In one moment, Debra J. White’s entire life changed. It only took one single moment. On a late afternoon walk with her two dogs in New York City, White was struck by a car, throwing her into a snow-filled ditch, unconscious and bleeding from severe brain trauma. On what started the same as any average day, White’s entire life was�All Shook Up.
From this day on, White had to reimagine everything. Serious brain trauma left her with permanent memory and mobility issues, meaning she could never work again. For an active, lively and serious career woman, this meant that everything she ever knew had to change and rearrange. White had to relearn everything she knew to be true, had to redesign a future she had been set on, and had to think outside of the box to overcome troubles she could have never imagined for herself.
All Shook Up: Finding Purpose After Traumatic Brain Injury by Debra J. White is a memoir that touts resiliency, brutal honesty and silver linings. Hard to read at times with White’s descriptions of recovery, a ruthless fight with insurance, money struggles and mental health battles, it is also uplifting. While many wouldn’t be so quick to turn their lives around, White details how she rolled with the punches and charted on a new path. The memoir details her journey in every step, from relearning simple tasks—cooking, walking, driving—to becoming a pillar for her community through volunteer work.
White’s writing is brutally honest and she doesn’t often skirt around the truth, making this memoir feel raw, honest and sharp. There’s no shying away from the cold hard facts—even the hardest details that may make you want to recoil. Though, simultaneously, her voice is uplifting and inspiring. There’s a delicate balance of bluntness and bravery. Her story is bound to cause inner reflection and outward change. While the story itself is straightforward, a narrative of life after a serious brain injury, its message is anything but. Its message—making the best of any situation—can be applied to every stretch of life.
While a majority of the book follows White’s brain injury, her story spans more than just recovery. Amid the 200 pages of the memoir, White tackles a myriad of unanticipated topics. In unexpected ways, she pairs her journey with the changing of the world around her. Throughout the story, White shares her love for animals—her own dogs, who got her through her darkest days, and those at the shelters she volunteers. Somewhere in the middle, she comments on the death of the American Mall, pairing it with her observations of the COVID-19 pandemic and her love for her time working at Chandler Mall. Near the end of the novel, White writes in-depth about her experience volunteering with refugees, intertwining stories of war in the Middle East with stories of her own. She details her journey of finding religion, learning more about Islam even in the midst of 9/11.
While some details drag on and almost begin to feel irrelevant to the central story, White finds a way to tie them all together, illustrating a life well-lived. Decades after her accident, she has found community roles for herself that she may have never discovered in New York, creating a completely different life of opportunity and connection.
No one believes an accident will happen to them until it does. It’s what they do next, that matters. And when no accident happens at all, is there still change to be done? Are we ever really done shaking things up?
All Shook Up: Finding Purpose After Traumatic Brain Injury by Debra J. White is a riveting memoir that is eye-opening, encouraging, and all-inspiring. Step into the mind of White, learn what it’s like to suffer from a traumatic brain injury and apply her lessons to every bump in the road you face. Big or small, our routes are redirected all the time. All it takes is one single moment.
You can learn more about Debra J. White at  and purchase her book atÂ