NARRATING TRAUMA AND RECOVERY IN CHILDREN' S LITERATURE: A CASE STUDY OF THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE BY KIMBERLY BRUBAKER BRADLEY
NARRATING TRAUMA AND RECOVERY IN CHILDREN' S LITERATURE: A CASE STUDY OF THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE BY KIMBERLY BRUBAKER BRADLEY

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the depiction of childhood trauma and recovery in Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s The War That Saved My Life, focusing on Ada’s somatic and emotional responses to chronic abuse. Drawing on Peter Levine’s trauma framework and Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory, the analysis highlights how Bradley portrays dissociation, hypervigilance, bodily shame, and the gradual restoration of agency and trust. Using close textual analysis and theoretical comparison between trauma science and literary representation, this study explores how Bradley translates clinical concepts into narrative form, illustrating the psychophysiological processes of trauma and healing in the child protagonist.

• Details
• Contents