This brutally honest account shows how violence not only destroys a childhood but continues to cause harm throughout life. Meera Atkinson writes,
Even if survivors finally see the connection between their past and present symptoms, it doesn't guarantee others will extend compassion: if we ignore our past, no one knows; if we discuss it, we risk being seen as malingerers, as people who live in the past — which is, in a sense, exactly what we do, if not consciously.
For Atkinson, understanding how early trauma interferes with the brain's development was a first step to healing.
