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Nightbird
Nightbird, written by Shavaun Scott, begins with a haunting moment where the man she has loved leaves her with a devastating goodbye, casting blame at her feet. The book unravels a raw, honest memoir of loss, insight, and recovery.
Scott takes us back through a turbulent life shaped by deep-rooted superstition, fundamentalist religion, and crushing grief. Themes of mental illness and intimate partner abuse are explored with unflinching honesty. Scott sheds light on poorly understood topics, such as the aggressive nature of a subtype of suicide associated with domestic violence.
Ultimately, Scott escapes her family's painful legacy and emerges to rebuild herself as she dedicates her career to helping others move past trauma. Nightbird isn't just about survival—it's a testament to the strength of the human spirit to rise and transform.
Scott takes us back through a turbulent life shaped by deep-rooted superstition, fundamentalist religion, and crushing grief. Themes of mental illness and intimate partner abuse are explored with unflinching honesty. Scott sheds light on poorly understood topics, such as the aggressive nature of a subtype of suicide associated with domestic violence.
Ultimately, Scott escapes her family's painful legacy and emerges to rebuild herself as she dedicates her career to helping others move past trauma. Nightbird isn't just about survival—it's a testament to the strength of the human spirit to rise and transform.
246 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2025
4 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Shavaun Scott
2 books9 followersAlso known as P. Shavaun Scott
In my 30-year career as a psychotherapist, I've had the privilege of helping thousands of clients. Many have been victims or perpetrators of violence.
I'm passionate about trauma recovery, violence prevention, and the healing power of heart-to-heart connections. I know that, individually and collectively, we can make a difference.
I'm dedicated to sharing insights into all aspects of human behavior and translating research from behavioral science into everyday language. My work is always evidence-based and trauma-informed.
I love exploring unconventional paths and uncommon bravery. I'm convinced there are solutions. I hold hope in the palm of my hand.
In my 30-year career as a psychotherapist, I've had the privilege of helping thousands of clients. Many have been victims or perpetrators of violence.
I'm passionate about trauma recovery, violence prevention, and the healing power of heart-to-heart connections. I know that, individually and collectively, we can make a difference.
I'm dedicated to sharing insights into all aspects of human behavior and translating research from behavioral science into everyday language. My work is always evidence-based and trauma-informed.
I love exploring unconventional paths and uncommon bravery. I'm convinced there are solutions. I hold hope in the palm of my hand.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
May 13, 2025
This is a poignant memoir of the author (re-)building her life having been in difficult relationships.
Shavaun was initially married to Greg Young and had three children. Her mother died of a brain tumour. She divorced Greg and married Robert. Robert struggled financially, despite a degree, he worked as a gardener. Shavaun completed graduate school and became a therapist. Robert was very controlling and prone to terrifying episodes of rage. It takes Shavaun many years to understand their relationship and come to the conclusion that she must move on.
This book covers painful topics of control, abuse, intimidation, rage & suicide. The writing is raw and the descriptions of the experiences Shavaun goes through are vivid & painful.
Thanks to Edelweiss, the publisher and author for a free electronic review copy.
Shavaun was initially married to Greg Young and had three children. Her mother died of a brain tumour. She divorced Greg and married Robert. Robert struggled financially, despite a degree, he worked as a gardener. Shavaun completed graduate school and became a therapist. Robert was very controlling and prone to terrifying episodes of rage. It takes Shavaun many years to understand their relationship and come to the conclusion that she must move on.
This book covers painful topics of control, abuse, intimidation, rage & suicide. The writing is raw and the descriptions of the experiences Shavaun goes through are vivid & painful.
Thanks to Edelweiss, the publisher and author for a free electronic review copy.
February 24, 2025
Nightbird is not just a book—it is an experience that reaches deep into the soul, leaving an indelible mark on the heart of its reader. From the very first page, it is clear that this work is a labor of immense courage and vulnerability, an offering of the author’s truth in its rawest, most unfiltered form. I can only imagine the depth of emotional fortitude required to craft such an intimate and deeply personal narrative, and for that, I am profoundly grateful.
This book is more than a recollection of experiences—it is an exploration of how the past shapes us, of how the actions of those around us, often beyond our control, leave lasting imprints on our identities. The author navigates these complexities with remarkable honesty, resisting the temptation to assign rigid judgments and instead offering a deeply introspective perspective on both events and motivations. Her storytelling is not just about what happened but about how those moments resonated within her, how they evolved in meaning over time, and how they influenced the person she has become.
Reading Nightbird felt like stepping into the author's heart and mind, bearing witness to the highs and lows of her journey with an intimacy that is both breathtaking and humbling. There were moments that made me laugh, others that moved me to tears, and many that left me sitting in quiet reflection. Few books have managed to evoke such a visceral emotional response in me.
