“The most difficult (and yet most freeing) thing we can do is share the parts of us we’d never want anyone to see. Brittany is living proof of what that level of transparency promises to offer. Brittany’s vulnerable telling of her story will not only inspire you but will begin to unlock that same kind of freedom and healing in your own story.”

—Davey Blackburn, author, host of the Nothing Is Wasted podcast, founder of Nothing Is Wasted Ministries

“In Stories Our Scars Tell, Brittany Tinsley helps readers understand that a pick-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps faith is really no faith at all but rather a prison built with the bones of self-sufficiency. Through her own healed (and healing) scars, Tinsley helps us envision a world filled with compassion, hope, and care.”

—Jenai Auman, writer, artist, and author of Othered: Finding Belonging with the God Who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed, and Marginalized

"This book is a powerful and beautifully written account of self-harm, struggle, healing, and hope. Everyone with lived experience of self-injury has a story worth telling, and Brittany shares her story thoughtfully, neither sensationalizing nor sugarcoating it. She respectfully addresses the well-intentioned yet hurtful platitudes often provided in Christian communities when responding to self-harm, and she gracefully exemplifies how a mature faith in God recognizes that self-injuring does not change or reduce someone's lovability. This is a must-read for anyone who cares about someone who self-injures, is interested in better understanding the psychology of self-injury, or who themselves have lived experience of self-injury."

-Nicholas J. Westers, Psyd, ABPP, Clinical Psychologist at Children's Health, associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, host and producer of The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast

"Stories Our Scars Tell is more than one woman's tale of hurt and healing. By generously extending stories she once tried to keep hidden, Brittany's words become a hand to hold. In these pages, we hear echoes of our own narratives--the wounds we carry and the questions we conceal. We see threads of the humanity that runs through each of us and breathe a little easier, knowing we are not alone. Without platitudes or prescriptions or shiny how-tos, Stories Our Scars Tell offers a very human way to lean toward hope and healing and to greet our shared complexity like a welcomed friend."

-Sarah E. Westfalls, author of The Way of Belonging

"Our stories matter and remain true. In this stunningly written book, the invitation to accept and chase after healing and goodness is just the hope my soul needed. Author Brittany Tinsley gently speaks to both the human fear and the benefits of allowing ourselves to be seen in our deepest struggles. Tinsley knows well the crushing effects of shame and isolation, and she gives her reader the incredible gift of being seen and believed. Whether you are a person of faith or not, these words will be the healing balm you did not realize you were seeking."

-Jodi. H. Grubbs, author of Live Slowly