Supernormal : the untold story of adversity and resilience

409 Pages·2017·2.02 MB·English

by  Meg Jay

Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Meg Jay
Cover design by Jarrod Taylor.
Jacket photograph © Colin Anderson/Getty Images
Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Jay, Meg, author.
Title: Supernormal : The Untold Story of Adversity and Resilience / Meg Jay,
PhD.
Description: First hardcover edition. | New York : Twelve, [2017] | Includes
bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017022618| ISBN 9781455559152 (hardcover) | ISBN
9781478993865 (audio book) | ISBN 9781478929741 (audio download) | ISBN
9781455559145 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Resilience (Personality trait)—Case
studies. | Resilience (Personality trait) in children—Case studies. | Adjustment
(Psychology)—Case studies.
Classification: LCC BF698.35.R47 J39 2017 | DDC 155.2/4—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017022618
ISBNs: 978-1-45555915-2 (hardcover), 978-1-45555914-5 (ebook), 978-1-
47892974-1 (audiobook, downloadable) E3-20170927-JV-NF
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
Author’s Note
1. Supernormal
2. Origin Story
3. Secret
4. Fight
5. Flight
6. Vigilance
7. Superhuman
8. Orphan
9. Mask
10. Alien
11. Antihero
12. Reboot
13. Kryptonite
14. Secret Society
15. Cape
16. Avenger
17. The Power of Love
18. Never-Ending
Acknowledgments
Discover More Meg Jay
About the Author
Mission Statement
Also by Meg Jay
Notes
For Jay and Hazel
supernormal (adj.) exceeding or beyond the normal or average;
exceptional
AUTHOR’S NOTE
As a clinical psychologist and an educator, I have been listening to people for
nearly twenty years, and recently I have begun to write books about what I hear.
This is why: Much of the time, people come to a therapist or teacher with
problems they feel they have no one to talk to about, or they fear no one else will
understand. For almost two decades, then, my days have been spent behind
closed doors hearing about events that, often, have taken place behind closed
doors, too. One thing I have learned is that many, many people feel isolated with
similar problems, unaware that they are not as alone or as different as they think.
Also, therapy and the classroom are not for everyone, and there can be
financial, logistical, or cultural barriers to each. I have gained a lot not only from
listening, but also from researching and reading about the problems that have
been brought to me. I want this information to be accessible not just to those
who can afford schools or therapists but also to anyone who can access the
Internet or a bookstore or a public library. Education is an intervention, said
feminist theorist Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name “bell
hooks.”
What follows, then, is a work of narrative nonfiction. Throughout this book, I
draw on hundreds of studies from hundreds of researchers, only some of whom,
for the sake of readability, are named in the body of the text. Please consult the
notes at the end of the book for full citations, and for information about where
you can read more. I also quote from dozens of memoirs and autobiographies, as
well as from a few biographies and novels. In most cases, quotations are
provided in full. On a few occasions, quotations are abbreviated, but—again for
readability—rather than use brackets or ellipses, I made certain the meaning of
the words was not altered. For more complete quotations or context, the notes
can point you to the primary sources.
Most important, I tell the stories, as they were told to me, of clients and
students with whom I have had the privilege to work. Each story in this book is
based on real events and endeavors to be emotionally true. To protect the privacy
of those who have shared their experiences with me, identifying details have