As Oliver Wendell Homes once said, “The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of bigger ideas, never returns to its original size.” I am so grateful to all of YOU for making ACEs Connection such a forward-thinking and vibrant site, and for the many ways it’s expanded my own mind to the “dimensions of bigger ideas.” That said, I’m so excited to introduce myself as the new community manager of “Books! Educational DVDs! Documentaries!”  

A little about myself: I’m a freelance writer and have spent the last several decades writing and editing educational books on a variety of social issues—drug addiction, LGBTQ rights, animal experimentation, and the obesity epidemic, to name a few. In fact, I came across the original ACE study when I was researching a book on the consequences of child abuse in the early 2000s. I was blown away by the implications! But I couldn’t understand why this research was not widely embraced and forefront in informing what I now know to be called trauma-informed care. Fast forward a decade and a half, and I am thrilled that ACEs awareness has burgeoned.

What you can expect going forward: This community page will categorize all books, educational DVDs, and documentaries by topic in the blog directory. My goal is to make this page a useful reference tool, enabling visitors to easily locate a book or DVD about, say, the neurobiology of traumatic stress or other topic of interest.

And, as most of us live such hectic lives and don’t always have time to read a book cover-to-cover—I know I don’t!—we’ll create a blog category titled “Quotes.” Here, we’ll feature thought-provoking excerpts from selected titles for those who may want to know more about a particular book or who just enjoy a dose of food for thought.

I’d also like to give a shout out to all the authors here at ACEs Connection. For those of you willing, I’d love to include author interviews so you can tell us more about your book and your ACEs journey. If you’re interested, please send me a private message.

Thank you again, and please feel free to contact me. I'd love to hear your comments or suggestions!