This book is a compilation of five stories from therapy. The author Dr. Gildiner is a psychotherapist who lives in Toronto and shares about five patients she sees as hero’s.

** Trigger warning there are themes of severe abuse- neglect, sexual, physical, and psychological-this book is not for everyone. **

Each patient was extreme. One was locked in an attic from the age of around 2-7 and had skipped the psychological phase of attachment. One had been forced to parent her two younger siblings starting at age 9 when her parents abandoned her. Some parents were sexually abuse, others horrifically cruel.

Each case described the pain, revelations, and ways they learned to thrive. Each one was inspiring, educational, and simultaneously unbelievable. I learned a lot and devoured this book in under a week. I learned about myself, about therapy, about attachment, coping strategies and errors in therapy.

I’m a psychology/sociology nerd so this was JUST my cup of tea, but I acknowledge it is disturbing and not for everyone.