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Matt B Gets Lit

polomexgetslit@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 6 months ago

Is that a hardcover, or are you just happy to see me?

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Bessel van der Kolk, Bessel A. Van Der Kolk: The Body Keeps the Score (2014, Viking) 4 stars

Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath …

Review of "The Body Keeps the Score"

4 stars

This was not a book I approached lightly—or leisurely. "The Body Keeps the Score" is dense, academic, and filled with clinical insight. To get through all 460 pages before my next therapy session, I toggled between the physical copy and the audiobook. It actually became a unique way to experience the material—reading when I had time to sit and focus, then listening while doing chores or cooking. Switching between formats helped me move through the content quickly, but also made it feel like I was processing the book in layers.

Van der Kolk’s central argument—that trauma reshapes both the brain and the nervous system—is hard to unsee once you’ve absorbed it. Trauma doesn’t just color how we feel about the world; it rewires how we function within it, biologically and neurologically. The electrical signals in our bodies are affected. And while medication may have a place in treatment, the author …

Richard Schwartz, Alanis Morissette: No Bad Parts (2021, Sounds True, Incorporated) 4 stars

Review of "No Bad Parts"

3 stars

I’ve now borrowed dozens of books from the library, but "No Bad Parts" tested my patience. Every physical copy in my library’s network? Checked out. No digital copies available at all. I even borrowed my mother’s Chicago Public Library card—surely a big city system would have it, right? Nope. Every single copy was checked out, with a 40+ person waitlist for physical books and over 100 people waiting for a digital version.

So I caved and bought the Kindle version for $10. Not a terrible price, but it’s been a while since I actually paid for a book. The question is… was it worth it?

"No Bad Parts" is an introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model developed by Richard Schwartz. The book posits that we all have different “Parts” within us: subpersonalities that take on roles to protect or guide us. At our core is the “Self,” …

Kevin M. Kruse, Julian E. Zelizer: Myth America (Hardcover, 2022, Basic Books) 4 stars

Review of "Myth America"

3 stars

As someone who enjoys U.S. history, "Myth America" seemed like it would be right up my alley—a book that critically examines the myths and misinformation that have shaped popular narratives about our past. And to be fair, the content is important, well-researched, and undeniably relevant in today's world.

However, I’m just gonna say it: this book was BORING.

This is not a casual read.

I didn’t realize when I reserved it that it’s a collection of academic essays, and it absolutely reads like one. The writing is dense, making it feel more like a textbook than a book for general audiences. I actually put this book down twice to finish other books because I just couldn't get through it all in one go. One chapter—about the Southern Strategy—was so dry that I found myself reading page after page without absorbing a single word. Eventually, I did something I never do: …

Review of "Our Polyvagal World"

5 stars

"Our Polyvagal World" is an accessible and thought-provoking exploration of the polyvagal theory and its implications for trauma, safety, and social connection. Written for a general audience, the book explains complex neuroscience concepts in a way that is clear and engaging without oversimplifying the science. The authors do a great job of reinforcing key ideas without feeling repetitive, making this an excellent read for anyone interested in understanding how our nervous system shapes our experiences.

One of the most striking takeaways from the book is its perspective on trauma: trauma isn’t about the event itself but about how our nervous system responds to it. This explains why two people can go through the same situation but react completely differently—our nervous systems are wired uniquely. The book also challenges the idea that trauma must stem from a singular, catastrophic event. Instead, trauma can result from an accumulation of smaller stressors over …