer memberships that allow for discounts and early registration, as the class fills up fast. I personally love memberships to both to get access to similar classes at different days and times and look at the variety of courses offered at each.
Advanced Poetry
If you are a poet with experience or an English major or MFA candidate looking for additional support and solid craft talk, keep an eye out for Leslie Shiel’s Advanced Poetry course at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.
I first took a class taught by Shiel during my undergraduate English degree at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and had the honor of taking this course 10 years later. You will never meet a poet and teacher quite like her unless you take this class. This class is a gift and an appropriate amount of supportive and challenging to push your poetry to new heights.
You will leave with 3 to 5 polished poems, paper resources, and poetry books to reference and share with one another during the course.
Confessional Poetry
If you are a Plath apologist or someone who loves a good navel-gaze-y poem, Catherine Carson does a phenomenal job of balancing the key elements of confessional poetry, historical contexts of the genre, and encouraging us to use mentor texts to learn new writing techniques. Catherine is also very welcoming and even for the brand new poet, makes her class approachable without watering down the content.
Through her class, you can easily walk away with anywhere from 3 to 6 new poems ready to submit to journals. You also get a chance to have supportive people critique your work. Available through the VMFA and on certain occasions, the Visual Arts Center.
Shameless Self Plug
I am also a writing teacher in Richmond, Virginia, though most of my classes at the moment are one day workshops through Quarry (like Craft of Writing Club that happen every third Thursday of the month UNLESS something else is scheduled) or writing workshops for kids through Richmond Young Writers and Smart Solutions Tutoring. But keep an eye out for multi-week workshops for adults listed in the future. One day I hope to be worthy of this list, too.
See my current workshops, classes, or camps at the upcoming events page and sign up for my Substack to see options as they are added.
I first fell in love with literary nonfiction in college. Previously, you could find me collecting autobiographical poetry collections, magazine advice columns, documentaries, and other “real” stories, so I suppose it was only a matter of time.
For some reason, it never occurred to me prior that nonfiction could be written like fiction, despite reading so many true stories from girls all over the world from American Girl Magazine or when I got older, Seventeen. Sure, I had heard of and read memoirs (I think The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls might have been my first), crafted college and application essays, but I was still under the impression that anything true I wrote had to be clinical.
I discovered a different way just in time and threw my own writing into the ring. I suppose that’s why I’m here where I am now. (Hint: the rest of my website shows you all of THOSE details and history!)
There is a beautiful world of true prose waiting for us…and so are submission opportunities. The great thing about creative nonfiction is that a lot of outlets are desperate for more of those kinds of submissions. Some magazines specialize specifically in creative nonfiction and its friends and are more competitive. Whether you’re looking for a soft place to land your piece or want a true challenge, I’ve curated a list of places that crave your truest words.
Off Assignment
I first heard of Off Assignment after enrolling in their very first Zoom class intensive experience. My session was specifically about the hybrid memoir and was led by Lilly Dancyger. Each session featured an author specializing in the genre. All classes were recorded and sent to participants. That’s to say that I enjoyed myself and the community they curated.
Besides classes, Off Assignment publishes stunning creative nonfiction with a lot of fun prompt options. “Letter to a Stranger,” for example, is exactly what it sounds like. “Under the Influence” invites the writer to describe the muses that influence their travels, such as musicians or authors. “What I Didn’t Say” gives writers a chance to revisit topics or “killed darlings” they didn’t get to explore in other essays or reported assignments. For more prompts, visit the submissions page for ideas and opportunities.
Narratively
Ah, a true white whale of the creative nonfiction world. Narratively is as competitive as it gets. To give you an idea of how unique a pitch or story should be, I once met a woman who said they rejected her story about nearly drowning in quick sand because they had something too similar.
Some of the their most well-known stories include…
Narratively releases themed prompts in addition to their general first person stories like the examples above. Check out their current submissions here.
Redivider
The literary journal of Emerson College, Redivider is run by their graduate students at the Boston-based college. It was formerly known as Beacon Street Review until 2014. They only take unpublished pieces from both established and emerging voices. They publish online twice a year as well as one mini summer issue. Simultaneous submissions are allowed. See more submission guidelines here.
Hippocampus Magazine
Dedicated to all forms of nonfiction, Hippocampus Magazine is among the top 25 magazines showcasing the best of the craft. They look for “intensely personal experiences that reflect universal truths about what it means to be human.” They also highly encourage diverse perspectives and experiences from all backgrounds, including but not limited to, “folx from the LGBTQIA+ community, Black writers, Indigenous writers, and writers of Color, disabled writers, writers of all ages, genders, backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles, and identities.”
Think you have a good story? Look at the submission guidelines here.
Brevity
As the name suggests, they love itty bitty nonfiction pieces. 750 words or less. Brevity is also a sophisticated publication with a history of emerging voices and established MFA candidates. Submissions are $3 and accepted pieces are paid $45. You could be next. Look at their submissions page for current calls.
Have More Suggestions?
Do you run a literary magazine focused on creative nonfiction or are looking for more of it for your journal? Let me know so I can add it to the list!
PTSD books and complex PTSD books written by authors with the condition shine on a light on a condition that is often misunderstood.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) are both conditions developed after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. For PTSD, it only takes one major event to trigger it. For CPTSD, it is a series of traumatic events that occurred over time. Currently, 3.6% of U.S. adults have PTSD and about a third of these cases have a severe impairment on the lives of those with the condition.
