The Resilience Myth
By Soraya Chemaly

In this thought-provoking exploration, writer and activist Soraya Chemalyand challenges our common, most dearly held myths of resilience and urges us toand shift our perspective from prioritizing individualized traits and skills to upliftingand collective care, material life, and open-ended connections with our communities. Resilience, she proves, is always relational.and Chemaly dismantles notions of resilience rooted in the philosophies of “mindand over matter, “mental toughness, “strength, and “positive thinking, arguingand that our modern version of “resilience is a bill of goods that has been sold to usand by capitalism, colonialism, and ideologies that embrace supremacy over others.and Instead, she makes the case that true resilience comes from acknowledgingand our fragility, recognizing our interdependencies-on each other, on nature,and on time-and cultivating nurturing relationships that sustain us. Throughout,and Chemaly provides concrete examples of how to enact this new model in ourand daily lives. She sheds new light on ACE (adverse childhood experiences)and research to reframe how parents and educators should think about the long-termand impact of childhood trauma, debunks the powerful notion of “bouncing back, and and explains why we have to turn away from believing that we always have to “soldier on. Blending rigorous research and enthralling personal storytelling,and The Resilience Mythand offers a new vision for collective healing by emphasizingand care for our neighbors-both human and nonhuman-and our environmentsand over just ourselves. By prioritizing compassion, creativity, and connection, this book ignites essential conversations about fostering resilience for all, notand just for those who can afford it. all.