JoAnne Silver Jones, Headstrong at Bookshop Santa Cruz

Bookshop Santa Cruz welcomes JoAnne Silver Jones for a discussion and signing of her new book, Headstrong. After a sudden assault by a stranger left Jones with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractured hands, and PTSD, she learned—with the help of a community that gave her the foundations of hope—to live with TBI in a society bursting with violence.

She didn’t see the hammer. For a fraction of a second JoAnne Jones saw a young black face, framed by a black hoodie, and then she descended into a place where she felt and saw nothing. Jones survived this 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. It brings the reader into a life traumatized by violence and set in the context of a society full of violence and vocal, visible white supremacists. Woven throughout Jones’s account are the stories of how medical professionals, friends, family, and strangers became a foundation strong enough to hold her during the worst of times, and to give her the buoyancy to find a path toward hope.

“Eloquently told, Jones invites us into her harrowing journey from violence and brain injury to hope. With unflinching honesty, she shows how her determination to heal, led her to excavate the emotional legacy of her family and develop the emotional muscle to move beyond being a victim. If ever we needed a story of resilience against tough odds, now is the time.” —Hilary Jacobs Hendel, author of the award-winning book, It’s Not Always Depression

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JoAnne Jones is Professor Emeritus at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where she worked for twenty-five years. While at Springfield College, Dr. Jones served as Associate Dean of the School of Human Services and Acting Dean of the School of Social Work. Before Springfield College, she was an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an Assistant Professor of Social Welfare at the University of Calgary, School of Social Welfare. Her teaching and research focused primarily on social justice issues. In addition to teaching, she has consulted with public and private organizations in relation to diversity, inclusiveness, and excellence. She is a cofounder of the firm Diversityworks Consulting.

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