Books
“All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world.” — E.B. White
“A fresh, open, and inspiring remembrance.”
—Kirkus Reviews
In this luminous memoir, a Buddhist psychotherapist uses her understanding of suffering to confront her own trauma history, as she comes to terms with the truth of what happened to her in childhood. The book asks compelling questions about the aftereffects of injury and living with disability:
- Can a childhood accident permanently damage our psyche?
- Is it possible to heal from the physical and psychological wounds of trauma?
- Is the term “disabled” an indignity, or an identity to be embraced?
At age 2, Jeanne Malmgren suffered an injury that would scar her forever. Her story will inspire anyone who lives with a disability or has endured trauma of any kind. Good Eye, Bad Eye launches readers on an emotional roller coaster of shame, the poignant yearning to be “normal,” and the author’s eventual discovery of a spiritual path that brings her peace and acceptance.
This is also a detective story as Jeanne searches for the truth of what exactly happened to her in childhood—a truth withheld from her by those who loved her most. The answer she finally uncovers is bittersweet.
Good Eye, Bad Eye is a primer on how the human brain struggles to handle overwhelming events, how therapists help their patients heal, and how the truth sets us free.
A Lifelong Love of Words
Words have enthralled me from an early age. As a toddler, I would stand in my crib and touch the colorful alphabet letters on the wallpaper. Once I learned to read, many a happy hour was spent in the company of my Little Golden Books.
At age 10, I scored my first byline: a poem published in Scholastic’s Golden Magazine for Boys and Girls. The rhymes were clumsy, but earnest. Fast forward to college, where I dove into the study of languages and world literature, everything from Shakespeare to Garcia Marquez. My love for words flowered into a passion.
My first job out of college, in the early ’80s, was on the editorial staff of The Mother Earth News. We were a bunch of hippies cranking out a bimonthly magazine about homesteading, and our circulation was an astounding 1-million. Later I landed at the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times), Florida’s largest newspaper. I was there for 20 years, writing feature stories that won multiple awards and were syndicated in newspapers nationwide. What a fun job that was.
For the last decade or more, I’ve worn two hats: author and psychotherapist. Still listening to people’s stories … still musing on the human experience … still in love with words.
Jeanne Malmgren
Author & Psychotherapist
My Books
Released in 2024, this memoir-in-essays traces a psychotherapist’s highly personal journey from wounding to recovery — an inspiring story for anyone living with a disability or the aftereffects of trauma. It’s a raw and honest look at my own life, but it also explores how my trauma history informs the ways I help my psychotherapy clients heal from their traumas. You’ll learn a lot about Buddhist practice, the emerging field of nature-based therapy, and the human brain’s adaptive response to stress.
In 2003, I helped my spiritual teacher compile his autobiography for Wisdom Publications. An expanded edition, with an afterword written by me, came out in 2017. This is the amazing life story of a 97-year-old Buddhist monk, from his childhood in the jungles of Sri Lanka to his founding of the first Theravada monastery/retreat center in America. Bhante Gunaratana is also author of the international bestseller, Mindfulness in Plain English, named by the New York Times as the No.1 best book for anyone curious about meditation.
Released in 2010 by Hub City Press, this is a vibrant collection of writings by nature adventurers in the Upstate of South Carolina. It includes my essay, “Spring Ephemeral,” about a mountain pilgrimage to find the elusive and endangered wildflower called Oconee bells (Shortia galacifolia)—which is the flower you see depicted throughout this website.