Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her

by Dr. Anne Aspler

At 5 a.m. in the emergency department, Dr. Anne Aspler is the physician treating patients in crisis. She collects forensic evidence from sexual assault survivors. She sets the shattered bones of domestic abuse victims. But beneath the white coat, she is wrestling with a crisis of her own.


Anne's father is a convicted serial rapist. Her mother is lost to severe schizophrenia, hoarding, and the streets. Raised amid religious fundamentalism, foster care, and poverty, Anne ran in the opposite direction-eventually becoming a Harvard-trained doctor. To survive, she severed ties with her father, shed her faith, and built a pristine, controlled life.
 

But the ER is a mirror. When Anne treats women injured by their partners, or patients wrestling with PTSD and addiction, the boundary between doctor and patient collapses. Caring for them forces her to ask an impossible question: How will she explain her parents to her young daughters-and should they ever meet their grandfather?


Rise After Silence is a visceral, unsparing memoir about the collision of professional duty and deeply buried personal trauma. It is an exploration of how private violence never stays private. It compounds. It migrates. And it demands to be brought into the light. An unflinching look at what we inherit-and the fierce work of deciding what we pass on. 

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Health, Medical

290 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 6, 2026

About the author

Anne Aspler is a Harvard-trained emergency physician and the author of Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her (riseaftersilence.com), a memoir tracing the threads between the patients she treated and the private violence she survived. She writes and speaks about women's brain health, religious deconstruction, neurodivergence, and the realities of intimate partner violence — decoding what medicine, faith, and silence cost us, and what healing actually requires.

A keynote speaker for corporate audiences including RBC and Scotiabank, she holds an academic appointment at the University of Toronto and has spent over two decades in emergency departments in Canada and abroad, including humanitarian work overseas. She is an advocacy partner of EVE (End Violence Everywhere).

Anne lives in Toronto with her husband and two daughters. When she isn't writing or on shift, she's reading memoir, exercising, or planning the next chapter of her Radical Brain Health project — her Substack, YouTube channel, and forthcoming second book (2027).

Find her at anneaspler.com, on Substack at Radical Brain Health, and on YouTube.

Reviews

[Carolyn]

I received an advanced copy of this book to review. I started it less than 48 hours ago and had trouble putting it down.

I listened to it, re-listened to parts of it, and found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t reading. It became one of those books that takes over your day(s).

This is a difficult book, and it should be. At its heart is a story of childhood sexual abuse, trauma, survival, and the lifelong work of making sense of experiences that should never have happened. But it is also so much more.

The author’s voice is witty, insightful, self-deprecating, honest, and brave. She has a remarkable ability to tell hard truths without losing sight of the humour, absurdity, and humanity that exist alongside them.

As an emergency physician, she writes about caring for survivors while carrying her own history into those encounters. Those sections were particularly powerful. She captures something many helping professionals will recognize: the tension of showing up calmly and compassionately for someone else while quietly managing your own emotional response.

What stayed with me most, though, was that this is not ultimately a book about trauma. It is a book about resilience. About relationships. About finding people who help you heal. About choosing who you become despite what has happened to you.

I also appreciated that one of the strongest characters in the book is simply a decent man. Not a saviour. Not perfect. Not even a big personality. Just a kind, respectful, grounding person that shows love in healthy ways. Books about trauma often leave this important characters out. However this character is the kind of person we should all have in our lives and want for our children. Normalizing this, expecting this, recognizing that we all deserve this kind of partner is important.

Congratulations to the author and an incredible debut.

[Julie Bennett]

I couldn’t put this book down. It was a soul-touching and at times, gut-wrenching journey of healing from childhood trauma through the practice of medicine, relationships and motherhood. Dr. Aspler shows remarkable insight, grace and compassion throughout the book, not only to her patients, but also to herself. I highly recommend this book!

[Irene Lara-Corrales]

This was one of those books that grabbed me from the first few pages. I found myself continually wanting to read just one more chapter. Beautifully written, honest, and deeply engaging, it felt less like reading a book and more like sitting with someone brave enough to share their most vulnerable truths.

What resonated most with me was the exploration of our inner battles—the fears, disappointments, and complicated emotions that shape us. The author doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, particularly the challenges that arise within families, multi-generational trauma and the pain that can come from the choices our parents make. I found myself reflecting on my own experiences and relationships, especially the complicated emotions arising from the actions of family members whose choices we don’t always understand.

I finished the book feeling moved, thoughtful, and grateful for having read it. It’s the kind of story that lingers with you long after the last page, inviting you to look inward with a little more honesty and a little more grace.

[Rachel]

Wow. What a powerful book. I read this book quickly as I was completely engrossed and I have been thinking about it since I finished. The writer’s voice is vulnerable and honest making it a compelling read. I particularly loved the way Dr Aspler examined her own past through her connections with her patients. This is a book that will stay with me a long time.

