What Happened to You? (Affiliate link) By Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey was a very eye-opening book for me. Instead of asking, “What is wrong with you?” it asks, “What happened to you.” It discusses how the things we face in our early years develop in our lives and helps us understand our own behaviors as well as the behaviors of those around us.

Dr. Bruce D. Perry is a psychiatrist and expert on child trauma. He has over 30 years of experience and has worked with children traumatized by many high-profile events including the Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine and Sandy Hook school shootings, Hurricane Katrina, as well as many others. I think we all know who Oprah is! She shares her story of growing up and the trauma she faced as a way for us to learn through her story.

This is more than a book about Oprah’s specific trauma. It goes through all sorts of childhood traumas and the behaviors they can cause. It talks about the trauma that adults go through as well. Dr. Perry also gives us ways to help these traumatized people.

If you are interested in the behaviors of people around you and understanding how trauma shapes us, this book is for you.

Trigger warnings: almost anything you can think of!