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Shop nowBeautiful Trauma
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Learn moreA compelling account of surviving a freak accident, and a fascinating exploration of the science of trauma and recovery.
Late one night, while Rebecca Fogg was alone in her apartment, her hand was partially amputated in an explosion. Quick thinking saved her life, but the journey to recovery would be a slow one. As the doctors rebuilt her hand, Rebecca (who also survived 9/11) began rebuilding her sense of self by studying the physical and psychological process of recovery.
Interspersing the personal with the medical, Rebecca charts her year of rehabilitation, touching on the marvelously adaptable anatomy of the hand; how the brain’s fight-or-flight mechanism enables us to react instantly to danger; and why trauma causes some people to develop PTSD and gives others a whole new lease on life.
Told with emotional and intellectual clarity, Beautiful Trauma is a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit and the wonder of the human hand.
In 2008, Rebecca Fogg walked away from her New York life and career in financial services to move to London, where she co-founded the Institute of Pre-Hospital Care at London’s Air Ambulance and continues to work, write and learn Scottish fiddle. This is her first book.
In 2008, Rebecca Fogg walked away from her New York life and career in financial services to move to London, where she co-founded the Institute of Pre-Hospital Care at London’s Air Ambulance and continues to work, write and learn Scottish fiddle. This is her first book.
Reviews
“As the survivor of a catastrophic event that resulted in the partial amputation of her dominant hand, Rebecca Fogg understands the randomness and cruelty that are unavoidable parts of life. But this remarkable book is wholly without resentment or bitterness. Instead, it is a celebration of the adaptability of the body and the resilience of the mind. Fogg has retained her awe of the human experience, despite it all, and the result is a truly special book.”--Susannah Cahalan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
“Beautiful Trauma is a powerful account of the human capacity for healing. It speaks to the deep reservoir of resilience in all of us.”
--Anna Lembke, MD, New York Times best selling author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
"Captivating and insightful, Beautiful Trauma will have you rapt from the very first page. What starts as the story of a freak accident, becomes a meditation on recovery, resilience, and the miracle of the brain/body connection. Fogg’s stylish and spare prose mirrors her clear-eyed will to survive and understand the healing process. This book -- an extraordinary celebration of the human spirit — will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”
--Adrienne Brodeur, bestselling author of Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
“A cheering, upbeat story of recovery from life-threatening injury; Beautiful Trauma frames healing as a dance of acceptance and readjustment, of effort and reward, as well as the exploration of new possibilities. Fogg’s journey back to health is an inspiration”
--Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour From The Cranium to The Calcaneum
“Rebecca Fogg's Beautiful Trauma is a compelling story of gain from loss. It describes Fogg's personal quest to understand the objective basis of her physical and subjective torment, and how, using introspection and science, she emerged as a new person.”
--Joseph LeDoux, author of The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious Brains
"This is a book of grace and hope. Grace in the recovery from pain and fear, and hope in the acceptance of a new, fascinating life"
--Dr Emily Mayhew, author of Wounded: A New History of the Western Front in World War I
"[A] searing debut…Fogg’s blending of emotional and medical insights delivers an original perspective on the usual recovery arc. This enthralls."
--Publishers Weekly Expand reviews