Boundless Press | What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Heali...
Log in or Sign up
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
Stephanie Foo
Save to Your Books
100% of affiliate revenue supports Boundless Press
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life.
“Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal.”—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, NPR, Mashable, She Reads, Publishers Weekly.
By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.
Both of Foo’s parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she’d moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships, and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD.
In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations.
Ultimately, she discovers that you don’t move on from trauma—but you can learn to move with it.
Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body—and examines one woman’s ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.
Show more
Get the Bindery app
Posts about this title from Boundless Press
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 2 2025
it's my birthday! here are 28 books that have shaped my life 🫶🏾
open for book recs <3
28 books
21
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 27 2023
my TOP TEN favourite books of 2023 📚✨ BEST BOOKS OF 2023
tell me your favourite books of the year in the comments!
16 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 13 2023
tier ranking every book i've rated five stars ⭐️ in the past three years
we love a good tier-ranking video! let me know your faves!
39 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 6 2023
what i read in january | yellowface, hell bent, tomorrow x 3, love on the brain
Let me know what y'all thought of these books! who's excited for YELLOWFACE? 👀
harpercollins union resources: https://linktr.ee/hcpunion
💓 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 Opening thoughts ↳ 2:54 ⭐️⭐️.5 star reads ↳ 5:57 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 star reads ↳ 11:30 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star reads ↳ 17:01 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 star reads ↳ 21:34 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star reads ↳ 39:42 Final thoughts
socials 🤍 instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisstoryaintover/ 🤍 twitter: https://twitter.com/jananiekvelu 🤍 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisstoryaintover?lang=en 🤍 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thisstoryaintover 🤍 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thisstoryaintover
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
11 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 3 2023
@withcindy recommends me a book 👀📖 testing booktuber book recs ep 1
Welcome to episode 1 of a year-long experiment I'll be doing to expand my reading taste! buckle up for the journey lol 👀
stuff i mentioned: @withcindy favourite's video: https://youtu.be/rwiM-sKKN6Y Elizabeth from @PlantBasedBride
💓 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 Cindy’s recommendation to me ↳ 6:54 book 1 ↳ 16:26 book 2 ↳ 26:03 book 3 ↳ 35:53 Final thoughts
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
3 books
Posts about this book from across Bindery
Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Dec 4 2025
Join for free
Sleep Token Book Recs | Weirdo Vlogmas Day 4
Let's explore the Even in Arcadia & chat about books that gave me the same vibes.
14 books
8
Basement Books\ \ Kaitlyn\ \ • Nov 28 2025
Join for free
A non-fiction gift guide for every person in your life (and also some of my all-time favorite books 😘)
#giftguide #nonfiction #bookrecs
23 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Oct 2 2025
\ \ Join for free or login](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/item/Bir1FefdRRtacro5RIHP/)
it's my birthday! here are 28 books that have shaped my life 🫶🏾
open for book recs <3
28 books
21
Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Aug 17 2025
Join for free
\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://boneyardpicnic.binderybooks.com/item/9jBJDAG2n0He6QfoIaAX/)
Book Bag | Books I Can't Stop Thinking About
Let's talk about the books that once I finished them, they decided they weren't finished with me.
15 books
3
Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Aug 8 2025
Join for free
\ \ Join for free or login](https://boneyardpicnic.binderybooks.com/item/1QrNlq5EvZg9xBxCElDt/)
EARLY ACCESS | What I Read in April, May & June
Here are all the books I read in April, May and June plus my spoiler free thoughts!
6 books
3
Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Jul 6 2025
Join for free
\ \ Join for free or login](https://boneyardpicnic.binderybooks.com/item/9ClifRyEN7EYcFkBLI1s/)
My June Snapshot | All the Media I Enjoyed in June
From movies to shows, albums, games and books, here is a snapshot of all the media that made my heart happy in June.
4 books
4
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Dec 27 2023
my TOP TEN favourite books of 2023 📚✨ BEST BOOKS OF 2023
tell me your favourite books of the year in the comments!
16 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Nov 13 2023
tier ranking every book i've rated five stars ⭐️ in the past three years
we love a good tier-ranking video! let me know your faves!
39 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Jul 19 2023
the books I'm taking with me when i MOVE OUT 📚🌇
Thank you to Ritual for Sponsoring this video. Get 30% OFF your first month Go to https://ritual.com/thisstoryaintover30 *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nuh-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
40 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • May 27 2023
10 Memoirs You NEED to Read! | the non-fiction books you need in your life 💗
Go to our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/thisstoryaintover for 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp and get matched with a therapist who will listen and help 💗
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
9 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • May 10 2023
I'M BACK.... & I bought more books for a haul 📚
Get your first Book of the Month box for only $5 with the code FLOWERS in the U.S. https://www.bookofthemonth.com/?utm\_source=Social&utm\_medium=YouTube&utm\_campaign=Partner In Canada, get your first box for $14.99 CAD with the code DAISY.
socials 🤍 instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisstoryaintover/ 🤍 twitter: https://twitter.com/jananiekvelu 🤍 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisstoryaintover?lang=en 🤍 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thisstoryaintover
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
13 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 6 2023
what i read in january | yellowface, hell bent, tomorrow x 3, love on the brain
Let me know what y'all thought of these books! who's excited for YELLOWFACE? 👀
harpercollins union resources: https://linktr.ee/hcpunion
💓 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
11 books
Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Feb 3 2023
@withcindy recommends me a book 👀📖 testing booktuber book recs ep 1
Welcome to episode 1 of a year-long experiment I'll be doing to expand my reading taste! buckle up for the journey lol 👀
stuff i mentioned: @withcindy favourite's video: https://youtu.be/rwiM-sKKN6Y Elizabeth from @PlantBasedBride
💓 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join
🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 Cindy’s recommendation to me ↳ 6:54 book 1 ↳ 16:26 book 2 ↳ 26:03 book 3 ↳ 35:53 Final thoughts
💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com
faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? - my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!)
🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? - both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada!
🤍 what is your job? - aside from youtube I also work in product marketing!
3 books