Reviews

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

chandle5's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

maeshowers's review against another edition

3.0

The book did bring up a few points that I hadn’t considered before and got me thinking which I appreciated. However, I do think the same points were brought up and over explained time and time again throughout the book. I understand there was an overarching thesis to the entire book, but some chapters talked about it without bringing in new ideas or points. Sometimes I felt talked down on because some ideas were over explained to death.

The format of the book was interested, since it was framed as a conversation between Oprah and Dr. Perry. It wasn’t as organized as I would have liked, but I suppose that comes with the territory.

Overall, it had a good thesis and was backed by evidence and personal experiences, but it dragged and was over explained.

gretalybbert's review against another edition

3.0

I found this really interesting and it gave me a lot to think about. We can all certainly benefit from considering how everyone is a product of their experiences (what happened to them) and how that plays into their behaviors. There's much more than the eye can see and remembering that will give us all a lot more compassion for one another.

samibee17's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

izzylashley's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this novel. I always knew that trauma that occurs in the first few years of childhood will have an impact on the rest of one's life, but I honestly didn't understand the extent to which it did. Dr. Perry's stories of those he has encountered throughout his work demonstrate that no matter what life path you have had, it is always important to ask "What happened to you?" before "What's wrong with you?". It really gave a good pathway on how to heal yourself from things like grief, abuse, and other kinds of trauma whether it is intense or not, really emphasizing that everyone's brain processes things differently and acts differently. It also highlights the importance of changing the way our system works. Both education and the healthcare system are deeply underfunded and undersupplied. If given the proper training and time they are able to change not only just the child's life but the life of their parents too. It really shows how everything that happens to us and both our mental state as well as physical state are so deeply intertwined. Probably one of my favorite books of this narrative style that I have read so far.

mrnobodytonoone's review against another edition

4.0

I wish there was more emphasis on what to do about things and also little more focus on adults going through the issues. 

ambermariebee's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

ninakeller's review against another edition

informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

I read this book after being exposed to it by an educational psychology expert in a teachers’ conference. The partnership between Oprah and Dr. Bruce Perry lends a powerful social scientific framework to understanding and healing trauma with personal anecdotes woven throughout. I’m taking away that asking the question “What happened to you?” rather than “What is wrong with you?” is much more useful and relationally actionable.

coffeeladylisa's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

5.0

marthalperezs's review against another edition

informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

I really liked this book, I like when I’m explained the hows and whys for things I do and am and this did that really well.
It’s like a crash course for trauma in a really digestible way.