What resonates most profoundly is the author's personal evolution—her ability to find clarity, healing, and self-compassion amid the complexities of her past. The book's conclusion is a powerful testament to the necessity of self-love and self-care, reminding us that healing is not just about understanding where we've been but about embracing who we are becoming.
I will miss this book, and more importantly, I will miss the version of the author I felt so deeply connected to through its pages. It is a story that will stay with me, one that I will carry forward as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.
This book is more than a recollection of experiences—it is an exploration of how the past shapes us, of how the actions of those around us, often beyond our control, leave lasting imprints on our identities. The author navigates these complexities with remarkable honesty, resisting the temptation to assign rigid judgments and instead offering a deeply introspective perspective on both events and motivations. Her storytelling is not just about what happened but about how those moments resonated within her, how they evolved in meaning over time, and how they influenced the person she has become.
Reading Nightbird felt like stepping into the author's heart and mind, bearing witness to the highs and lows of her journey with an intimacy that is both breathtaking and humbling. There were moments that made me laugh, others that moved me to tears, and many that left me sitting in quiet reflection. Few books have managed to evoke such a visceral emotional response in me.
What resonates most profoundly is the author's personal evolution—her ability to find clarity, healing, and self-compassion amid the complexities of her past. The book's conclusion is a powerful testament to the necessity of self-love and self-care, reminding us that healing is not just about understanding where we've been but about embracing who we are becoming.
I will miss this book, and more importantly, I will miss the version of the author I felt so deeply connected to through its pages. It is a story that will stay with me, one that I will carry forward as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.
February 28, 2025
This memoir uses straightforward and honest language to tell a difficult and traumatic life, but with hope and love at the end. It’s the kind of story that opens hearts and engenders empathy.
April 5, 2025
This was a powerful memoir, focusing on the way that trauma carries both generationally and relationally. Scott takes us on a journey through her life, stopping at points of tension to discuss how it shaped her world view and connections to others. You see the care and empathy she has for humans as she looks into why we all suffer and how that affects our ability to function in the day-to-day life.
As a memoir, this was a tough read. There are very heavy topics covered, ranging from sexual violence to emotional abuses. You see how various people in families are influenced by those who have come before them and how if we don't accept the weight we carry, it can crush us.
Seeing that her future led her to therapy and working with those who had struggled didn't surprise me. It was also nice to see how even with all of her history, she still had moments of struggle. I was moved by her strength and ability to still see the good in others.
This is definitely a worth-while read, just need to be in the right headset for it. Thank you to Pierian Springs Press, Edelweiss, and Scott for the ARC in exchange for a review.
As a memoir, this was a tough read. There are very heavy topics covered, ranging from sexual violence to emotional abuses. You see how various people in families are influenced by those who have come before them and how if we don't accept the weight we carry, it can crush us.
Seeing that her future led her to therapy and working with those who had struggled didn't surprise me. It was also nice to see how even with all of her history, she still had moments of struggle. I was moved by her strength and ability to still see the good in others.
This is definitely a worth-while read, just need to be in the right headset for it. Thank you to Pierian Springs Press, Edelweiss, and Scott for the ARC in exchange for a review.
May 19, 2025
Nightbird: A Memoir is luminous, transcendent, full of grace and power.
Nightbird is a masterful journey through trauma, healing, and the long road through intimate partner abuse. Nightbird explores the hidden impact of religiosity on mental health. how growing up in high-control or fundamentalist belief systems can leave us vulnerable to manipulation, erode our sense of self, and entangle us in dangerous dynamics later in life. Shavaun’s story includes something we rarely talk about: revenge suicide, a tragic and often misunderstood act rooted in control and punishment.
For those of you who’ve left controlling religious environments, who are survivors of intimate partner abuse or family violence this is a must read. But it’s for everyone: a lyrical, profound, and exquisite piece of literature.
Nightbird is a masterful journey through trauma, healing, and the long road through intimate partner abuse. Nightbird explores the hidden impact of religiosity on mental health. how growing up in high-control or fundamentalist belief systems can leave us vulnerable to manipulation, erode our sense of self, and entangle us in dangerous dynamics later in life. Shavaun’s story includes something we rarely talk about: revenge suicide, a tragic and often misunderstood act rooted in control and punishment.
For those of you who’ve left controlling religious environments, who are survivors of intimate partner abuse or family violence this is a must read. But it’s for everyone: a lyrical, profound, and exquisite piece of literature.
March 31, 2025
There are no limits to the damage mental illness can do to a family. This memoir bravely explores the effects of generational trauma and the decisions it caused the author to make in her own life. To read this is to face some very harsh realities of what struggles with mental health can look like in America, especially in blue collar families and in poverty. However, Scott is an incredible woman and has dedicated her life to understanding & educating about mental illness. Her account includes some profound realizations and decisions to move forward with life in a positive way. Loved it.
