Books that discuss trauma in the lives of famous people:

Alice Miller. (1990). For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 978-0374522698

• Description: Miller reviews Hitler’s abusive childhood and its influence on the development of his extreme views and behavior.

Alice Miller. (1990). The Untouched Key: Tracing Childhood Trauma in Creativity and Destructiveness. Anchor Books: New York. ISBN: 978-0385267649

• Description: Miller examines the lives of Picasso, Buster Keaton, Nietzsche, Hitler, and others, demonstrating how trauma affected their art and thinking.

Jerrold M. Post. (2003). The Psychological Assessment of Political Leaders: With Profiles of Saddam Hussein and Bill Clinton.  University of Michigan Press. ISBN: 978-0472068388

• Description: Jerrold Post, M.D. and his team of contributors seek out a deeper understanding of the influences of personality on global affairs.

Lenore Terr. (1990). Too Afraid to Cry. Basic Books: New York. ISBN: 978-0465086443

• Description: Terr reviews famous people such as Stephen King whose lives have been greatly impacted by trauma.

Lenore Terr. Unchained Memories: True Stories of Traumatic Memories Lost and Found. Basic Books: New York. ISBN: 978-0465095391   

• Description: Terr reviews the lives of famous figures including Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, and Steven King whose lives and work were strongly influenced by early trauma.