“How I Endured a Brutal Attack and a Lifetime of Trauma through the Power of Action, Choice, and Self Expression,” is the subtitle of this book by dancer, choreographer, and survivor, Lynn Forney. This statement alone is enough to draw a reader in, especially someone seeking inspiration and hope for life after trauma.

The book is short, but directly to the point. It’s a brief retelling of her young adult life, when she was brutally attacked and on through her recovery.

I don’t want to relay her story in detail because first, I won’t be able to do it justice, and second, it’s what makes the book so compelling. The author’s struggle with depression, an eating disorder, and thoughts of suicide might seem incomprehensible in a woman so accomplished. But once you understand her history and the life-threatening trauma she’s experienced, it’s no wonder PTSD would manifest itself is such heartbreaking ways. She writes about her emotional journey through the cautious perspective she adopted to cope, survive, and eventually thrive.

The book jumps a bit at first from flashbacks to prose then back again before launching into the backstory that brings the author to the brink of her story, but once you get the rhythm, you see the why. It’s Forney pouring her heart out in a creative and vulnerable way. Her raw honesty is refreshing and gives you a glimpse into why it’s so challenging for many victims to tell their stories. Her fear of reprisal or ridicule is very real, sparking compassion in the reader.

Image Courtesy of PR By the Book