Did Not Finish

A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

A heartwarming debut about overcoming grief and finding love when—and where—you least expect it Twenty-six-year-old Violet’s usually bulletproof optimism is faltering. Crushed by the sudden death of her father and subsequent custody of her rebellious teenage sister, Phoebe, it’s a struggle to do much of anything other than survive each day and try not to feel like she’s the world’s worst sister. Then Phoebe discovers a love letter written by the man who used to live in their apartment, a letter begging for its recipient to give him another chance. Reading it, Phoebe shows signs of life for the first time since their dad died—and Violet will stop at nothing to keep that smile on her face. Together, they track down the letter’s author, hoping to rectify a derailed happily ever after. Despite Dex being rather abrasive (valid) and more than a little enigmatic (intriguing), Phoebe talks him into a cross-country road trip to put the letter in the right hands. Violet is thrilled to see Phoebe thriving again, and with every pit stop they chip away at Dex’s moody exterior, finding that he’s actually charming, funny, and unfalteringly interested in everything Violet shares with him. Violet and Dex’s chemistry only grows the further west they travel, but the closer they get to their destination—and Dex’s former great love—something’s got to give.