Topography of trauma : fissures, disruptions and transfigurations /

In this edited volume from Schaub, Linder, Novak, Tam, and Zanini, all of whom are well versed in studies of trauma, essays conceptualize trauma spatially, examining it from multiple disciplines and perspectives. Contributors seek "to discuss the topography of trauma," a decision stemming "from the loss of a realm affording immunity after having faced a life-threatening event or series of events." The book "therefore graphs the spatial character of traumatic events shattering one's feeling of safety." In doing so, it traverses a wide terrain. Essays range in focus, from one discussing choreography to one that examines fiction and another about social work. The interdisciplinary approach enriches the conversation about how to conceptualize trauma through multiple lenses to consider survivors beyond therapeutic outcomes. Though some scholars and practitioners may blanch at the book's disciplinary expansiveness, many others will engage with the content deeply in their scholarship or practice. This text is not recommended for undergraduates, given its specialized and unique focus, but scholars and practitioners from a range of disciplines will find value in the work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. --Caro Pinto, Mount Holyoke College