Even If You're Broken: Bodies, Boundaries, and Mental Health

by Katie Rose Pryal

FBT review:

Discover the award-winning nonfiction book, Even If You're Broken: Bodies, Boundaries, and Mental Health, by Katie Rose Pryal. This captivating narrative explores the intersection of mental health and sexual assault through the personal experiences of Pryal, a bipolar-autistic author and law professor. From recounting her own encounters with abuse to analyzing high-profile cases like Larry Nassar and Brett Kavanaugh, Pryal sheds light on the lasting impact of boundary violations and the mental health struggles that follow. With a blend of wit and vulnerability, Even If You're Broken offers hope and empowerment, making it a must-read for fans of Rebecca Solnit and Brené Brown. Discover this moving and vital book that gives a voice to survivors and strives for a more compassionate society.

Publisher Description:

Read the IPPY-Gold-winning book that Washington Post bestselling author Kelly Harms calls “moving, vital, and hopeful.”

In this clear-eyed, incisive, and often funny book, Katie Rose Pryal, a bipolar-autistic author and law professor, introduces readers to the convergence of mental health and sexual assault. Using both personal stories and analyses of public events, Pryal explains the ways bodily boundaries are abused and the mental harm that follows.

Included are a surreal, quick-witted tale of Pryal’s report of a past sexual assault to her college’s Title IX office—after being hired there as a professor. A grim yet comical story of manipulation by a married professor while Pryal was a student that nearly cost her her degree. A Kafkaesque account of finding herself in a video installation at a major art museum after secretly being recorded by the artist.

Also included are smart analyses of high-profile events where sexual assault and mental health are front and center, including the uncovering of Larry Nassar’s abuse of gymnasts, the hearings of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and the perennial mistreatment of survivors with mental health struggles by the justice system.

The relatable stories in Even If You’re Broken take readers on a journey of courage and hope and help move us toward a more humane society.

If you enjoy books by Rebecca Solnit and Brené Brown, you will love Even If You’re Broken.

The 2023 revised and expanded edition features a new introduction and six new chapters.

“Gives a voice to survivors whose bravery is often overlooked just because they are silent.” -BookTrib Magazine

“Pryal’s evocative essays remind us that there is power and beauty in our imperfect journey.” -Andrea Pino, author of We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out

“A brave and necessary book.” -Washington Post bestselling author and founder of Even Better Co. Camille Pagán