June 1, 2025
This is a moody, psychological mystery that really gets under your skin in the best way. At its heart, Nightbird follows a woman confronting a harrowing past, both literal and symbolic. When a murder eerily mirrors a personal tragedy from years before, she is drawn back into the very world she’s tried to leave behind. What unfolds is a chilling journey into memory, mystery, and healing.
One of the book's strongest qualities is its empathetic handling of psychological trauma. Scott presents characters who feel real, broken, but resilient. There are a few moments where the pacing slows or the mystery feels slightly familiar, but the final revelations are satisfying.
It's thoughtful, has just the right amount of suspense and it's not your typical thriller, it's quieter, deeper, and more character-driven. If you like stories that dig into the emotional side of mystery and don’t shy away from tough topics, this one is well worth your time. Thank you Books Forward PR and Shavaun Scott for sharing this book with me!
One of the book's strongest qualities is its empathetic handling of psychological trauma. Scott presents characters who feel real, broken, but resilient. There are a few moments where the pacing slows or the mystery feels slightly familiar, but the final revelations are satisfying.
It's thoughtful, has just the right amount of suspense and it's not your typical thriller, it's quieter, deeper, and more character-driven. If you like stories that dig into the emotional side of mystery and don’t shy away from tough topics, this one is well worth your time. Thank you Books Forward PR and Shavaun Scott for sharing this book with me!
April 12, 2025
In her debut memoir, psychotherapist Shavaun Scott delves into the trauma story surrounding revenge suicide and abusive relationships, heavy subjects she navigates with abject honesty and consistent clarity by deploying wholly absorbing prose. In a fraught personal journey that begins in a crucible of extreme religiosity coupled with the damaging effects of emotional deprivation and family dysfunction, the author weaves captivating vignettes that grab hold of the reader and won’t let go. Reading Nightbird felt like boarding a bullet train, buckling in, and staying put until it screeched into the depot, pistons still cranking, letting off steam. The book achieves the difficult tightrope walk of confessing human pain and vulnerability while also saving space for hope.
April 1, 2025
"Nightbird" by Shavaun Scott is a hauntingly beautiful memoir that soars with raw honesty and poetic grace. Scott masterfully weaves together a story of trauma, resilience, and healing, pulling readers into the depths of her personal journey with evocative prose and unflinching vulnerability. Her storytelling is both heartbreaking and inspiring, offering a deeply human look at survival and self-discovery. This book lingers in the mind long after the final page—an unforgettable testament to the strength of the human spirit.
March 25, 2025
A unique story - with echos of "The Glass Castle", infused with knowledge and a psychological thriller element. I really enjoyed and read through it quickly.
June 10, 2025
A very straightforward and quick read, Nightbird highlights the ability to build your life despite the trauma you endure. Shavaun’s story has so many types of trauma, I feel it will resonate with almost every reader. Domestic violence, betrayal, manipulation, revenge suicide..it really covers the lot.
And as many root for characters in their plots, I was thankful that Shavaun had such great support to help her heal from such a disturbing moment in her life.
And as many root for characters in their plots, I was thankful that Shavaun had such great support to help her heal from such a disturbing moment in her life.
November 10, 2025
Shavaun Scott's elegant memoir confronts the damage some individuals carry and the weight of the past, which we can choose to transform into positive or negative energy. An important story for the half-broken world.
April 13, 2025
Like some forms of domestic violence, this memoir sneaks up on you over time before you finally realise that you have been suckered into what is a brutally honest, yet easy to read narrative constructed by the author, and which will reasonate long after reading.
Scott documents in the form of a memoir, her life from her childhood and strict religious upbringing, to her marriages and finally her emergence as a woman who refuses to let the past define her future. Scott openly lets the reader into her life, especially the years in which she was subjected to a subtle form of domestic violence at the hands of her husband. Not all forms of domestic violence are overt and physical - some are subtle behaviours, built up progressively over times before the final realisation sets in - and for some, it is already too late. Scott herself is open, admitting that she ignored the red flags and had zero skills in setting boundaries, commenting that her emotional life with Robert was "a cyclone".
Through her work as a psychologist and crisis worker, Scott slowly begins to find form to explain her husband Robert's behaviours and it is from this point that Scott makes the decision to leave - at one point Scott says of herself: "... to admit the truth out loud would have forced me to confront the reality that I needed to leave ...". Robert, however, was determined to have the final, ugly say.
As mentioned, Scott's memoir will long resonate with the reader, many of who may see themselves in her narrative, and one hopes, that Scott's openness with her audience may provide an impetus - for some - for moving forward and finally letting go of the past.
