Book –Life on High Alert

Book –Life on High Alert

Author: Hannah Rainey

Score: 10/10

Year: 2019

Publisher:  Hannah Rainey

ISBN   152724377X// 9781527243774 

Pages 110

Language: English 

I finished reading Hannah Rainey's book - a blogger I met in the twitter mental health community a few years back -  in which she recounts traumatic life events - having been removed from her mother's house at age 4, after several incidences which are sometimes difficult to read - due the some potentially triggery material about child abuse she experienced.

She shares and talks about them candidly, with no filters, and expands as  to her story of starting again - in the words describing it, on the back cover - after growing up in a more loving home, and wonderfully touching and supportive relationships, one with her best friend, and another with her boyfriend - a relationship which moved me greatly to read about and learn how present he'd been to support her, even when he didn't necessarily understand everything that Hannah was going through. He simply cared and loved her so much! 

The book isn't solely about her trauma, but also about finding help, therapies (cbt and emdr are discussed) and most importantly, finding herself as a person, with the difficulties entailed by her trauma, and the strengths she developed in the courses of those trying years.  

It's also about some of her achievements - winning a blogger's award, travelling and winning against anxiety, finding a career path in a job she loves and which suits her. 

I must warn that several chapters (out of the 21 comprised in the book) have emet triggers.  That said, reading about anyone's trauma, and these triggers, are important if you want to truly understand the person, you cannot omit these passages. 

At any rate, if you fear being triggered but want to read it, I'll repeat my own therapist's advice and adapt to this case: to consciously take a mental note of the risk of being triggered whilst reading, and to decide, on your own, to do so, when you are ready. 

On the technical aspect, upon reading, you may find that many pages aren't numbered ; I simply counted either from the end or from my last read numbered page, to update my status on goodreads, but it's not overly difficult in a 110 page-long book. 

I pieced this review, removing more personal and subjective aspects from the one I posted on my mental health blog, but added a few bits and bobs of things I hadn't mentioned there.