You've Got Some Nerve Derryen Plante Lioncrest Publishing (2021) ISBN: 978-1544509297 Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (11/2020)
"You've Got Some Nerve: The Battle Back from an Invisible Injury," by Derryen Plante, is a riveting memoir about reclaiming life after a traumatic brain injury. The author thought her life was all mapped out. She was carrying out her duties in a jail for juveniles when she was brutally attacked by an inmate. This 20-second attack caused her to suffer a brain injury that altered her life forever. In addition to the physical injury that she struggled to recover from, she also had to adjust to a new, alien life that didn't include her former ambitions, now crumbled to dust. Facing nightmarish obstacles, PTSD, depression, and anxiety related to the injury, she wondered if her life would ever hold meaning again. This remarkable odyssey of injury and recovery peels back the layers of invisible injury so that you will know what it's like to experience a devastating life event that would side-line most people forever. It's also a way for readers to better understand and help friends and loved ones living with such circumstances.
You will instantly relate to the author and her pursuit of a cherished dream. Not everyone can say that they know what they want to do in life, and then go after it. And, on the other hand, not everyone in pursuit of their goals have them suddenly jerked out from under them in a horrific attack that is totally unexpected; totally unprepared for. Further, not everyone learns to exchange external goals for internal ones. Plante's story is a godsend to readers facing physical hardship, emotional turmoil, and lasting effects following a brain injury. Even the story of her koi and lotus tattoo is poignant.
Upon reading how she carved out a new life for herself, audiences will realize that they can too, and that there is hope and inner healing ahead. It wasn't an easy journey for the author, but one that had to be taken in order to survive. Many of her points will resonate with readers, like the denial she had at first, putting on a brave face and pretending that she was just fine. Even the medical profession let her down at first.
The writing is sometimes painful, sometimes visceral, but always gripping and uplifting. There are many takeaways from the book, but the main one for me is, broken doesn't have to be forever. Take an emotional journey from devastation to restoration with Derryen Plante in her inspiring memoir, "You've Got Some Nerve: The Battle Back from an Invisible Injury."
Check out the review here and don't forget to pick up your copy of You've Got Some Nerve: The Battle Back from an Invisible Injury!