Books & Podcasts
Memoirs
Personal stories of pain, growth, and self-discovery
Themes: sexual predation and grooming, re-writing one's narrative
Themes: bi-polar disorder, self-discovery, stigma, balancing professional life with mental illness
Themes: identity in illness, resilience, re-entry into life after trauma, complexity of love in crisis
Themes: religious trauma and extremism, family loyalty, breaking free, self-actualization
Themes: fundamentalism, Christian reform school trauma, race
Themes: schizophrenia, psychoanalysis, balancing professional life with mental illness
Themes: religious fundamentalism, poverty, family dynamics, arranged marriage, sexual abuse, finding independence
Themes: religious fundamentalism, feminism, duty and freedom, arranged marriage
Non-Fiction
True stories that explore tragedy, celebrate resilience, and deepen understanding
Themes: advice column, the human experience, being seen, heard, and understood
Themes: sexual discovery and exploration, sexual predation, affairs, identity formation
Themes: neurobiology of trauma, childhood trauma, vignettes, what it takes to heal
Themes: Christian fundamentalism, purity culture, feminism
Themes: end of life, limits of medicine, letting go, grief and loss
Themes: sexual predation and abuse, journalistic integrity, fame
Themes: schizophrenia, limits of community health, impact of mental illness on friends and family
Themes: working class, job loss, political identity, polarization
Themes: schizophrenia, genetics of mental illness, family systems
Themes: housing crisis, poverty, injustice and predation, policy
Themes: populism, working class, job loss, polarization
Fiction
Stories that reflect and explore the human experience
Themes: poverty, Appalachia, child abuse and neglect, fitting in, addiction, grief and loss
Themes: hidden truths, memory, justice, integrity, sexual predation, loss, boarding school, MeToo
Themes: survival, violence, immigration, shame, family trauma, social mobility
Podcasts
That tell us about ourselves, reflecting the human experience back to us
Themes: fixing the past, taking risks, storytelling, growth and maturation
Themes: the unknown known, secrets, family systems, trauma and healing
Themes: therapy, couples issues, betrayal, affairs, communication, healing
Themes: spirituality, insight, mindfulness, depth of thought, beauty
Themes: dealing with trauma, grief and loss, storytelling, human experience
Themes: feminism, racism, sexism, women's health, medical mysteries
Themes: stories about various forms of love, heartwarming tales
Themes: stories about various types of crime, absurdity, things going wrong