Cannonball Read 14

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

> FAQ Home
> Tag: trauma

“I knew beyond any doubt that there was genuine value to be found in my story.”

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadsby

by 1 Comment

I feel like this is going to be a tough one for me to review, because my relationship with the content that Hannah Gadsby creates is so personal to me and has been frankly crucial to how I am coming to understand myself that it’s a bit difficult to try to take that out of the equation and look at Ten Steps to Nanette on its own. I’ve likely watched Nanette half a dozen times in the past couple of years (and once again in […]

“With everyone working together and recognizing each other’s humanity, we will all get to space someday, and we will all have enough.”

Across a Field of Starlight by Blue Delliquanti

by 2 Comments

This was another great purchase courtesy of the new YA graphic novel section at my Barnes & Noble! Across a Field of Starlight has everything I want in a book — thoughtful science fiction, an examination of what growing up in a traumatic situation of deprivation vs growing up in a utopian commune situation does to you, interrogation of colonialism, mental health, trans and queer characters (one of the main characters has the pansexual pride flag tattooed on their arm!), body diversity, etc, etc, etc… […]

Little book, big story

The Golden Hour by Niki Smith

by 2 Comments

Triggers with experiencing violence event are explored in The Golden Hour. This is a sweet look at the difficulties one boy faces with anxiety, depression, and his PTSD after witnessing gun violence involving a teacher at school. Through therapy, grounding techniques and new friends Manuel starts healing. I know it seems odd that it is sweet, but Niki Smith tastefully shows you the journey Manuel takes. Smith brings in elements of Manuel coming from a single parent home. They show you a bit of his […]

“I did not know that there are miles between running out of things to say, and running out of the strength to say them.”

Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

by 1 Comment

When we had out August CBR Zoom Check-in I talked about this book and praised it while warning others away. It is still my prevailing view – Somebody’s Daughter is an absolutely fantastic piece of writing where Ashley C. Ford immerses the reader in her childhood, and it is not for the faint of heart or those who may not be in the most stable mental health space. You might know Ashley C. Ford from her podcasts or writings for outlets such as BuzzFeed, The […]

a mermaid’s tail made of donkey skin (a dual cbr13bingo and #cannonbookclub adventure!)

Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

by 2 Comments

well, not exactly. What we have here are two retellings of classic fairy tales: Charles Perrault’s deeply upsetting Donkeyskin (recently reviewed by our very own BlackRaven) and Hans Christian Andersen’s  also unsettling The Little Mermaid. Both of these entries are picks for our upcoming #cannonbookclub event- and I’ll be discussing Deerskin further during our Zoom- but in the meantime, let these two help you choose your pick(s)! Also- both of these tales of girls on the cusp of womanhood have been reclaimed and retold by women. […]

Knowing the score

The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, And Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.

by Leave a Comment

This book took a long time to get through. I think I started reading it in January, maybe earlier. It was worth the journey. Dr. Van Der Kolk proposes that many of our issues, both individually and as a society, stem from certain types of trauma. He explores the development and creation of the PTSD diagnosis after Vietnam, and how being a part of the creation of the diagnosis led him to see how many other issues his patients had stemmed from other types of […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo