Rivka Galchen Reads “Unreasonable”

In this memoir, Stephanie Foo recounts her life after being diagnosed with complex PTSD, a condition resulting from continuous trauma over years. Despite her professional success as a radio producer, Foo struggled with panic attacks and the lingering effects of physical and verbal abuse, as well as neglect by her parents. The book details her efforts to heal herself by interviewing scientists and psychologists, trying various therapies, and investigating the effects of immigrant trauma in her hometown of San Jose, California, and her birth country, Malaysia. Foo's narrative is both a personal account of trauma and a critical analysis of how societal structures compound individual suffering, offering hope and practical insights for those seeking to heal from similar experiences.

The book delves into the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath, focusing on the lives of key figures such as Dolours Price, Brendan Hughes, Gerry Adams, and Jean McConville's children. It explores the civil rights movement, the Provisional IRA's bombing campaign, the 1981 hunger strike, the peace process, and the post-conflict struggle to understand crimes like McConville's murder. The narrative also incorporates the Belfast Project, a secret oral history endeavor that collected stories from former IRA members. The book is a panoramic history that captures the complexities and tragic consequences of the Troubles.