[SUSAN THOUIN]

This book thoughtfully wove heartbreaking patient encounters seen far too often in the ED with the Author's own reckoning of her complicated and often devastating experiences of the past at the hands of those who should have been most trusted. As she grapples with her history she seamlessly carries the reader on waves of hope and change that is possible even through the darkest of times Hope for her daughters and other girls, women and anyone else navigating challenges that seem impossible.
Her words saying that no matter how devastating the loss—it’s possible to work
through the grief and come out whole on the other side - are so poignant and a reminder that we all can rise again. As painful and crushing as the prior encounters discussed in this book can be I could not put it down. Her beautifully and honestly crafted words and the realness of how she writes is restoring and so well done.
Finally near the end she writes - For most people
in midlife, the question stops being why can’t they change and becomes how
can I. I’m not sure I’m there yet. But I can see it from here -
Thank you Anne. I needed to read this - all of it.

[Miriam]

So well written- I do not typically gravitate towards non-fiction books, but I truly had a lot of trouble putting this down. The writing is so honest and handles heavy topics very earnestly. It was a privilege reading about the author’s personal experiences growing up, experiencing private violence, and how it mirrored the cases she encountered at work. Although heavy, it was very enlightening to go on this journey with Dr. Aspler and I would highly recommend giving this a read!

[Heather Millar]

I’m not sure I can eloquently express how meaningful I feel this book is. I couldn’t put it down. Anne writes about trauma in a way that is different, honest, thoughtful, inquisitive, complex. In particular, the way she weaves together stories from the emergency department with her personal journey of coming to terms with her own trauma was truly beautifully done. She also very uniquely - and with acknowledgment of all of the complexity - writes about the relationship with the perpetrator of her trauma, including the difficult process of understanding his trauma and wrestling with forgiveness.

[Helen Kennedy]

Rise After Silence, by Dr. Anne Aspler, fEMPOWER Publications, 2026.
Anne Aspler had a remarkable childhood. She was sexually abused by her father at age five, resided with her fundamentalist Pentecostal mother who was living with schizophrenia and taken into foster care. Her father was convicted and jailed for assaulting three women. Nevertheless, Aspler managed to do her master’s at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases, intern at the World Health Organization in Geneva, get a Diploma in Tropical Medicine in Peru and complete a fellowship in Harvard before becoming an emergency physician, speaker, singer and brain health expert. Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients who Healed Her is a memoir that details her remarkable journey to overcome her ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) score through her interactions with her parents, her partner and her ER patients.
Aspler’s childhood experiences delayed the onset of adolescence. In a relationship with her supervisor, she declares that she is “finally living my teenage dream, just at age 26.” The experience, which ends, of course, in heartbreak, begins her journey toward adulthood.
One of the traumas she must overcome is her fundamentalist upbringing in Edmonton. She admits that faith in Christ carried her through childhood, like an imaginary friend. Once into her medical training, she studies her “latest bible: Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine Manual.” Throughout the memoir, Aspler refers to additional substitute bibles, including Why Men Love Bitches as a secular dating manual, The Joy of Burnout when workaholic meets alcoholic and The Six Stages of Parenthood upon the birth of her first daughter.
When visibly pregnant, a shopkeeper asks if she is reading What to Expect When you’re Expecting?” What Aspler is reading – The Story of Jane Doe: A Story about Rape and a series of rape culture classics as she tries to understand her father’s convictions. She knows she is having a daughter – “a girl with a vagina, a girl who will always be at risk in a world filled with people like my father.”
There is humour throughout, which relieves the intense pressure in conveying her childhood experiences. After being dumped by her boyfriend, he drops into her yoga class. She notices him when in the Downward Dog position and runs out of the session. The motif of yoga picks up at the end of the book with a poignant moment as Aspler and her husband share a deeply unifying yoga session that symbolizes her growth and acceptance of her childhood trauma. The instructor’s final question, “how far can you reach?” suggests there is much more in Aspler’s life to accomplish.
But what are the answers?
Accompanying her father to an AA meeting, the repeated mantra she hears is “secrets make us sick.” Aspler’s breakthrough moment is the realization that once we know the secrets of our childhood, we must speak up, because “silence makes us sick.” And speak up she does. From penning an editorial about the Blessings from Schizophrenia, to recording and launching an album dedicated to women who have been abused to becoming a much-respected speaker on Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence and brain health, Anne becomes an advocate for survivors and opens a dialogue on how to end violence against women.
One of the closing scenes is with her father, who had already given his daughter permission to write about his actions. After Aspler speaks at a community forum about her childhood which her father watches on YouTube, sends a note to her, demanding that she cease and desist. After a brief deliberation, buoyed by her growing awareness and need to speak up, she delivers a one-word answer – NO! Her answer echoes the growing consensus of the survivor community, NO means NO and her own commitment to say NO to violence and to end the silence.