Scott documents in the form of a memoir, her life from her childhood and strict religious upbringing, to her marriages and finally her emergence as a woman who refuses to let the past define her future. Scott openly lets the reader into her life, especially the years in which she was subjected to a subtle form of domestic violence at the hands of her husband. Not all forms of domestic violence are overt and physical - some are subtle behaviours, built up progressively over times before the final realisation sets in - and for some, it is already too late. Scott herself is open, admitting that she ignored the red flags and had zero skills in setting boundaries, commenting that her emotional life with Robert was "a cyclone".
Through her work as a psychologist and crisis worker, Scott slowly begins to find form to explain her husband Robert's behaviours and it is from this point that Scott makes the decision to leave - at one point Scott says of herself: "... to admit the truth out loud would have forced me to confront the reality that I needed to leave ...". Robert, however, was determined to have the final, ugly say.
As mentioned, Scott's memoir will long resonate with the reader, many of who may see themselves in her narrative, and one hopes, that Scott's openness with her audience may provide an impetus - for some - for moving forward and finally letting go of the past.
February 27, 2025
This memoir starts out strong, with a powerful depiction of a traumatic event and its immediate aftermath. It pulled me in right away. However, then it became what felt like more of an outline for an account of the author’s entire life. I get that there are aspects of her childhood and young adulthood that are important to the understanding of what came later, but I felt that some things were less relevant, and left less room for the things that felt more important to the particular part of her history that she’s trying to tell. Some chapters left me wanting to know more, and some of the experiences she mentioned almost in passing could become memoirs in their own right.
I thank Pierian Springs Press for inviting me to read this memoir in advance of its publication. It is an important topic that I know very little about, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn more.
I thank Pierian Springs Press for inviting me to read this memoir in advance of its publication. It is an important topic that I know very little about, and I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn more.
April 5, 2025
When I started reading this book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue. Why? Because I, myself, have been a victim of domestic abuse and both an ex-boyfriend and ex-husband who killed themselves. (one by carbon monoxide in his car, the other by stabbing himself in the heart). I wondered for years what I had done wrong, what was wrong with me, why was I drawn to abusive men? It wasn't until I met my now-husband that I realized it wasn't my fault; but the demons were still there.
Shavaun Scott writes a raw memoir of her bringing-up and her journey to the life she has now. She's traveled a rough road, strewn with ghostly bodies of people who shaped her life; few of them in a positive way. It's open, compelling, sad, and leaves you feeling lost, and somewhat empty. But that's what it is supposed to do. You are supposed to feel; to try and understand everything she's gone through that's made her the woman she is today.
She's been through hell and back, and still survived. Survived stronger and healthier. Survived by taking control of her own life. Fighting her demons and winning. Realizing that only you have the power to shape your life in the way you want.
Her husband committed suicide in a horrific way; one that was meant to raise all the guilt and pain inside her and make her think about him daily. It was mean, selfish, and cruel. Ms. Scott was able to overcome this only by allowing her grief to run its course and give her the chance to live the life she has always wanted.
It brought my own demons to the surface; things I've left unsaid and live inside my mind. Perhaps someday I will be able to lay them to rest, and this book has given me hope.
This is not an easy book to read. It hurts to read it; to think that she had to grow up alone and wanting; wanting affection; wanting direction; wanting to know who she was. But the ending gives her hope, and she finally finds the peace she's been looking for. A memoir that stays with you after the book is read, and worth all the time.
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss but this in no way influenced my review.
Shavaun Scott writes a raw memoir of her bringing-up and her journey to the life she has now. She's traveled a rough road, strewn with ghostly bodies of people who shaped her life; few of them in a positive way. It's open, compelling, sad, and leaves you feeling lost, and somewhat empty. But that's what it is supposed to do. You are supposed to feel; to try and understand everything she's gone through that's made her the woman she is today.
She's been through hell and back, and still survived. Survived stronger and healthier. Survived by taking control of her own life. Fighting her demons and winning. Realizing that only you have the power to shape your life in the way you want.
Her husband committed suicide in a horrific way; one that was meant to raise all the guilt and pain inside her and make her think about him daily. It was mean, selfish, and cruel. Ms. Scott was able to overcome this only by allowing her grief to run its course and give her the chance to live the life she has always wanted.
It brought my own demons to the surface; things I've left unsaid and live inside my mind. Perhaps someday I will be able to lay them to rest, and this book has given me hope.
This is not an easy book to read. It hurts to read it; to think that she had to grow up alone and wanting; wanting affection; wanting direction; wanting to know who she was. But the ending gives her hope, and she finally finds the peace she's been looking for. A memoir that stays with you after the book is read, and worth all the time.
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss but this in no way influenced my review.
