A Little Closer to Home: How I Found the Calm After the Storm (2022) by Ginger Zee
Ginger Zee, the ABC chief meteorologist, writes a follow-up memoir (the first, I admit, I have not read) where she dives deeper into the details of her own journey of healing and “self-discovery” and “shares her truest self” compared with only “scratch[ing] the surface” in her first book (as is noted in the book’s formal description). And as I reflect on that, I arrive at a slightly different perspective than I had a minute ago when I set out to draft this review. Our healing process is a journey where we unpack layer after layer of the impacts that life events have had on our Self, reflecting on a variety of angles and learning/implementing a variety of skills to help us re-frame our understanding of who we are and cultivating a grounded sense of self. Ginger is clear that one of the reasons her first book represented her “Ginger Lite” story is indicative of her concern for what other people would think (a symptom of her self-reported people-pleasing traits), as well as the sense of threat at the impact of the stigma of exposing many of her experiences on her livelihood/that of her family’s because they are often hot-button topics in our society. I commend the courage it must have taken for Ginger to share her story, one that involves childhood issues, anorexia, abortion, sexual assaults, depression, suicide attempts, abusive relationships, a borderline personality disorder diagnosis, and more [trigger warning when reading] with mutual goals to portray her “truest self” that is correlated with the honesty and transparency that has been key to her recovery, as well as with the ultimate goal for advocacy/support to reduce the stigma and increase accessibility for others to get help.
How did I hear about this book: it came recommended by my library based on my reading history.
Would I recommend it to colleagues: Sure
Would I recommend this to clients: Sure, with some trigger warnings.
How do I apply this content to my work: In my experience specializing in trauma and substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses, I often work with people with co-occurring personality disorders. Though, I would not say that this is something I specialize in treating. And I was surprised that I didn’t see that diagnosis coming (in the book). Coincidentally, I’d had another discussion about this topic in a consultation setting. These two experiences (back-to-back–ok Universe, I hear you!) sent me back to my DSM to reassess my understanding of the diagnostic criteria and appreciate some additional presentations that I had not noticed before (or had just not realized met full criteria). Reading this book helped me identify an area for improvement in my understanding and the opportunity to learn and grow so that I can increase my capacity to meet the specific/complex needs of my clients when treating their trauma and/or SUD diagnoses.
