The best books on surviving trauma through the magic of imagination

In The Body Keeps the Score, van der Kolk explains the lifelong impact of trauma on the mind and body, then introduces various therapeutic approaches to help survivors carry the crushing weight of their past. This book is a lifeline for survivors, validating their fragmented memories and reassuring them that their trauma responses are biological necessities rather than personal failures. As a writer, I love that many of the therapeutic approaches described in the book harness the power of imagination to reprocess traumatic memories—a transformative process of healing that’s nothing short of magical.

In this YA fantasy novel, sixteen-year-old Bree discovers a secret society whose members derive magic from their Arthurian heritage—and who might have played a role in her mother’s death. From racist microaggressions to the intergenerational trauma of enslaved people and their descendants, Bree‘s identity as a Black girl is central to the book‘s magic. Legendborn is perfect for readers who love YA but have grown tired of formulaic novels. As a writer of YA and NA fantasy, I consider this book a poster child for my genre done right, embracing some beloved tropes while delving into the reality of trauma and loss in atypically profound ways.

Sanderson is famous for his complex inter-series world building, but I personally love The Way of Kings for an entirely different reason: the realistic way Sanderson writes traumatized characters. A brick of a book, TWoK is narrated from various points of view, the most compelling one being that of Kaladin, a young enslaved surgeon racked by survivor‘s guilt. Kal has my respect because he keeps fighting for a future in which he might actually succeed at protecting his loved ones. If that’s not a truly magical feat of imagination trumping a torturous reality, I don’t know what is.

Being German myself, I’ve always had a particular interest in learning about life during World War II. Of all the books I’ve read on the subject, The Book Thief stands out as one of the most compelling. Liesel, the protagonist, is a German girl who builds a unique bond with Max, a young Jewish man Liesel’s foster parents are hiding in their basement. The power of imagination plays a central role in this novel as Liesel connects with Max through stories. The novel is narrated by Death himself, whose unique perspective makes it a read as magical as it is moving.

Andrea Gibson’s spoken word poems are gut-wrenching testaments to the power of vulnerability and tenderness, weaving anecdotes into fervent pleas for empathy, connection, and social justice. The magic of their pieces lies in the both/and of beauty and pain, unflinchingly facing trauma while clinging to hope. This collection’s strongest poems include “Ashes” (about a gay soldier burned to death) and “Somewhere, a Carpenter” (about the artist’s love for their grandmother). If you want to be truly spellbound, look for the recorded versions of these poems—I’ve attended two of Gibson’s live performances and had goosebumps all over and/or tears streaming down my face from start to finish.