February 17, 2025
I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of this eye-opening memoir, and I found myself not only shocked, but terrified in many places. What a testimony to someone's resilience! Scott paints a compelling picture of her rough, lower-class upbringing, accompanied by the constant undercurrent of religious control that keeps young females obedient. The story carries readers through the steady shaping of an individual into a subservient daughter, then girlfriend, then wife. By the time she realizes the problem isn't her, but with her partners, she's already been brainwashed to believe she has no options. As she confides to us at one point, "Choice was the scariest word anyone had ever said to me."
Her education is her salvation. Through the compassion of her therapist and teachers, she follows the path not of least resistance, but the only one that offers her hope. Scott's memoir reminds us how recovery from religious upbringings that use shame and fear to control is rarely quick and easy. Like other types of recovery, it's mostly two steps forward, one step back progress.
By the end of her painful journey, I felt a sense of exhilaration for this young woman. And the fact that she uses everything she has learned to educate and support other victims makes me cheer for her success. I was left feeling satisfied, relieved and joyous.
My hope would be that every high school library carries this book, and that every young woman who feels trapped in similar circumstances can read this.
Her education is her salvation. Through the compassion of her therapist and teachers, she follows the path not of least resistance, but the only one that offers her hope. Scott's memoir reminds us how recovery from religious upbringings that use shame and fear to control is rarely quick and easy. Like other types of recovery, it's mostly two steps forward, one step back progress.
By the end of her painful journey, I felt a sense of exhilaration for this young woman. And the fact that she uses everything she has learned to educate and support other victims makes me cheer for her success. I was left feeling satisfied, relieved and joyous.
My hope would be that every high school library carries this book, and that every young woman who feels trapped in similar circumstances can read this.
July 4, 2025
Few books have left me as emotionally moved and mentally engaged as Nightbird. Shavaun Scott opens her soul in a way that is both unsettling and inspiring. The level of introspection and honesty in this memoir is staggering; there is no sugar-coating, no glossing over the painful parts, and certainly no tidy ending. Instead, what we get is the truth: complicated, messy, and profoundly human.
Scott navigates the complexities of growing up in an oppressive religious environment, enduring personal loss, and eventually becoming the very type of professional she once so desperately needed. Her writing is lyrical, at times poetic, yet always grounded in psychological and emotional clarity.
What struck me most is how Scott frames her past not as a chain to be dragged but as something to be understood, dismantled, and ultimately transcended. The way she explores mental health, not only her own but that of those around her, is filled with empathy, depth, and clinical wisdom. Her insights into abusive relationships, and particularly her discussion of the aggressive forms of suicide that sometimes follow domestic violence, are topics we must begin discussing more openly, and Scott offers an intelligent and compassionate foundation for doing so.
This book will stay with me forever. It gave me not just insight, but courage. It reminded me of the power of the voice of telling the truth, no matter how difficult, and how doing so can liberate both the writer and the reader. Nightbird is an act of personal liberation and a gift to anyone who has ever struggled with their past.
Scott navigates the complexities of growing up in an oppressive religious environment, enduring personal loss, and eventually becoming the very type of professional she once so desperately needed. Her writing is lyrical, at times poetic, yet always grounded in psychological and emotional clarity.
What struck me most is how Scott frames her past not as a chain to be dragged but as something to be understood, dismantled, and ultimately transcended. The way she explores mental health, not only her own but that of those around her, is filled with empathy, depth, and clinical wisdom. Her insights into abusive relationships, and particularly her discussion of the aggressive forms of suicide that sometimes follow domestic violence, are topics we must begin discussing more openly, and Scott offers an intelligent and compassionate foundation for doing so.
This book will stay with me forever. It gave me not just insight, but courage. It reminded me of the power of the voice of telling the truth, no matter how difficult, and how doing so can liberate both the writer and the reader. Nightbird is an act of personal liberation and a gift to anyone who has ever struggled with their past.
August 4, 2025
A Stunning Tale of Survival and Enchantment
Nightbird, by Shavaun Scott, is a haunting, insightful and inspiring book about revenge suicide and generational trauma. It is also about finding life and joy and peace. Despite the trauma, it is a glorious book about survival and actionable hope. This is a compelling and suspenseful story with so many cinematic scenes and complex characters that I can easily imagine it adapted to a film or a television series. A psychological thriller, and a story about a woman’s courageous act of reclaiming and re-authoring her life. A memoir which reads like a novel. Scott, a licensed psychotherapist, has written a powerful examination of the psychological and physical dangers of being in—and daring to leave—a marriage with a narcissistic abuser. In this debut memoir she expertly weaves direct, spare prose with lyrical, poetic language—and mythic imagery—into a powerful tapestry about survival and about telling our stories in order to heal ourselves and to help others do so for themselves. Moving through dual timelines Scott tells fascinating, and often funny, stories about a child who grew up with the magical thinking of Christian fundamentalism which allowed her no choices, and who matured into a woman who knows her worth and recognizes the natural magic of forests and of owls who call from her trees at night. The gorgeous cover of this book hints at all of this. This is a book I couldn’t put down while reading it and a book I can’t stop thinking about—and discussing with others—now that I’ve finished reading it. Nightbird is stunning.