[Laura]

Than you NetGalley for providing a free Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
I used to work in Toronto under the University Health Network, and I wonder if I ever crossed paths with this amazing doctor/survivor, either on the hospital grounds or in her writing group. I wish I had.

The title of this memoir made me think that most of the action would take place in the ER. In reality, this is more a family memoir, with interspersed ER stories. Dr. Aspler is a high-achieving ER specialist; the daughter of a mother with schizo-affective disorder and a father who abused her and was a convicted serial rapist; the mother of two daughters; a woman who grew up in poverty; a survivor; a potentially neurodivergent woman whose past greatly affected her mental health. This memoir delivers it all: intense family conflict, religious trauma, chaotic dating stories, healing relationships, ER drama, and a thoughtful post-"MeToo" conversation.

That last part was the most important part of the memoir. Throughout the book, Dr. Aspler struggles to balance her need to understand her past, a pull to forgive her father, and the need to grow from the trauma and establish healthy boundaries. The vacillations between contemplating forgiveness and needing to cut ties may feel a bit much for people, but I am glad she captured it in all its messiness. Her dilemma is that of a woman who had been often deprived of healthy love early in life; further complicating things are her families ties to ultra-conservative Christianity. Modern society rarely forgives; Christianity claims to endorse forgiveness. Serial rapists crave it, but rarely do the work to deserve it; families and victims need it, but not as a blank slate. What is needed instead is a shedding of guilt, shame, and stress. Unfortunately, as Dr. Aspler clearly illustrates in this memoir (and Giselle Pelicot's memoir does as well), shame hasn't yet switched sides. Too often rape survivors are terrified to file charges, complete required medical evaluations, and speak up about their experience. The silencing of victims has never been completely reversed and now is being enforced anew.

We have confused the post-"MeToo" deluge of stories with resolution of a systemic problem. After a few years of flooding the market with sexual trauma memoirs, the publishing industry is now, once again, suppressing stories. Dr. Aspler is not the only writer I know who's been told that the moment of the "trauma memoir" has passed. But make no mistake, this decision to rarely publish stories like Dr. Aspler's is not neutral, nor driven by the market. It is instead a systemic effort to silence the many remaining victims and return to the good ol' days, dressed up in financially-sane decisions. Dr. Aspler was lucky enough to have enough of a following to get published (after many rejections); many more voices are not heard. I appreciated her effort to give her SA patients a voice; and I loved her clear concise prose that managed to lead a difficult discussion with a lot of empathy.

As a critical reader I had only a few qualms with the memoir. At times she skipped ahead with few explanations (but this can be explained by Dr. Aspler's choice to respect the privacy of family members by not going in details over some critical moments). There was an instance where Dr. Aspler, who practices yoga, mocks the chants in a way that may seem innocent but landed more on the racist side. But overall I though the memoir did an excellent job in moving the story along with empathy and care. She provided enough details to illustrate the gravity of the situation, without engaging in gratuitous description of trauma. I consider her memoir a must read, and I recommend it to fans of Gisele Pelicot's "A Hymn to Life" and Tia Levings' "A Well Trained Wife." 4.75 stars rounded up.

[Kathrin T]

Dr. Anne Aspler wrote “Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her” for three reasons: Firstly, for her daughters in an attempt to explain who their maternal grandparents were and why they had a hard life. Secondly. to reduce the stigma associated with having mentally ill family members and with having been sexually assaulted. Thirdly, to describe the difficulty in letting go of fundamentalist beliefs.

Dr. Aspler came to Toronto in the first place to establish her career in global health. Still after years of resilience, she is deeply shattered from a childhood that has taken a heavy toll on her. “Replace relationship and religion with academic recognition. The only way to eliminate pain is to deny my emotions, continue being strong, keep busy.“

The case histories described from Dr Aspler’s daily work as an emergency doctor repeatedly confront her with her own experiences when it comes to the abuse of young women. She tries to understand and help.

All the while, she cannot, however, shake the thought of her father – she wants to find out why he did that to her. Still, her self-doubts haunt her: “On the outside, I was making it in life: a Harvard graduate, employed as an ER doctor, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, married, pregnant. But internally, a mental storm continued with no foreseeable end in sight.” Dr. Anne finally understood that she needed psychological help. Over the years, she has had varying degrees of contact with her father, sometimes cutting it off completely. Her sister was much more resolute and refused any contact from the outset. It has, however, taken a while to realise that he had never showed any genuine remorse and that his victims’ feelings had not been not important to him – only his own ever mattered. By writing down her story and the case histories of her patients with the support of a psychologist, she manages to come to terms with the past and realises that she alone can do this and must not expect her father to show remorse. “I cannot fix my mother’s mental illness. I cannot fix my father’s mental illness. But, goddamnit, I will radically fix my own.”

What lingers long after the final page is not simply the story the author tells, but the act of telling it. There is a rare kind of courage in refusing the consolations of omission and instead allowing the whole truth to emerge. This memoir is distinguished precisely by that courage.

The author writes with an honesty that is both unsparing and deeply compassionate, excavating a past shaped by shame, fear, and silence. The result is a work of striking psychological insight, one that recognizes that healing is seldom a moment of triumph but rather the slow, often painful dismantling of the stories we tell ourselves in order to endure.

What ultimately gives this memoir its moral force is how in confronting the parts of herself she had long regarded as unworthy of being acknowledged, she finally discovers a way to accept herself. The recovery of her self-worth feels earned rather than declared, emerging gradually through a disciplined practice of telling herself the truth and of reflecting with her sister and her husband.
This memoir reminds us that the deepest forms of courage are often quiet: the decision to stop deceiving oneself, to endure the vulnerability of being fully known, and to trust that one’s self-worth is not diminished by the truth, but actually restored through it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rilie]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start this review by providing the important context that I am drawn to medical narratives. I am probably in the minority when I say that her retellings of her ER cases are some of the strongest parts of her novel. I am conflicted in saying that I wanted to read more of those cases; I am certain that Dr. Aspler has several more cases that she could discuss, but this fact saddens me.

The reason why I find these retellings so meaningful is because they highlight the unique burden that physicians must carry each time they lace their stethoscopes around their necks. There is not a lot of control over how many patients an ER physician sees in one shift. They don’t have the luxury of penciling patients into a schedule. In a profession that demands that you see as many patients as you physically can within a mere twelve hours, how do you grant sensitive cases such as sexual assault the time that they deserve? Furthermore, how does one cope with that? Dr Aspler shows us exactly how. Not only does she discuss cases where she does everything right, but she also discusses cases where she missed the signs of sexual assault.

While perhaps not the primary intent of her novel, her retellings of these patients’ stories serve as a valid criticism of the healthcare system that she must operate in. There is a unique horror in knowing that despite changing the names of the patient cases to protect their privacy, there is someone in the world with that name whose life has been affected by violence in some way. That is how pervasive of a problem sexual and domestic violence are in our world. At the same time, I discovered very quickly that this book cannot be classified as merely a medical narrative alone.

This book is cathartic. At times, it is difficult to read: Not because of how it is written, more so due to the subject matter. This is not a criticism by any means. I think it would be a disservice to herself and her story if she did not write with the candor that she does. It’s Dr. Aspler’s way of unpacking not just the failures of her parents, but her own response to those failures. At the expense of sounding callous, there were moments where I found myself confused by a decision that she made (I’m avoiding spoilers now). Usually, she would reveal in those moments of the book that she, too, was confused by the decision that she made.

I found her reflections regarding religion to be refreshing; Our relationships with a higher power are personal, and it’s all too easy to follow the “teachings” of organized religion and base our sense of morality on what other people are saying, if that makes sense.

I am looking forward to whatever Dr. Aspler writes next, but I am hoping that involves further discussion of patients that she’s encountered.

[Ruchi Mo]

This is a powerful, raw, and deeply moving story of resilience.This book captivated me from the very beginning. It is a beautifully written account of a personal journey through an extraordinarily difficult childhood and an inspiring life of resilience, self-reflection, and accomplishment.

The author’s story is both heartbreaking and remarkable. What makes her story particularly powerful is that she does not tell it from a place of distance or simplicity. She allows the reader to see the conflicting emotions—the love for family alongside anger, hurt, grief, and disappointment—and she lays these emotions out with remarkable honesty, light hearted humour and vulnerability.
Her writing is eloquent, descriptive, and deeply evocative. I especially loved the way she moves between her childhood memories, her personal challenges, education, and her present-day work as a physician. Her clinical encounters with patients often become moments of reflection, bringing her back to her own experiences and allowing her to examine her family history and the ways in which those experiences shaped her. This weaving of past and present makes the storytelling incredibly compelling.
There is something especially powerful about seeing how her experiences as a child continue to inform the doctor and person she has become. Her professional encounters seem to open doors into her own memories, creating a fascinating interplay between caring for others and coming to terms with her own story.
What stayed with me most was her willingness to be vulnerable. She writes about trauma, abuse, family, love, anger, and resilience without trying to make any of it neat or uncomplicated. The rawness of her reflections makes the book feel incredibly honest—as though she is allowing the reader to see wounds that have not simply disappeared, but have become part of the strength she carries.
This is a story of survival, but also of transformation. It is an impressive testament to the resilience of the human spirit and to the possibility of creating a meaningful and accomplished life despite an incredibly difficult beginning. An honest, courageous, beautifully written, and deeply inspiring book that stayed with me long after I finished reading it.

[Carol Loffelmann]

I received an advanced copy from the author.

This memoir is a raw and courageous journey through trauma, survival, and the relentless pursuit of healing. As an ER physician, the author bears witness to suffering daily, yet carries her own invisible wounds from her family of origin and childhood. We meet her as a young adult who has left her mother who was loving but severely mentally ill, and her incarcerated father behind, accumulating degrees and success in all she tries. But her unraveling begins with the quiet devastation of an unacknowledged power-abuse relationship during residency. Her descent into alcoholism during the grueling years of training feels less like a personal failing and more like a survival response to a world that demands strength without offering support.

What makes this story so powerful is its duality: she is both caregiver and survivor, a mother striving to protect her two young daughters while confronting the unresolved traumas of her own upbringing. Her work with survivors of intimate partner and family violence in the ER mirrors her internal battle, each person’s story echoing the justice and compassion she once needed but rarely received. And so, she begins to do what she needs to do to understand and heal: she reopens closed files. Not just metaphorically, but literally, reaching back into the past, seeking out people who shaped her pain, asking questions that were never allowed, and refusing to let silence have the final word.

The narrative unfolds non-linearly, mirroring how memory, especially of childhood trauma, actually surfaces: not in order, but in fragments. Some moments replay like loops, others emerge only through a sensory trigger - a scent, a sound, a fleeting image. This structure isn’t just stylistic; it’s psychological, drawing the reader into the way trauma lives in the body and returns on its own terms. Healing, in this light, isn’t about moving on, but about circling back with greater clarity, each time reclaiming a little more of oneself.

Honest, unflinching, and ultimately hopeful, this is more than a personal reckoning. It’s a call to listen, to believe, and to transform pain into purpose

[Lynora Saxinger]

To be clear, I received an advance e-copy, as I know Dr. Aspler (since before she was in medical school!).
I will note that I read it in essentially one sitting, even though I was tired and post-call, so clearly, this was an immediately engaging read. As I knew the larger shapes of her story personally, though, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a wise, sad, funny, and thoughtful page-turner of an origin story—one that reflects both the realities of modern medicine and the tragedies of our modern world (while demanding better).

This book offers an unflinchingly honest, vivid picture of how Anne’s unique makeup—her intense drive and creativity—channeled the instability of her unconventional childhood into high achievement. But success didn't erase the past; it eventually forced a reckoning with who she was and where—really who—she came from. She delivers a layered, loving, yet unvarnished portrait of her mother’s mental illness and the impact of her father’s alcoholism, but the true tension lies in how secrets, and her father’s crimes shaped her life. Her work in emergency rooms—witnessing the gritty reality of patients facing abuse, violence, and stigma—repeatedly challenged her conceptualization of her own life, ultimately helping her reach acceptance and peace.

The story ranges from occasionally shocking to funny and heartwarming, and the excellent pacing keeps you hooked from start to finish. I appreciated her portrayal of the humanity and challenges of medicine as well. Ultimately, what shines through is Dr. Aspler's radical honesty, resilience, and hard-earned wisdom.

While the intense content means the book could have felt like one giant trigger warning, I truly think readers with difficult life experiences are more likely to both feel seen with compassion, and find comfort in Dr. Aspler’s candid, sympathetic realism and shared insights.

[Noreen]

I received an advance copy of Rise After Silence and honestly could not put it down.

This is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish reading it. I found myself thinking about it throughout the day and reflecting on so many of the stories and experiences Dr. Aspler shares.

The topics in this book are difficult at times, but they are handled with honesty, compassion, and incredible courage. Dr. Aspler's willingness to share such personal parts of her life is what makes this book so powerful.

What impacted me most was learning about everything Dr. Aspler endured long before she became a physician. Reading about her experiences in foster care, the challenges she faced growing up, and the role that school played in helping her move forward was both heartbreaking and inspiring. It is a powerful reminder that success is rarely a straight path and that resilience often grows from circumstances no one should have to face.

The sections describing her work as an emergency physician were particularly moving. Through her patients and her own lived experiences, Dr. Aspler offers a perspective that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. The book reminded me that we never truly know what someone has been through or what they may be carrying with them.

This book made me cry, made me reflect, and made me see things a little differently. At its heart, it is a story about resilience, healing, and finding a way forward despite the challenges life puts in your path.

I can only imagine how difficult this book was to write, and I am grateful that Dr. Aspler chose to share her story. Rise After Silence is powerful, moving, and unforgettable. I highly recommend it.

[Natalie]

"Silence is not an option. No. We must not remain silent"

I received an advance copy of this memoir, and it is unflinchingly honest look at Dr Aspler's personal life and it's impact on how she chooses to build the community around her and her family. Distilling it all into a summary feels like I am shortchanging what it is to be completely vulnerable in 288 page book.

