One of my personal reading challenges for 2020 was to read 20 books recommended or reviewed by a fellow blogger. In January, Deb Nance’s post on books that uplift one’s mood on her blog, Readerbuzz recommended The Church of Small Things by Melanie Shankle (reviewed on PWR previously). Deb is a long-time, good friend who lives in the same town, and whose taste in books aligns with my own.

Another blogger I follow faithfully is Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda, who writes Without Ritual, Autonomous Negotiations, a scholarly blog on WordPress.  Dr. Pegoda was at one time my student at UHCL and is the closest thing I have to a grandson. He recently had articles published in The Washington Post and Time Magazine. (If I sound like a grandma bragging, I am.) At his recommendation, I extended my desire to read more non-fiction by reading Trauma Stewardship by Laura Van Dermot Lipsky and Connie Burk. The book’s subtitle is “An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self while Caring for Others.” Published in 2009, but very relevant today, this book deals with “secondary trauma,” a term I was not familiar with. The authors point out the importance of “work[ing] on those who help [with] and witness trauma.” The book made a good case for treating emergency workers and caregivers, as well as those who were also present at tragedies and traumatic events. The book’s message could be summed up as, “In order to take care of someone else, one must simultaneously take care of himself.” Or, as the example from a stewardess’s speech before taking off includes, “Put on your own face mask first.”