Nightbird, by Shavaun Scott, is a haunting, insightful and inspiring book about revenge suicide and generational trauma. It is also about finding life and joy and peace. Despite the trauma, it is a glorious book about survival and actionable hope. This is a compelling and suspenseful story with so many cinematic scenes and complex characters that I can easily imagine it adapted to a film or a television series. A psychological thriller, and a story about a woman’s courageous act of reclaiming and re-authoring her life. A memoir which reads like a novel. Scott, a licensed psychotherapist, has written a powerful examination of the psychological and physical dangers of being in—and daring to leave—a marriage with a narcissistic abuser. In this debut memoir she expertly weaves direct, spare prose with lyrical, poetic language—and mythic imagery—into a powerful tapestry about survival and about telling our stories in order to heal ourselves and to help others do so for themselves. Moving through dual timelines Scott tells fascinating, and often funny, stories about a child who grew up with the magical thinking of Christian fundamentalism which allowed her no choices, and who matured into a woman who knows her worth and recognizes the natural magic of forests and of owls who call from her trees at night. The gorgeous cover of this book hints at all of this. This is a book I couldn’t put down while reading it and a book I can’t stop thinking about—and discussing with others—now that I’ve finished reading it. Nightbird is stunning.
November 18, 2025
📕Title: "Nightbird "
✍️Author: Shavaun Scott
📚Review: *Shavaun Scott’s Nightbird is a profoundly courageous memoir that blends the emotional clarity of a survivor with the clinical understanding of a seasoned psychotherapist. Scott takes readers into the darkest corners of her past—religious extremism, emotional control, and a marriage defined by psychological captivity—culminating in the devastating revenge suicide of her husband. Yet, even as she chronicles unthinkable pain, she writes with a steady, luminous honesty that elevates this memoir beyond tragedy.
What makes Nightbird remarkable is Scott’s ability to map her personal story onto the universal terrain of trauma. She examines how generational wounds formed her identity, influenced her relationships, and echoed through every chapter of her life. Her work with thousands of trauma survivors becomes both a mirror and a guide, ultimately leading her to rediscover strength, self-worth, and meaning.
This is not a memoir of despair—it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Readers of Tara Westover and Jeannette Walls will find the same emotional depth, fierce introspection, and transformative hope. Nightbird is essential reading for anyone seeking understanding, healing, or the courage to reclaim their voice.
✨#books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading
✍️Author: Shavaun Scott
📚Review: *Shavaun Scott’s Nightbird is a profoundly courageous memoir that blends the emotional clarity of a survivor with the clinical understanding of a seasoned psychotherapist. Scott takes readers into the darkest corners of her past—religious extremism, emotional control, and a marriage defined by psychological captivity—culminating in the devastating revenge suicide of her husband. Yet, even as she chronicles unthinkable pain, she writes with a steady, luminous honesty that elevates this memoir beyond tragedy.
What makes Nightbird remarkable is Scott’s ability to map her personal story onto the universal terrain of trauma. She examines how generational wounds formed her identity, influenced her relationships, and echoed through every chapter of her life. Her work with thousands of trauma survivors becomes both a mirror and a guide, ultimately leading her to rediscover strength, self-worth, and meaning.
This is not a memoir of despair—it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Readers of Tara Westover and Jeannette Walls will find the same emotional depth, fierce introspection, and transformative hope. Nightbird is essential reading for anyone seeking understanding, healing, or the courage to reclaim their voice.
✨#books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading
June 25, 2025
A Courageous Memoir That Illuminates the Shadows
For readers of trauma psychology, memoir, and domestic violence awareness
Shavaun Scott’s Nightbird is a gripping, unflinching excavation of pain, survival, and ultimately, transformation. With rare candor, she opens the door to the darkest corners of her past trauma steeped in religious extremism, intimate partner abuse, and the chilling reality of revenge suicide. What makes this memoir exceptional isn’t just its subject matter, but Scott’s unwavering commitment to honesty, especially when the truth implicates herself.
Her vulnerability is matched by a clinician’s insight, giving the book both emotional depth and intellectual weight. Readers are not merely spectators; they are witnesses to a journey of self-reclamation. Scott doesn’t present herself as a passive victim or a perfected survivor she’s messy, real, and fully human.
Nightbird is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of psychology, trauma, and healing. It breaks silence around topics that many don’t even know how to name and shows what it means to write a new story for oneself without denying the pain of the old one.
