A memoir and a somewhat complicated review — for a story beginning with horrific child abuse and leading to what will become a life-long adult search for healing — that could not help but raise all sorts of emotions in this reader. Empathy, pain and compassion. Curiosity and hope. Wonder, as Jane(the author) channels her years of trauma into an avoidance of intimacy and a robustly successful achieve-at-all-costs career, tempered with a new-found fascination for high-stakes shortboard surfing.

Until Jane can manage the emotional cost no longer. And it all comes tumbling down.

And so begins a rocky journey to find herself, detailed here, as the author approaches her much-needed therapy with the same no-holds-barred approach she has used to approach other aspects of her life.

Without giving too much away, this is a book that is undoubtedly heart-rending (and darkly beautiful) in parts, achingly so as we experience life through the eyes of an appallingly mistreated and vulnerable little girl. Who grows into a vulnerable adult, excelling at a visceral and dangerous extreme sport, while dissociating from feeling most of what has been buried deep inside her.

It will take time and more than one revelation, layer by layer unpeeled as the author’s search to wholeness begins. Reminiscent in some ways here of “Eat Pray Love” (a book this reader did not completely enjoy), the comprehensive look at alternative therapies encountered by the author was perhaps my least favorite section of the book.

Leading to, all in all, an interesting and important read (if somewhat uneven) that cannot fail to captivate.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I had heard of Embrace, the company Jane Marie Chen headed up to provide low-cost incubators for premature babies (and later other products), but I had not known her story. This book is, in a way, two books in one, with one story being about her journey from a business school idea to starting a company that hoped to make life better for some of the world’s poorest people and the other story being about her attempts to heal from a childhood that included abuse by an unpredictable Taiwanese father and inaction by her mother to stop it. The reader is meant to understand that both these stories are interconnected and relevant to her healing, with the healing journey being the ultimate unifying force, though i think I found the business-related story at least as interesting as the healing one and sometimes more so. Chen’s ability to push her way into the highest echelons of the healing-from-trauma world is both admirable and off-putting, given that (as she herself recognizes) most people with traumatic histories would not have the resources (not to mention time) to explore these options, let alone at the level she managed. Her story still feels unfinished to me, and I’d welcome another book by her about where she goes from here, but overall I’m happy that she wrote this one.

This is a special book, written by a special woman.
When you get right down to it, we (women) are
very much alike, and I will probably think about
‘Meg’ forever.
This is the story that sticks with you long after
the review is posted. It doesn’t have a conclusion
because as long as we’re all alive, we are still
making choices, having new experiences,
while we make memories.
There is something for everyone in the powerful
story, and I recommend to everyone.
My sincere thanks to Harmony Publishing
for the download copy of this book for review
purposes..

“Like A Wave We Break” by Jane Chen starts with the perfect title.
There is so much I’d love to say, and discuss about this excellent written memoir.
[Our San Francisco Bay Area Book club reads non- fiction every other month … I plan on suggesting Jane’s book].

Not knowing where to begin - and not wanting intentionally wanting to make this review too long and bore anyone ….
I’ll share why I love the title and have contemplated with it seriously since finishing this non-fiction-memoir two weeks ago.
[And truthfully (personal share)….I called a therapist for myself …(I’ve had two sessions so far)]
So, may we look at the title — before diving into the content? Sure, why not! 🙂
Has there ever been a living person who has not felt the ebb and flow of life — the highs and the lows — like a ‘wave’?
The ‘breaking’ word can trigger a string of thoughts, memories, emotions, unsettling uncontrollable forces, a finite existence, the inevitable changes and transformations experienced and the importance of resilience and acceptance.
For me — I am reminded to make the most of the present moment and make the most of a temporary presence in this world.
Lately — since reading this book (and my own issues) I’ve been practicing “lowering my expectations” as well as asking myself…
“do I really want to continue to feel grief over something I can’t change?”.

