I’ve seen a few of Dr. DeGruy’s videos over the last 10(?) years and every now and then someone mentions her book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome on a blog or Facebook. When I saw it mentioned in January I decided to read it.
I reserved a copy via ILL (Thanks College of William and Mary for letting me borrow your copy!) and expected it to be a slow and painful read. It wasn’t slow at all and it wasn’t nearly as painful as I expected it to be because Dr. DeGruy covers topics I’ve heard about before or that I already believe to be true.
There are a couple of places where I really wish this had been a book that had an editor rather than her self-published thesis. For example, when she talks about AA women who are abused by men who are abused by women, I suspect she lost a lot of women (and some men) and never got them back. I think an editor would have been able to help her make her point more effectively.
As for the basic premise of the book, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome — I think it’s a definite possibility. Nature vs nurture etc. People who grew up in poverty have a different relationship with money, with food, with “things,” and sometimes with people than those who did not. Those who grew up with child abuse or domestic violence have a different relationship with money, with food, with things, with people than those who did not. (You could go on… survivors of the Holocaust, survivors of Vietnam, etc.) Yes, people CAN overcome those things — they vow to do better than their parents, be better than their parents but when you add systemic racism to the mix, well that’s something else entirely.
I can definitely see the possibility of PTSS.
Very interesting book.