Traumata

Book excerpt: A brilliant, fiercely profound work of creative non-fiction in the vein of Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts. In this extraordinary book, Meera Atkinson explores the ways trauma reverberates over a lifetime, unearthing the traumatic roots of our social structures and our collective history. Using memoir as a touchstone, Atkinson contemplates the causes of trauma and the scars it leaves on modern society. She vibrantly captures her early life in 1970s and '80s Sydney and her self-reflection leads the reader on a journey that takes in neuroscience, pop psychology, feminist theory and much more. Searing in its truthfulness and beauty, Traumata deals with issues of our time &–intergenerational trauma, family violence, alcoholism, child abuse, patriarchy &– forging a path of fearless enquiry through the complexity of humanity.