For readers of trauma psychology, memoir, and domestic violence awareness
Shavaun Scott’s Nightbird is a gripping, unflinching excavation of pain, survival, and ultimately, transformation. With rare candor, she opens the door to the darkest corners of her past trauma steeped in religious extremism, intimate partner abuse, and the chilling reality of revenge suicide. What makes this memoir exceptional isn’t just its subject matter, but Scott’s unwavering commitment to honesty, especially when the truth implicates herself.
Her vulnerability is matched by a clinician’s insight, giving the book both emotional depth and intellectual weight. Readers are not merely spectators; they are witnesses to a journey of self-reclamation. Scott doesn’t present herself as a passive victim or a perfected survivor she’s messy, real, and fully human.
Nightbird is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of psychology, trauma, and healing. It breaks silence around topics that many don’t even know how to name and shows what it means to write a new story for oneself without denying the pain of the old one.
April 8, 2025
I spent a day of my life engaged in the days of Shavaun Scott's life. When I finished reading her deeply affective memoir, "Nightbird," I walked out into the sunshine of my cool, green forest home and allowed her story to weave through me.
There is a great deal to process but Scott creates the conditions for the possibility of understanding the challenges and threats to her well-being through the lens of her own deep knowing and generosity of spirit. She conveys very painful experiences and the unfolding of violent relationships with such vulnerability and brutal honesty that the reader somehow is safe to be vulnerable too.
Without sentimentality, Scott makes her story about deep human connection and forgiveness and by so doing achieves her intention of "bringing some good into the world." Her work brilliantly proves that "brokenness is a better bridge to growth than pretend perfection ever could be..."
I am grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge this deeply affecting work and to express my appreciation for the good Scott's story ultimately brings to this world.
There is a great deal to process but Scott creates the conditions for the possibility of understanding the challenges and threats to her well-being through the lens of her own deep knowing and generosity of spirit. She conveys very painful experiences and the unfolding of violent relationships with such vulnerability and brutal honesty that the reader somehow is safe to be vulnerable too.
Without sentimentality, Scott makes her story about deep human connection and forgiveness and by so doing achieves her intention of "bringing some good into the world." Her work brilliantly proves that "brokenness is a better bridge to growth than pretend perfection ever could be..."
I am grateful for the opportunity to acknowledge this deeply affecting work and to express my appreciation for the good Scott's story ultimately brings to this world.
May 9, 2025
This is a good book for those who have been sidelined by the suicide of a loved one. Scott is honest in her feelings and how she ultimately came to be healed of psychological trauma. I was surprised that she made poor choices. An example is her second husband. She studied psychology after divorcing her first husband yet she chose to marry a man who was dysfunctional, angry, etc. And she stayed with him to her detriment, her compassion and empathy rendering her incapable of leaving. He ultimately responded with revenge suicide.
Reading her story will help others realize there is healing after trauma. It will also inform readers of the consequences of bad choices. Her writing style is good and the book is very readable.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Reading her story will help others realize there is healing after trauma. It will also inform readers of the consequences of bad choices. Her writing style is good and the book is very readable.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
February 2, 2026
I’ve read Nightbird twice, both times all the way through in one sitting, it’s that gripping. The subject matter of domestic violence and revenge suicide would be a tough read if it weren’t for Shavaun’s steady composure as a storyteller. She expertly recounts a shocking story without gratuitous shock value. While her education and widely lived experiences as a psychotherapist lend clinical weight, it is her personal stories that are an unflinching but compassionate examination of mental illness and generational trauma. What could have been a dark and brooding memoir is nuanced by moments of humor and the author’s deep compassion for humanity and for herself. Nightbird generously shares Shavaun’s hard-won introspection, insights, healing, and reason for hope. I’ve gained my own insights by reading, and her book will long stay with me as education and inspiration.
February 11, 2025
Gut-wrenching, NIGHTBIRD is Portland, Oregon, author Shavaun Scott’s memoir of growing up in a deeply Southern family, one full superstition, magical thinking, alcoholism, revival-tent Christianity, and an ingrained distrust of science and facts. From that upbringing, she met and married and had disastrous personal domestic violence encounters, ending in a devastating revenge suicide incident with her spouse.
Yet, miraculously, she grew beyond her upbringing and circumstances, became a psychologist, author, and expert on the mind of American serial killers and mass murders, as witnessed in her four non-fiction works on gun violence in America.
Above all, this is a haunting story of survival, through and through, gripping from the first page onwards to the bitter-sweet end. One comes away changed. Not many books do that to me.
Read this title in pre-release via an Edelweiss ARC from the publisher.
Yet, miraculously, she grew beyond her upbringing and circumstances, became a psychologist, author, and expert on the mind of American serial killers and mass murders, as witnessed in her four non-fiction works on gun violence in America.