I sooo admire Jane Chen. I’m glad I read her book. I hope she reads it herself for the audiobook. I have no idea…,but I think it would be a great gift to audiobook listeners.

A little ABOUT Jane Chen:
“Jane is a globally recognized entrepreneur, inventor, and speaker. She is co-founder of Embrace Global, which developed a groundbreaking infant incubator that has helped and safe nearly a million babies. (I found this fascinating). Chen has been a TED Fellow, and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Chen was recognized as a Forbes impact 30 and Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum and was recipient of ‘The Economist’s Innovation Award. She received her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and her masters in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School of Government”.

As impressive as Jane’s resume is, I’d would have read it just to learn more about those infant incubators.
But/And her memoir is so personal. It’s as intimate as sitting down sharing conversation with a friend over coffee or lunch. It’s NOT DRY!! We feel her ups and down ….’like-a-wave-we-break’, with so much heart, compassion, truth, understanding, suffering quietly, as well as her growth climbing the ladder to success…,and all its inspiration too.
[since reading this book - a couple that Paul and I have been friends with for over 50 years — had their first grandchild be born early at 3 pounds]….I am interested the incubators saving *Sutton* life]

I’ve already made this review too long ( forgive me)….i just really recommend the book ….
We learn about her childhood, the buried truths, a traumatic secretive past…..as well as experience along with Jane things she did to ‘really’ breakthrough the past trauma affecting her adult life forever….. I am inspired to hear that PTSD healing CAN be achieved > we learn of a lot of great tools she had in her toolbox.
What a terrific- smart - gifted - woman Jane is …..
Also so open - real - vulnerable - forgiving - and responsibly resilient. I love her .

So ….a few excepts ….(then just go read her book)….FICTION READERS TOO!!!!

“I think of my own journey—into the depths of myself. I dive down, descending into the coldest, darkest part of the sea. The water closes in around me. . . “
“True healing happens when we release the past. Not by forgetting, but by allowing our hearts to break wide open. By confronting our pain, instead of running from it. When we tend to the wounds we’ve inherited, we don’t just mend ourselves—we mend the generations that came before us and rewrite the possibilities for those who come after”.

“It is easy to believe that we are defined by our circumstances, by the wounds inflicted by our past, by family, by fate. But circumstances, however, powerful, are just the waves—rising, crashing, ever-changing. Beneath their churning lies something steady. Infinite. No matter what we have endured, no matter our past, our essence remains. And that essence is love—unconditional and limitless. We are not the waves but the sea itself”.

“My job was more than a job. It was my purpose. My identity. The soul focus of my life. My team and I had invented a groundbreaking incubator that had saved hundreds of thousands of vulnerable babies in some of the poorest parts of the world. We’d had some incredible successes. I was invited to present our technology to President Obama at the White House. Beyoncé had personally handed me a check to help expand our work. I had sacrificed everything in my life to keep the company afloat—my time, my relationships, my sanity. But ultimately it had failed. I had failed. And when it all came crashing down, I didn’t just lose a dream. I lost myself”.

A few more little tidbits one will read about….
….Traditional Taiwanese family …. 2 other sisters
….A move to Southern California from Taiwan
….The Brady Bunch TV show
….Jane surfing in Santa Cruz
…..College years and more achievements
….Jane facing the truth about her past and begins to fight for authentic healing …. (Workshops, therapy, movement, music, joy, love, etc.)

Great book! Congrats to Jane! Thanks for making a difference in my life too.

A peek into the psyche of a person with an achieving personality and what goes on behind the calm surface. Gratitude to the author for sharing her vulnerabilities and best wishes in her healing! Also an unexpected guide to healing modalities as she details her journey. The writing was gripping, it had me glued to the book.

Jane Chen's book is a sweeping account of how she grew up and into adulthood. It focuses on familial relationships, and that is the part I found most interesting. It's very well crafted, and the sentences immediately draw you into her world. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.