In 'Trauma Plot,' Jamie Hood writes herself whole again
Briefly

Jamie Hood's memoir, Trauma Plot, challenges the mainstream perception of trauma narratives as predictable victim tales. By presenting her acute experiences and advocating for a narrative shift, she reclaims the trauma plot as valid storytelling rather than a mere obligation. Hood critiques the critical notion that writing about trauma is exploitative and argues for self-reflexivity and honest representation. Her book serves as both a personal confession and a commentary on literary conventions, positioning pain as a rightful aspect of narrative without shame or judgement.
Trauma plots are not above evaluation...what troubles me in this increasingly consolidated recoil is its wholesale exile of authors from self-knowledge.
The ethical crime of storytelling is handily shifted back onto the person recording their victimization: you are the vector of damage.
When we treat trauma narratives as crafty cash grabs or ploys for sympathy, we create a form of trauma for the storyteller.
Hood transforms her assault wounds into a rebellion against literary conventions, reclaiming trauma narrative as one of many stories to tell.
Read at Document Journal
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