Beautiful Trauma: An Explosion, an Obsession, and a New Lease on Life

As MBA admissions coach Fogg reveals in her searing debut, her right hand was partially amputated in 2006 by a “sharp hunk of porcelain” sent flying when her toilet exploded. The author, then a v-p at American Express, took a leave from her job as she underwent surgery and physical therapy, sometimes struggling to even “recognize the hand as [her] own.” As she grew frustrated with the recovery process, a friend gave her valuable advice: become an expert on her own injury to appreciate the complexities of healing. Fogg describes thrilling to the “tiny explosions” inside her wrist—an indication that her neurons were regrowing—and finally managing to write a signature “easily recognizable as mine.” Chapters on recovery discuss existential despair and dealing with lack of agency, and alternate with deep dives into the complexities of hand functionality, how the body registers pain, and the ways peripheral nerves regenerate. Through outpatient therapy, follow-up visits, and time, the author recovered most hand function, though not full sensation. Fogg’s blending of emotional and medical insights delivers an original perspective on the usual recovery arc. This enthralls. (Apr.)