Despite it's difficult subject matter, the author writes with such warmth and humor, that it feels like she is sharing her story with you over a warm cup of tea. Broken into five parts, it never feels disjointed. The parts flow together like a yoga practice-something Dr Aspler found after questioning her Pentecostal upbringing. The stories that she shares about her patients also thread together the memoir-each of them chosen because they provide some reflection for the reader. But it is the mother's responses in the story of Giulia, and Dr Angie that stuck with me the most. I'm so deeply grateful to be in a timeline where there are more and more women like Dr Aspler, Dr Angie, and Dr Angie's mom.

In the author's note, she reminds the reader that private violence does not stay private. And to not be afraid to be vulnerable, to refuse to stay silent, as this is how we build community and safety.

This is a book about strength, resilience, and the intentional choice to hold onto hope as she calls for courageous conversations-"so that every person feels empowered to rise after silence." As I often tell my own daughters, a rising tide lifts all ships. May we all be a part of that tide.

I look forward to her second book in 2027!

[Darcy Speed]

This is one of those books that lingers long after you've turned the last page.

Dr. Aspler shares experiences that are heartbreaking, disturbing, and deeply personal, but she does it with remarkable honesty and vulnerability. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to tell a story like this, and I'm grateful she chose to share it.

What surprised me most was how beautifully written this memoir is. I never would have guessed this was her debut. The writing is thoughtful, engaging, and incredibly polished. She has a way of balancing the emotional weight of her story with moments of reflection that kept me completely invested. I found myself wanting to keep reading, even when what I was reading was difficult.

I also appreciated that this isn't a memoir that tries to wrap everything up with neat answers or easy resolutions. It acknowledges that trauma is complicated, that healing isn't linear, and that some questions don't have simple answers. That honesty made the book feel even more powerful.

This isn't an easy read, but I think it's an important one. It's a moving, courageous memoir about resilience, family, and the lasting impact of trauma. I have so much respect for Anne; not only for everything she has overcome, but for her willingness to shine a light on experiences that so many people keep hidden.

I highly recommend this one, but I'd also encourage readers to check the content warnings beforehand, as it deals with sexual violence, mental illness, addiction, and childhood trauma.

[Estelle Bouldin]

Some books tell a story. Others make you stop reading every few pages just to sit with what you've read. Rise After Silence is one of those books.

I picked this up expecting a memoir from an emergency physician, but what I found was something much deeper. Dr. Anne Aspler weaves together her experiences in the ER with her own history of childhood trauma, faith, complicated relationships, and the long, messy process of healing. The way she connects the stories of her patients with her own life feels incredibly authentic rather than forced.

She doesn't present herself as the doctor who has all the answers. Instead, she's refreshingly vulnerable about depression, self-doubt, unhealthy relationships, and the emotional toll of caring for people in crisis while carrying wounds of her own. That level of openness takes courage, and it makes the book impossible to dismiss.

There were scenes in the emergency department that broke my heart, and others from her childhood that were genuinely difficult to read. The subject matter is heavy, so the trigger warnings are well deserved, but there is always an underlying thread of hope that keeps the story moving forward.

This isn't just another medical memoir. It's about the lasting effects of silence, the complexity of trauma, and how healing rarely follows a straight line. Whether you're in healthcare or not, there's something profoundly human in these pages.

[Annette Jordan]

Rise After Silence by Dr Anne Aspler is a raw, emotional, honest and unflinching account of the impact of trauma on the author and multiple generations of her family and it is a book that will be seared into my memory for a long long time. The author has a style that feels almost conversational and a distinctive voice, which combined with her experience as an ER physician gave a unique perspective that I think will resonate with many many readers, whether they have experienced trauma in their lives or not. I admire her bravery in not only facing the past but in being honest about how difficult that was to do, and the many many ways she tried to avoid it for a very long time, something that was particularly challenging given her work with victims of sexual violence in the ER. Her upbringing was anything but conventional, her mother suffered from Schizophrenia and her father was a convicted rapist, and I found the different challenges she faced in her relationships with each of them fascinating, while her determination not to pass on the generational trauma to her own children was inspiring. I appreciated the strong messaging that healing is not simple or easy, it is a challenging and continuous process
This is a powerful and impactful book, and I think that many readers will benefit from hearing Dr Aspler's story.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Maribeth J]

Dr. Anne Aspler has written the most thoughtful and transparent of memoirs. It takes courage to mine the depths of one's bewildering, chaotic, and abusive childhood, and rise into the light with a story that provides hope to all who have suffered in silence. The uniqueness of this book lies in Dr. Aspler's ability to examine her own thoughts and motives with unflinching honesty. While relationships with family, friends and patients are clearly and compassionately portrayed, it is Dr. Aspler's own ability to take a flashlight and intrepidly trek into the darkest corners of her own psyche that make this story compelling and unputdownable.

Equally fascinating is the form of the memoir, which weaves together heartbreaking stories from the emergency room with the events of Dr. Aspler's past. These riveting anecdotes not only draw back the curtain on the people who lie in mental, physical, and emotional pain on the gurneys, but also provide a conduit into the mind of an empathetic physician who cannot but help feel for them and ponder the relationship between their situations and hers.

This brilliant first book is not just a must read for medical professionals or those with traumatic childhoods, but for all who search their past for a path toward a future resplendent with self-acceptance and love.

[Khalil Jivraj]

I went to medical school with Anne at the University of Alberta, so picking up her memoir felt personal from the start. Even so, I was completely blown away by how raw, gripping, and deeply honest Rise After Silence is. This is not your typical heroic medical memoir as Anne goes somewhere different. She captures the chaos of the ER that we know all too well with absolute authenticity. What really stays with me is her willingness to turn that same clinical and scrutinizing lens on her own life. That's not easy. She lays bare about growing up with a mother battling severe mental illness, uncovering painful and trust breaking truths about her father, leaving behind the rigid fundamentalist faith of her youth, and fighting through burnout and self-doubt during residency. Seeing how she learned to stop hiding behind her scrubs and let her patients' and colleagues' courage guide her own healing is powerful, moving, and quietly heartbreaking. It’s an incredible look at trauma, resilience, personal growth and what it actually takes to break cycles of silence. This expression is a massive step in advancing the conversation that we all need to have. I couldn’t be prouder of my classmate - and friend - for writing something this brave and vulnerable. Congratulations, Anne. This memoir is highly, highly recommended!

[Ruth Dixon]

I'll be upfront: Rise After Silence isn't the kind of book I usually pick off the shelf. I had the opportunity to pre-read and surprised myself by racing through it; it was compelling and well-paced. Despite the weighty topics, it's a nuanced narrative that didn't feel sensationalist or overly emotional.

Dr Aspler manages to tackle difficult subject matter with a refreshing tone that is accessible and direct, yet remains authentic. By weaving in the everyday alongside the pivotal revelations there is no breathless trauma-exposé, but rather a grounded and measured journey that you take alongside her.

I was struck by the beautiful illustration of how our relationship to past experiences isn't fixed, even decades later. It offers a powerful reminder that healing looks different for everyone—we all draw our own lines, try to find our own ways forward, and none of those paths are "wrong."

If you're looking for something hopeful, inspiring, and true—without the fluff—this is it. I'm grateful I had the chance to read this advance copy, and I can't wait to see it reach readers who might need its grounded wisdom and compassion. Highly recommended, even for those who don't typically gravitate toward personal narratives.

[DarkTwistedReads]

Thank you netgalley and publishers for access to this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A journey of Dr. Aspler's self discovery and dealing with past and present trauma and the patients who helped her seek answers that she desperately needed in order to move forward in a healthy way for herself and her daughters.

I thought this book was an important read for anyone that has experienced trauma at the hands of family or literally anyone else.
The writing was easy to read and understand so I feel like it'd be accessible for anyone who wishes to read it.

It feels wrong judging the book since it's literally someone's life, and we don't have a right to judge anyone's life when they are so brave to put their traumas and life out there to be consumed by readers.
The story had a very strong message though, and the book helped me to understand that there is a serious pandemic of people being SA'd in the world and that silence is poison.

The Silence benefits no one but the person who committed the crime. Why should they live in peace while you suffer internally?
I wish silence wasn't so normalized and that there were more mental health support programs to help people.

To anyone who was a victim of SA or any form of assault. It wasn't your fault.

[Elizabeta Rosa]

I love reading books related to the medical doctors. And this book is a wild ride from start to finish. This has the makings of a TV series for sure- A young woman who was raised in a regimented religion thrown into the world to try and become a doctor, the realization that she was molested by her father as a child, being torn from place to place by a mentally unwell mother who just wants to protect her daughter, and the fight to keep her job while teetering on the edge of alcholism unable to process the trauma that keeps rising up. Throughout this, she keeps silent. She shoulders the burdens of having her father being convicted of being a serial rapist, and feeling unloved and unworthy in a place that's supposed to be about healing.

This is such a raw and authentic memoir and your jaw will drop to the floor when you read about the patients of abuse she is trying to help. From young women to co-workers, we never know what is going on behind the scenes. This is an expose grittier than the Pitt, and heartwarming as Grey's Anatomy. If you are looking for a fast paced and almost unbelievable read- then don't hesitate to pick this up!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

[Emily]

Rise After Silence was a compulsively readable, incredibly honest memoir. After receiving an advance copy, I found it hard to put down.

I admire Dr. Aspler deeply for her openness and willingness to talk about things that are often swept under the rug, particularly in medicine. Her resilience as a physician and mother is evidenced in every page of this book. She tackles challenging topics, like the nuances of managing relationships with people who have harmed you in the past, navigating these bonds as a young person and then new parent. She provides compassionate insight into the realities of having a parent with severe mental illness.

Her writing gives an honest insight into the reality of working in medicine, particularly the emergency room, and the ways that patient’s experiences stick with you, long after they have left the hospital. She writes plainly and does not pull her punches when describing the reality of her work. Reading her experiences, alongside those of her patients was truly wrenching sometimes.

This book will stay with me for years. I think this book is important, and recommend it to everyone, especially those working in medicine. I thank Dr. Aspler for her bravery in sharing herself with the world.

[Michael Cox]

Gut-wrenchingly good.

This book reminded me of a quote from my Abnormal Psych class: “the prognosis doesn’t follow the neurosis.” That idea is addressed throughout the plot—namely, that the outcome of one’s life is not defined by a singular point, regardless of the stigma attached to an event. I also appreciated how the book explores our tendency to treat rationality in dichotomous terms.

What I love most about this book is that it makes me ask more questions than it gives me answers, and it does so in the best possible way.

The therapist said there were three issues, and each needed to be worked on separately. I only wish the journey of faith had been explored more deeply. Protestant fundamentalism isn’t the only theological framework, yet it’s where the story began and ended, without much further exploration or resolution. I say this primarily because of my own journey with faith. Being “born again,” for example, means something different within historic Christian theology. The term seems to have been largely claimed by the Charismatic movement that swept across North America from the late 1950s through the early 1970s.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Beth S.]

Lucky me: I had an opportunity to review this book after reading an advance copy prior to publication. I am also a physician who, over many years of practice, saw individuals and families who suffered from the aftermath of violence, sexual assault, substance abuse and mental illness. Dr. Aspler lets us peak behind the curtain in her emergency department, where we witness her compassion and expertise. We see tragedy and triumph, bravery and cowardice, hopefulness and despair. That is to say, we see real people and real life, not a sanitised instagram version of humanity. Dr.Aspler juxtaposes what she learns from her patients in the emergency department with the problems she faces in her own life. She is unflinching as she reveals her mother's ongoing battle with schizophrenia, and she does not turn away from sharing that her father served time for sexual assault. Rather than letting her past define her, Dr. Aspler is doing something valuable and concrete. She is talking about taboos, making herself vulnerable, and in doing so we can only hope the world will be made a little bit safer for her, her daughters, and us.

[Drk]

Once I got into this book, I found it hard to put down and finished it in the space of 3 days,, which is quite rare for me.
I deeply admire Dr. Aspler for putting so much of her personal life into this book, detailing a traumatic upbringing and what it took to overcome her personal history to become a driven and very successful physician, mother, and wife. With alcoholism, physical/sexual/emotional abuse, mental illness, and intimate partner violence being so common and yet rarely spoken of, it was heartening to see a strong woman speak up to bring light to these issues. The anecdotes of patients she has cared for as an ER doctor really brought home systemic and social challenges that are faced by many who have been affected by these things.
Her personal reflection and the personal growth detailed in this book give a lot of hope to those who have also dealt with challenges growing up.
All of us could do with reading this book which opens our eyes to a number of social and mental health challenges, and raises awareness of societal and health care system flaws that let some people unfortunately slip through the cracks.
I'll look forward to reading future novels from her!

[Kathryn]

Rise After Silence by Dr. Anne Aspler
I found Rise After Silence to be a very well-written and interesting book. By the end, I almost felt like I knew Anne.
What struck me most was what an incredibly brave woman she is. To have come from such an extreme and heartbreaking childhood and then go on to accomplish so much is truly remarkable. Anne’s strength, determination, and incredible work ethic really stayed with me.
I was especially touched by the work she has done as a doctor and by the compassion she shows toward victims. You can feel how deeply she cares about the people she helps. What a wonderful doctor—and I honestly think all doctors could benefit from reading her story.
For me, hope is really the cornerstone of her journey. Her life is a powerful reminder of what people can achieve, even when they have been given so little help or so few advantages.
I finished the book with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for Dr. Anne Aspler. Her story is heartbreaking at times, but ultimately it is a story of courage, resilience, hard work, and hope.
An incredibly brave woman, an extraordinary journey, and a story that will stay with me.

[Johanna Hansen]

I found this book very readable and engaging and got through it very quickly. I think that this book would have a hard time being picked up by a mainstream publisher as it does not try to push a particular narrative but instead is an honest account of the author’s personal and professional (as an emergency doctor) experiences with private violence and mental illness. Other topics touched on in this book include the Canadian health care system and episodic care, the Canadian social safety net, children services, rehabilitation and fundamentalism. If you are looking to tie any of these topics up neatly with bow this is not the book for you. Instead Dr. Aspler offers us her unique experience and perspective with its various shades of gray, as is so often the case in real life, often raising more questions than it answers. She does however offer a call to action. That we must not hide private violence that being quiet only allows the cycle to continue and if as a society we are to heal from these things we must first have the courage to acknowledge them.