Aces High by Penny Hodgson is a powerful, deeply moving, and personal account of the author’s medical struggles and the mental, sexual, and physical abuse she has suffered. Adopted into a Canadian family as a baby, she grew up, along with her two older siblings, surrounded by a hyper-critical and verbally abusive father and a compliant subservient mother. She was diagnosed early on with an extremely rare and crippling condition that meant her hips were not correctly seated; she would suffer years of torment and bullying because of her inability to walk correctly. Add to that, numerous medical professionals who were unable to assist with her condition, some who experimented with new, untried techniques to try to “cure” her, and sexual abuse from family members and others. Penny has struggled immensely with crippling physical pain, feelings of extremely low self-esteem, and depression almost her entire life. Through it all, she remained determined to understand and deal with both her physical limitations and her mental health problems. 

Aces High is a deeply moving and inspirational story. As adults, we sometimes regard children’s taunts and teasing as just part of growing up but reading Penny Hodgson’s harrowing description of the effects of this on her self-worth and belief reminds us how destructive these behaviors can be. Her longing to be “just normal” comes through clearly in her writing. I was impressed with the extensive amount of research and investigation on her mental and physical condition that is cogently presented in this autobiography. Many of the techniques and strategies she adopted for coping are similar to the philosophies I ascribe to and perhaps that is why her story resonated so much with me. By her clearly explaining the concept of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Test in the book, readers will be able to apply and gauge their own experiences and hopefully learn how to deal with similar issues. This is a wonderfully inspiring and heartrending story that I highly recommend to everyone.

Aces High is an autobiography by Penny Hodgson. After noticing the trend of "victimhood", Hodgson wrote her book to encourage people who have suffered severe trauma. She believes people can heal by comprehending the references in their Mind File, the author's description of memories stored through a person's awareness and level of understanding during a particular life event. Hodgson shares her personal story and references the ACE Study that helped categorize childhood trauma to provide indicators of certain possible mental illnesses resulting from the trauma. She relives horrifying incidences, outlines the experiences she endured with her hip dysplasia, describes generational trauma, and touches on the cycle of abuse.

Penny Hodgson's work will inspire readers to reassess their feelings about negative experiences and advocate for their health and right to peaceful feelings. The topics include bullying, repressed memories, triggers, abandonment, suicide, molestation, and rape, and she gives greater insight into her feelings about self-worth. Hodgson includes a list of vitamins and minerals and describes the signs of reactions in a body without them. Readers will see evidence of trauma bonds but recognize the author's strength and growth as she overcomes adversity. She marks each instance of her childhood that contributed to her ACE score with an ace of spades. I was in tears as I read her words. Even though she is in a safe place now, it's hard not to cry for the child, teenager, and adult who had to endure so much hardship. Readers who enjoy books about resilient and tenacious individuals will love Aces High.