Above all, this is a haunting story of survival, through and through, gripping from the first page onwards to the bitter-sweet end. One comes away changed. Not many books do that to me.
Read this title in pre-release via an Edelweiss ARC from the publisher.
June 19, 2025
This book is more of an autobiography than a memoir. The author describes in vivid detail her troubled childhood, the loneliness, growing up with her grandparents and being away from her parents. Also, she describes the trust, the belief and the hold that religion has in moulding our characters. As the author analyses in her book, our parents are the last to recognise the faults in their children. This also applies to our life - we rarely find or identify the true failings of our life partners. The book is interesting from the point of analysing the psychology of a person and not becoming too technical. An enjoyable short read.
Thank you for providing this book for review through Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
Thank you for providing this book for review through Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
April 30, 2025
Night Bird is a chilling psychological thriller with a unique blend of folklore and trauma, but it doesn't fully soar. The concept, a therapist unraveling the dark secrets behind a patient’s haunting visions, is compelling, and the eerie atmosphere adds depth. However, the pacing feels uneven, and some character arcs lack the emotional punch needed to make the story truly gripping. While the book raises important questions about inherited trauma and mental health, the resolution leaves a few too many threads dangling. Still, it’s a decent read for those who enjoy slower, unsettling mysteries with a hint of the supernatural.
May 22, 2025
I couldn't put "Nightbird" down. From prologue to epilogue, Scott conveys a thoughtful reflection of her life. Pulling herself out of tragedy and avoiding what could have easily been a continuation of her family's legacy, she shows a resilience we can all learn from.
Each chapter tells a compelling story. I rarely use highlighter in a book, but I found many sections I knew I'd want to refer back to. So, highlight I did.
I found the following two passages especially thought-provoking:
"Stories need words; otherwise, they will haunt our dreams and drive our behavior without our awareness."
"We are all in the process of re-authoring our lives."
Each chapter tells a compelling story. I rarely use highlighter in a book, but I found many sections I knew I'd want to refer back to. So, highlight I did.
I found the following two passages especially thought-provoking:
"Stories need words; otherwise, they will haunt our dreams and drive our behavior without our awareness."
"We are all in the process of re-authoring our lives."
June 25, 2025
Unflinching, Honest, and Ultimately Hopeful
From the first page, Nightbird grips you with its haunting vulnerability.
Scott’s memoir unfolds a life marked by grief, control, and resilience.
She confronts fundamentalism, mental illness, and intimate partner abuse.
Her voice is clear, compassionate, and unapologetically human.
Few books unpack trauma with such grace and unflinching honesty.
The concept of revenge suicide is explored with needed nuance.
Yet the book never stays in the darkness it rises.
Scott’s journey is proof that healing is always possible.
A powerful, personal testament to the strength of becoming whole
From the first page, Nightbird grips you with its haunting vulnerability.
Scott’s memoir unfolds a life marked by grief, control, and resilience.
She confronts fundamentalism, mental illness, and intimate partner abuse.
Her voice is clear, compassionate, and unapologetically human.
Few books unpack trauma with such grace and unflinching honesty.
The concept of revenge suicide is explored with needed nuance.
Yet the book never stays in the darkness it rises.
Scott’s journey is proof that healing is always possible.
A powerful, personal testament to the strength of becoming whole
July 5, 2025
Nightbird by Shavaun Scott
This is an intimate, brave and beautifully written memoir. Shavaun Scott writes with tremendous honesty and clarity about a life shaped by early religious extremism, guilt, and fear. She writes not only as a survivor but as a psychotherapist, weaving her personal story with insight into trauma bonding, gaslighting, and the complex grief of being left behind. And she writes it all with the deepest compassion. By the end, I felt cracked open in the best way, reminded of the resilience we carry, even when we think we’re lost. Nightbird feels like sitting with someone who has walked through hell and come out carrying a lantern for others.
This is an intimate, brave and beautifully written memoir. Shavaun Scott writes with tremendous honesty and clarity about a life shaped by early religious extremism, guilt, and fear. She writes not only as a survivor but as a psychotherapist, weaving her personal story with insight into trauma bonding, gaslighting, and the complex grief of being left behind. And she writes it all with the deepest compassion. By the end, I felt cracked open in the best way, reminded of the resilience we carry, even when we think we’re lost. Nightbird feels like sitting with someone who has walked through hell and come out carrying a lantern for others.
May 20, 2025
If you need evidence that the truth will set you free, you will not find a clearer, more heartfelt example than the brilliant new memoir by Shavaun Scott. Nightbird is an unflinching account of Scott's family history and how it left her vulnerable to painful adult relationships, culminating in the revenge suicide of her husband. Scott is no victim. Her openness and willingness to examine herself not only serve her in her own journey toward healthy, fulfilling relationships but also help inspire the rest of us who are on the path of breaking free. Highly recommend.
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