ACEs BOOK LIST

Here is a range of books that can help you heal. Take a look and review what looks interesting, inspirational, or helpful to you on your healing journey.

Fiction (Young Adult):

• The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton
• Holes, by Louis Sachar
• Dear Justyce, by Nic Stone
• How It All Blew Up, by Arvin Ahmadi
• Orbiting Jupiter, by Gary D. Schmidt
• Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate
• On the Come Up, by Angie Thomas
• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, By Gail Honeyman
• Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
• The Kite Runner, by Khaleed Hosseini 
• A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaleed Hosseini
• Wayward Children Series, by Seanan McGuire
• All My Rage, by Sabaa Tahir
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sanchez
• Only This Beautiful Moment, by Abdi Nazemian
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• Last Night I Sang to the Monster, by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• Shut Up, This is Serious, by Carolina Ixta

Non-Fiction (Young Adult):

• Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Non-Fiction (Adult):

• The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
• The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adversity, by Nadine Burke Harris
• The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture, by Gabor Maté and Daniel Maté
• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma, by Peter A. Levine
• No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, by Richard C. Schwartz
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing, by David A. Treleaven
• Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies, by Renee Linklater
• The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
• What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey
• Your Brain Is a Safe Space: How to Stop Trauma and PTSD from Controlling Your Life (Trauma release exercises and mental care), by Michele Rosenthal
• The Complex PTSD Workbook: A Mind-Body Approach to Regaining Emotional Control and Becoming Whole, by Arielle Schwartz
• The Trans Self-Care Workbook, by Theo Lorenz
• Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, by Monique W. Morris
• In Their Names: The Untold Story of Victims’ Rights, Mass Incarceration, and the Future of Public Safety, by Lenore Anderson
• My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and The Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem

Memoirs (Adult, Young Adult):

• What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma, by Stephanie Foo
• The Beautiful Struggle (adapted for young adults), by Ta-Nahesis Coate
• The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
• Educated, by Tara Westover
• Becoming, by Michelle Obama
• Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah