Topics and Questions for Discussion
- Dr. Eger deĕnes trauma as “a nearly constant feeling in my gut that
something is wrong, or that something terrible is about to happen, the
automatic fear responses in my body telling me to run away, to take
cover, to hide myself from the danger that is everywhere” (pages 5–6).
Aer reading Dr. Eger’s memoir, do you ĕnd this to be an accurate,
complete deĕnition? Why or why not? If not, how would you deĕne
trauma? - In the beginning of the book, Dr. Eger asserts that there is no
hierarchy of suffering, a statement she maintains aer sharing her
story of barely surviving the Holocaust. Do you agree? How does Dr.
Eger demonstrate this belief throughout the book? How does she put
her own suffering on the same level as that of her patients? - On page 18, Dr. Eger writes, “Maybe every childhood is the terrain
on which we try to pinpoint how much we matter and how much we
don’t, a map where we study the dimensions and the borders of our
worth.” How does Dr. Eger’s childhood exemplify this statement? How
does your own childhood prove or disprove this statement? - Before being taken from her home and imprisoned in an
internment camp, Dr. Eger entrusted a beloved photograph of herself
to a friend. She said she had no premonition of what was to come, but
felt a need to preserve evidence of her life. How important do you
think that photograph was in Dr. Eger’s healing process? In what ways
do you preserve evidence of your life? - Aer arriving at Auschwitz, Dr. Josef Mengele forces Dr. Eger to
dance for him to “e Blue Danube.” Discuss the power and residual