While PTSD and its lesser known counterpart are mostly known within the veteran community, the truth is that it can be introduced at any point by any sudden disturbing event or a series of unrelenting events that culminate over time. The most vulnerable populations to develop PTSD are women, followed closely by veterans, and once more by African American and Hispanic populations.
It’s also the subject of many essays, stories, and books, but can sometimes be misconstrued by those with a limited understanding of it. Thanks to continuing research and understanding about PTSD and CPTSD, our understanding of both conditions has expanded thanks to both science and art keeping the conversation going in the right direction, including highlighting creators who talk about their experiences.
I’m not a scientist (and you don’t want me to be), so my contribution is to find the books written by authors with PTSD and CPTSD that are bold enough to confront both conditions at their strangest, ugliest, and maybe even the odd times when it can bring understanding and good into our perspective.
I have included some entries that do not confirm whether the author has PTSD or CPTSD, but includes valuable information to the community. Those entries will be noted.
If you have a suggestion, especially if you wrote a book that fits this list, don’t hesitate to reach out. All links to books will be to the publisher, an indie bookstore, or Bookshop.org to mitigate Amazon and other predatory retailers as much as possible, though if a book is only available on Amazon, I will make the link available.
I intend to, like my other “Mental Illness Books Written by Those With Mental Illness” Series (unofficial name), to add more books as I find them, but figured this is a good starting place.
(Updated April of 2026).
Poetry
A Family Thing by Ashley Elizabeth
This full-length poetry collection explores the trauma of childhood sexual assault, navigating the pain and resilience it takes to achieve solace and a sense of self. It is available from ELJ Editions.
Preverbal by Carroll Beauvais
Preverbal by Carroll Beauvais follows the loss of two parents and the consequences of that trauma for the rest of the speaker’s life. The manuscript was inspired by both What My Bones Know by Stephanie Woo and The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk (the latter a somewhat controversial figure in the space despite the very popular book.).
Launching the narrative with the discovery of a gray hair, the eldest daughter reflects on her life so far, not expecting to have made it this long in life. The rest of the collection asks a simple question: is it possible to move on after a haunted past? Published by Unsolicited Press (buy from indie publishers, please!). Buy it here.
Fiction
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Literary Hubcalls it the “ultimate PTSD novel,” so it had to be included in this list. The novel follows Billy Pilgrim, a man who experiences his life out of logical sequence due to his time serving in World War II as a soldier and chaplain’s assistant. Each chapter explores a part of his life, except it shifts the reader from birth, to death, to midlife, to obscure parts of Billy’s life. Billy also confronts his line of thinking after being abducted by an alien race called the Tralfamadorians, though their legitimacy is left ambiguous between a genuine experience Billy has and a coping mechanism for his PTSD. The Tralfamadorians view time all at once as opposed to a linear sequence of events. Vonnegut himself served in the military during World War II and suffered from PTSD as a result. Purchase the classic novel here.
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers is considered one of the greats of contemporary war fiction for its realistic portrayal of loss of innocence and the coping that follows. The main character, John Bartle, experiences intense guilt over a fellow fallen solider. The novel follows Bartle’s own struggles with depression, darkness, memories, and more. Fragmented syntax and intense imagery mimic the experiences of post-war PTSD throughout the book. Powers himself is an Iraq war veteran and drew from his own personal experiences after returning home from Iraq. Purchase now from Bookshop.org.
Post-Traumatic by Chantel V. Johnson
Long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, Johnson’s debut novel came out in 2022. The main character, Vivian, is a wildly successful lawyer who advocates for mentally ill patients at a NYC psychiatric hospital. Privately, she battles her memories of her childhood and the realities of being both Black and Latinx in America. The novel is described as sharp survivor narrative.
I cannot find confirmation that Johnson herself has CPTSD, but her love of Plath and Woolf and her dedication to the characters makes me want to include this book in this list for its dedication and seemingly accurate depiction of CPTSD. Read her PEN America interview here. Purchase it here.
Nonfiction & Memoir
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo is a memoir about Foo’s own long process with healing from significant childhood trauma. At thirty, she has it all, including a lucrative job but still has panic attacks and crying fits every morning at her desk. Her life should be perfect, yet the complications of healing complex trauma take time, effort, and grace for yourself. In an effort to understand herself and her condition, she pursued the limited information about CPTSD from psychologists and scientists while also investigating the role of immigrant trauma within a community.
I consistently keep seeing this one appear on lists as a complex PTSD book that is truly one of the best out there.
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem is a deep dive into how systematic racism causes trauma to not only Black Americans, but White and “blue” (police) Americans, too. The argument is that white supremacy deeply harms us all, and the solution to uproot deeply seated trauma is to triumph over the rhetoric and somatic pressure the ideology puts us all through and to release it.
Menakem has not confirmed a diagnosis of PTSD, but he is highly knowledgeable with a deep understanding of the systemic issues that contribute to PTSD and how the body holds it. He studied at Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute and teaches workshop on Cultural Somatics.
Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD by Jason Kander
Highly praised by figures like Wes Moore (author of The Other Wes Moore), Invisible Storm: A Solider’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD by Jason Kander is a frank look at the impact of PTSD even a decade later. Kander was prepped for a landslide victory in his mayoral campaign in Kansas City, but withdrew after experiencing the fallout of undiagnosed PTSD. The rest of the memoir is a candid look at Kander’s efforts to recover and face the hard decision of walking away for his own health.
Gretchen Gales 