"Traumatic Possessions is an original and timely work. Mediating beautifully between theory and literary analysis, it examines for the first time the resonances that studies of trauma originating from scholarship on the Holocaust and slavery might have for our considerations of contemporary African American literature. One of the book's many strengths is its attention to performance (e.g., Anna Deavere Smith) ... Read moreas well as to fiction (e.g., Gayl Jones). An important read for scholars in feminist studies, African American literature and history, and cultural studies." - Deborah R. Geis, DePauw University, author of Suzan-Lori Parks "Traumatic Possessions makes a significant contribution to trauma studies in its unique approach to trauma, embodiment, and ideology. Griffiths analyzes scenes of public testimony in contemporary African American performance and theatrical works that reveal how racist and sexist discourses attempt to 'regulate' and deny traces of trauma in bodies and voices. Griffiths demonstrates how these innovative performances enact the relations between memory, language, and the body, and she instructs readers in the complexities involved in understanding the experience of trauma survivors." - Laurie Vickroy, Bradley University, author of Trauma and Survival in Contemporary Fiction (Virginia)" Show Less