What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo
If you grew up with childhood trauma and ever found yourself wondering, 'Why am I still struggling?', this book is for you.
By the time she was thirty, Stephanie Foo looked like she had it all together. She had a dream job at This American Life, a partner who loved her, and a life she’d worked hard to build. But behind closed doors, she was unraveling. Eventually, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD, a condition that develops from ongoing, chronic trauma, like the kind so many of you have experienced in your families of origin.
Foo’s story is raw, relatable, and full of the kind of emotional honesty we deeply value at Calling Home. After surviving abandonment and abuse by both of her parents, she didn’t just want to “get better.” She wanted to understand what was happening in her brain and body. She takes readers on her healing journey through therapy, science, culture, and the messy, nonlinear process of figuring out how to live with trauma, not just around it.
This book is a compassionate companion for anyone seeking to make sense of their past, particularly when that past continues to resurface in their relationships, health, or sense of self. It’s not just a memoir, it’s a roadmap for what healing can actually look like in real life.
What My Bones Know is a brave, beautifully written, and deeply validating book. We highly recommend it to anyone in our community who wants to feel less alone in the long, complex process of healing from a painful childhood.