This book, like my replant surgery, was an aligning of stars, and I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to the many people who shifted them on my behalf, including:
Felicity Rubenstein, my agent, for betting on and advocating for me from start to finish. Caroline Sutton and Laura Barber, my editors at Avery (US) and Granta (UK), respectively, for embracing my vision and, with keen insight and sensitivity, helping me deliver on it. Kim Witherspoon at InkWell Management for opening the door to North American readers.
The extended teams at Avery and Granta for easy collaboration and beautiful results in producing and launching the book, and Julie Unruh for Becca’s Next Life Begins Now—the breathtaking painting reproduced opposite the title page.
All those who so generously and enthusiastically shared their expertise, via interviews, draft reviews, and more: Charles L. Bardes, professor of clinical medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine; Alycia Bartley-Heinsen, clinical instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine; George A. Bonanno, professor of clinical psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University; Dario Farina, professor and chair in neurorehabilitation engineering, Imperial College London; Roberto L. Flores, Joseph G. McCarthy associate professor of reconstructive plastic surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; Andrew D. Gaudet, assistant professor of psychology and neurology, University of Texas at Austin; Guy Glover, consultant in critical care and anesthesia, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust; Johannes Gräff, associate professor of neuroscience at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne; Gareth Grier, consultant in emergency medicine and pre-hospital care, Barts Health NHS Trust and London’s Air Ambulance; Martin P. Griffiths, CBE, DL, consultant vascular and trauma surgeon, Barts Health NHS Trust; Angela E. Kedgley, reader in orthopedic biomechanics, Imperial College London; Joseph E. LeDoux, professor of neural science and psychology, New York University; Steve K. Lee, chief of hand and upper extremity surgery service, Hospital for Special Surgery; David J. Linden, professor of neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Emily Mayhew, military medical historian in residence, Imperial College London; Vivek Muthurangu, professor of cardiac imaging and physics, University College London; Lt. Col. Claire Park, MBE, Royal Army Medical Corps, consultant in anesthesia, critical care, and pre-hospital care, King’s College Hospital and London’s Air Ambulance; Elizabeth Payumo, occupational therapist, certified hand therapist; David C. Rubin, professor of psychology and neuroscience, Duke University; Parviz L. Sadigh, consultant plastic surgeon, Barts Health NHS Trust; Daniela Schiller, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Hunter Schone, PhD candidate in neuroscience, University College London and National Institutes of Mental Health; Steven Southwick, professor emeritus of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine; Agnes Sturma, associate researcher in bioengineering at Imperial College London; Julian Thompson, consultant in intensive care and anesthesia at North Bristol NHS Trust; Paolo Valenti, MD; Marc E. Walker, assistant professor of plastic surgery and orthopedic Surgery, University of Mississippi Medical Center; Carol Ward, professor of pathology and anatomical sciences, University of Missouri School of Medicine; Mark H. Wilson, consultant neurosurgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; Michelle Winslow, oral historian and qualitative researcher in supportive and palliative care, University of Sheffield; Clifford Woolf, professor of neurology, Harvard Medical School; and Adam Zeman, professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology, University of Exeter. Any errors in these pages related to their specialties are entirely mine.
Jennifer Brown, Lara Constable, and Julia Fuller-Nakayama for thought-provoking and meaningful comments on my first complete draft. The Royal Society of Literature for recognizing my work-in-progress with a 2019 Giles St. Aubyn Award—Judges’ Special Commendation. The staff and communities of the London Library, the British Library, Bibliothèque Mazarine, Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Wellcome Collection, London Writers’ Salon, Caveday.com, and Blue Belle Café for glorious and supportive spaces in which to work.
Michael Bond, Adrienne Brodeur, Victoria Hislop, and Emily Mayhew for above-and-beyond mentoring and advocacy in the process and business of writing and—along with Ron Balzan, Victoria Preston, Victor Sebestyen, Diana Souhami, and Kassia St. Clair—creative inspiration and fellowship. The late Clayton Christensen for early opportunities to hone my craft, and Karen Dillon, Hayden Hill, and Tina Ross for helping me do so.
Finally, to my extended Bellevue care team, especially “Dr. Vargas” and “Beth,” as well as Janet Baird, MD, for great skill and compassion in treating my wounds; and to all my dear ones—many of whom appear above and throughout these pages, and others who I hope recognize themselves as such—for their love, acceptance, care, and encouragement, particularly during my recovery and the writing of this book. You are the beauty in trauma, and in joy.