When life hurts us, what do we do? Do we stay wounded for life and play the victim? Or do we look for ways to live again in the best possible way? This is the definition of resilience: how to return to life after psychological trauma. In this book, Boris Cyrulnik draws on real-life cases to show us that a difficult and traumatic childhood is neither destiny nor a condemnation to failure. Abused children have hope. Resilience can help them transform pain into creative experiences, into a story that allows them to recover and live fully. For this process of change to be possible, the right internal resources are needed--affective bonds that are forged from early childhood--a supportive environment, and people capable of emotional support. Every ugly duckling can be transformed into a beautiful swan.