Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine, originally published in 1997, is a groundbreaking work in body-centered trauma therapy that introduces Somatic Experiencing®, a naturalistic approach to healing psychological wounds. Drawing from ethology, neuroscience, and Indigenous healing practices, Levine presents trauma not as a mental illness but as an incomplete physiological process that can be resolved by engaging the body’s innate wisdom. The book targets trauma survivors, therapists, healthcare providers, and anyone interested... Read Waking the Tiger Summary

What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021) is a best-selling book written in collaboration between Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce D. Perry. It examines how individuals can understand themselves and others better through the lens of childhood adversity and trauma, offering scientific insights on the impact of traumatic experiences on human behavior.Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, author, and philanthropist, best known for her television show The Oprah Winfrey... Read What Happened To You? Summary

Kate Fagan’s What Made Maddy Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All-American Teen (2017) centers on Madison Holleran, a promising young athlete at the University of Pennsylvania who committed suicide in 2014. This is a work of narrative journalism that grew out of Fagan’s award-winning ESPN essay “Split Image” (2015). Fagan brings her experiences as a college athlete on a Division I team and her expertise as a sports journalist to explore... Read What Made Maddy Run Summary

What My Bones Know is a memoir about healing from C-PTSD written by Stephanie Foo and published in 2022. It begins with Foo’s diagnosis in 2018 and retraces her history growing up in an abusive household. What My Bones Know is notable for commenting on the theme of Trauma and Silence in Asian American Communities. Beneath the homogenizing stereotype of the “model minority” is a diverse group of people who have in many cases survived... Read What My Bones Know Summary

What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City (2018) is pediatrician, scientist, and public health advocate Mona Hanna-Attisha’s (Dr. Mona) debut book that provides an in-depth look at the government’s poisoning of Flint residents and subsequent coverup. This story, according to Dr. Mona, is also about much deeper crises that the broader American society is currently facing: a breakdown in local democracy; misguided austerity policies; environmental injustices... Read What the Eyes Don’t See Summary

When Breath Becomes Air is a memoir by Paul Kalanithi. It was published in 2016. Kalanithi tells the story of his battle with cancer while being a practicing neurosurgeon. The book is organized chronologically, following the trajectory of his life from childhood to death, and is laced with deep philosophical thought and literary prose. His meditations combine the expertise of a professional with the experience of a patient, resulting in a book that communicates extremely... Read When Breath Becomes Air Summary

When the Body Says No is a 2003 work of nonfiction written by Canadian physician and author Gabor Maté. In his text, which is a critique of the limitations of modern Western medicine, Maté explores the role of chronic stress in causing disease and illnesses, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, bowel diseases, and inflammatory illnesses. Maté suggests that chronic physiological stress often has its roots in childhood; even loving parents can inadvertently make their child feel... Read When the Body Says No Summary

Wherever You Go, There You Are (1994) is a work of nonfiction by Jon Kabat-Zinn, a renowned teacher and researcher in the field of mindfulness-based stress reduction. It has received widespread acclaim for its positive impact and practical approach to mindfulness, aimed at an audience of adult readers who wish to engage with their life more authentically. The book has become a classic in the genre, recommended by professionals, and has garnered a strong following... Read Wherever You Go, There You Are Summary

In Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Smith embarks on an in-depth exploration of mental health, aiming to make therapeutic tools and knowledge accessible to all. Published in 2022, this text falls under the self-help genre, specifically focusing on mental health. The title itself laments the scarcity of information about mental health in mainstream education and daily life, underscoring the book’s mission to democratize mental health education. This study guide... Read Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Summary

British-American neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (2017) provides an in-depth exploration of the science of sleep health. Walker argues that sleep loss is an epidemic and one of the most serious public health issues of the 21st century. Drawing from a wealth of data and scientific studies, including his own innovative scientific breakthroughs during his time as a professor at the University of California-Berkeley, Walker illustrates the... Read Why We Sleep Summary

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (1994) is a science text written by Robert Sapolsky. Sapolsky is a prominent Harvard professor, neuroscience researcher, and author. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers takes an interdisciplinary approach that combines numerous branches of science to explore the health implications of modern chronic stress. Sapolsky primes readers by providing an overview of the biological processes and implications of the body’s stress-response. He then explores how psychological and social stress contribute to... Read Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers Summary

Rob Harrell’s Wink: Surviving Middle School With One Eye Open is a contemporary middle-grade novel and coming-of-age story published in 2020. Harrell once had a rare type of eye cancer, and though he was an adult at the time, he knew of children with cancer who had to have treatment, with the accompanying side effects, while attending school. The author—an experienced illustrator and author of middle-grade fiction—identified the need for a story about a pre-adolescent... Read Wink Summary

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times (2020) is the second memoir by British author Katherine May and a New York Times bestseller. May’s text addresses literal and metaphorical winters—both the severe boreal time of the year and the fallow or chaotic periods in life. Her treatise on learning to love and gaining deep insight from winter was personal and yet resonated with readers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.In May’s... Read Wintering Summary

Wish You Were Here (2021) is a novel by Jodi Picoult, which, according to the author, is about “the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.” The story follows a young woman, Diana O’Toole, who leaves for a vacation to the Galapagos without her boyfriend and gets locked down there as borders close under quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic. Away from everything and everyone familiar, Diana must adapt to these extraordinary circumstances... Read Wish You Were Here Summary

Wit—sometimes spelled as W;t—is a Pulitzer-Prize winning play by Margaret Edson first published in 1995. The play follows the story of Dr. Vivian Bearing, a 50-year-old professor of 17th-century poetry who has recently been diagnosed with stage-four metastatic ovarian cancer. The plot itself is nonlinear; for example, the opening scene of the play takes place two hours before Vivian dies, but the play switches between Vivian’s childhood, career, and treatment milestones to tell her whole... Read Wit Summary

Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age, a New York Times bestseller by Mary Pipher, was first published in 2019. Pipher is a clinical psychologist and cultural anthropologist who has written 11 books and specializes in developmental psychology, trauma, women, and the effects of culture on mental health. Women Rowing North is a self-help book aimed at older women that describes older women’s transition into later life and its challenges, skills... Read Women Rowing North Summary

Year of Wonders (2001) is a historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks, tracing the 1666 outbreak of the bubonic plague in the English town of Eyam. When the town’s zealous rector, Michael Mompellion, and the community submit to a voluntary quarantine, young widow Anna Frith serves with the rector and his wife Elinor to minister to the townsfolk as the plague wreaks havoc. Through the eyes of 18-year-old Anna, the novel explores what happens when... Read Year of Wonders Summary

Joe Dispenza’s You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter explores the transformative power of belief in shaping one’s health. Published in 2014, this self-help book uses personal anecdotes, case studies, and scientific concepts to present a framework where individuals can harness the mind’s potential to influence physical and emotional well-being. Dispenza, a chiropractor, researcher, author, and speaker, argues that belief, intention, and focused thought can reprogram the brain and body at a biological level... Read You Are the Placebo Summary