JoAnne Silver Jones survived a sudden assault by a stranger, but it left her with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractured hands, and PTSD. Headstrong tells the story of how she learned to live with the daily challenges of TBI.
We chat to JoAnne Silver Jones about her upcoming memoir, Headstrong, which releases on November 19th. She discusses what made her want to tell her story and what her writing process was like, along with sharing what helps her in her day-to-day life and book recommendations.
Hi JoAnne! Tell us a little about yourself!
In addition to what is in my book and press information, I am a shy person. However, when I am teaching, or have a responsibility in front of a group, I am confident, clear and often funny. I love sports events, especially the SF Giants. My one regret, so far, is that I haven’t traveled more. As a teenager, I hungered to see the world. Life intervened and now I’m 73. It’s time!!!
Your memoir, Headstrong, publishes on November 19th. If you could only describe your book in five words, what would they be?
Thought provoking, poignant, engaging, compelling, and current.
What made you want to tell your story?
When I was able to read and focus, maybe a year or so after the assault, I looked for books that told a story similar to mine. I found many books written from a medical or psychological perspective, but not many where I could find myself in the story. I think that experience planted the seeds of writing.
I would say, though, that the story wanted to be told, and I was its’ scribe. Once I started to put some words on paper, thoughts and images gushed out. As I worked to mold the words into a book, I was always conscious of telling a story, rather than informing readers about my perspectives.
How did you decide what parts of your journey you wanted to include and how did you go about planning it all?
Initially I planned to focus on a limited time frame. The assault happened just before the first inauguration of President Obama and that was my starting point. My intention was to write about the dramatic, life-changing event, rather than other parts of my life.
As I became more immersed in writing, I realized that how I made sense of the assault and the process of my healing was significantly intertwined with my family history and the historical context of the assault. I couldn’t just write about one thing. I recalled a chapter in Anne Fadiman’s wonderful book, “The spirit catches you and you fall down.” In the chapter Fish Soup, she tells the reader that when asking a member of the Hmong community for the recipe for fish soup, the culture requires beginning the telling with the history of the river, the history of the fish and methods of fishing. All parts are seen as essential to understand how to make fish soup. Similarly, I found that I had to tell about my grandparents and parents, the cultural context of my formative years, the political context in which the assault happened and the political and cultural context in which my recovery takes place.
Once I was writing in earnest, ideas for sections of the book, examples and connections to other people or literature, flowed easily. I drafted an outline in the early stages, and that outline guided me for the next few years.
What was your writing process like?
In the beginning stages of writing, I needed to carefully organize my space and my time. I set up a writing area. Put all of the background information I needed in carefully labeled green file folders. I set a time frame for writing and followed it as I would a work commitment. At the end of the day, I replaced papers in the green folders, placed all books in a pile and went outside.
Fatigue is a life-long side effect of traumatic brain injury. When writing I was able to focus and had the energy to struggle, think, and do research if necessary. Once I stopped writing for the day, I was exhausted.
As the book inhabited me, I had less need for meticulous structure. I still had green folders, though now they were often strewn around amidst piles of books. I was unable to write in the evening, but could write for whatever chunks of time I could make available during the day.
When I wasn’t writing, I was thinking. While this is a narrative about me, when I wasn’t writing, I saw the unfolding story more like a movie, with characters and stage settings. My mind expanded and refined the story, adding dialogue, moving from place to place. When I resumed writing, these images joined my fingers in typing words.
Is there a piece of advice that stood out to you?
I had the privilege of being part of a manuscript writing group led by a professional writer. Dori guided, and pushed me to go deeper, give more back story, and dig for more authenticity
A piece of advice for others is to keep faith in the power within each of us to handle challenges that seem impregnable. And let others help.
Have you included anything in your daily life to help you cope?
Yes. Many things. I have a wonderful doctor in Boston, MA who advised me to find my “band width”, that area where I am comfortable and experience limited, if any, stress. Stress isn’t good for anyone’s health. I have a severe traumatic brain injury and stress only exacerbates symptoms and can cause additional deterioration. I have learned what that band width is and how to live within its’ boundaries.
I try to be aware of not exerting myself, saying no to social events that might be too taxing or too loud, desisting from drinking alcohol and trying to maintain a regular sleep schedule. I also try to exercise, do yoga and meditate regularly.
A significant part of my coping is walking and being with my dog, Koufax.
I don’t always succeed, but I when I go off course, I have a map to help me refocus.
I am fortunate to have a loving and supportive wife who has been by my side through every step of recovery and every page of writing. Coping is something we do together.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
- My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
- Caucasia by Danzy Senna
- Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward
