How do we recover from childhood? How do we survive affliction, misfortune, and for some of us, physical violence and psychological mistreatment? Understanding 'natural resilience' can help us to assist those who have suffered: mistreated children, drifting adolescents and those affected by traumas, natural catastrophes or serious illnesses. The first studies of resilience date back to the Second World War and initially focused upon understanding the astonishing resilience of children faced with life-endangering situations in wartime. Although conceived initially at an individual level, resilience can also be studied at group and ethnic levels and applied to a multitude of situations of a potentially or obviously stressful character. In this moving and illuminating book, Jacques Lecompte offers a message of hope and initiates a process of reflection on how contemporary society fosters resilience amongst the vulnerable.

Translated by: Andrew Weller