Summary
Fans of Lori Gottlieb’s, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, and horse lovers alike will appreciate this therapist’s intimate journey in “the other chair” as she strives to untangle the trauma from her equestrian childhood that now threatens her marriage.
Raw and riveting, Girl, Groomed is seasoned psychotherapist Carol Odell’s evolving story of deepening her understanding of how the crisis she blindly imposes on her marriage is rooted in her own history of sexual abus…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781647428723 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1647428726 |
| Author: | Carol Odell |
| Publisher: | She Writes Press |
| Imprint: | She Writes Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 200 |
| Release Date: | 18 June 2025 |
| Weight: | 164g |
| Dimensions: | 140mm x 216mm |
Critics Review
2025 Best Indie Book Award Winner in Memoir (Trauma)
“A powerful, quietly moving memoir of abuse that encapsulates one woman’s incredible resilience.“—Kirkus Reviews
” … a riveting, often disturbing memoir about redemption through therapy and starting anew after experiencing serious trauma.”—Foreword Reviews
“Readers will draw inspiration from Odell’s vulnerability and transparency, as she highlights the hard work involved in truly peeling back trauma layers and learning to forgive, grow, and mend the wounds of the past.”—BookLife Reviews
“Carol Odell’s Girl, Groomed is a raw and unflinching memoir … honesty made the book feel even more important because it illustrates the messy, confusing ways trauma imprints on us.”—Literary Titan, 5-star review
“This is a story of a violent man who relied on complicity and coercion to leverage—and eventually poison—a young girl’s love of horses, but it is, above all, the story of that little-girl-turned-woman who found the courage and support to take her confidence, agency and majestic horses, back.”—Courtney Maum, author of The Year of Horses
“Set against the backdrop of the equestrian world’s beauty and danger, Carol Odell’s memoir is a harrowing account of her coming-of-age in a space marked by abuse and betrayal… . Through candid reflection and gripping prose, Odell examines the emotional toll of normalized abuse, the insidious power dynamics she faced, and her long, winding journey toward healing and self-compassion. This memoir offers a profound look at the lasting impact of trauma and the courage it takes to rebuild one’s life.”—Mary Catherine McDonald, author of Unbroken: The Trauma Response is Never Wrong
“In Girl, Groomed we are given the heartbreaking, and at times terrifying story of young girl persistently and indelibly targeted by a sexual predator. Odell holds her story with reverence of a survivor and the wisdom of the therapist she eventually became. Stirring, unputdownable, and ultimately a story of courage and hope, this book’s beauty lingers long after you have closed its pages.”—Meghan Riordan Jarvis, MA, LICSW, author of End of the Hour: A Therapist’s Memoir
Carol Odell
Carol Odell, LICSW, grew up riding horses on the show jumping circuit in Virginia. She has been a practicing psychotherapist facilitating groups and working with couples and individuals since 1984. Married for thirty-eight years and the mother of a grown son, her other passions include: squash, pickleball, partner dancing, mosaics, writing, hiking, traveling, and being in community with friends and family. She and her husband currently split their time between Seattle and Cle Elum, Washington.
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