Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez’s From Rollercoasters to Carousels is a raw and heartfelt guide for parents navigating the emotional wreckage that comes with the NICU, bereavement, or special needs parenting journeys. Woven with deeply personal stories, interviews with global parents, and trauma-informed strategies, this book serves not only as a memoir but also as a workbook for healing. The author blends her lived experience, marked by multiple pregnancy losses, a premature birth, and a child with special needs, with her professional expertise as a trauma-informed coach. Each section zeroes in on a different emotion, offering reflection, exploration, and action steps to help readers process their pain and move toward emotional wellness.

The writing is unflinchingly honest, sometimes painfully so, but never without compassion. I was floored by how Khonyongwa-Fernandez balances sorrow and strength. She doesn’t try to fix grief with empty platitudes. Instead, she invites you into it, guides you through it, and reminds you gently that you’re not alone. Her writing feels both therapeutic and practical, a rare mix that makes this book stand out.

Her take on compartmentalization, masking, and the long shadow of trauma resonated deeply with me. The structure of the book, with its carousel metaphor and non-linear format, mirrors the emotional chaos it seeks to calm. That structure felt freeing. You don’t have to start at page one and march forward. You can dip into grief, or guilt, or overwhelm, wherever you are, and find something that feels like a breath of air after holding it in too long.

This book is a must-read for parents who have been touched by medical trauma, loss, or the complexities of raising a child with special needs. But honestly, it’s for anyone who’s ever had life collapse under them and needed help putting one emotional foot in front of the other. If you’re looking for warmth, honesty, and a sense that healing is possible, then this book is exactly what you need.

Pages: 226 | ASIN : B0DPG9B74K