Video
Meet Linda Landum, Author of What We Didn't Get
Linda Landum, RN, MSN-Ed, MA, nurse educator and founder of Shrewd Wit Inc., introduces herself and her book What We Didn't Get: How Poverty, Racism, and Trauma Interrupted Black Development.
About this video
In this short video, Linda Landum speaks in her own words about who she is and why she wrote What We Didn't Get. Linda is a registered nurse with a master's degree in nursing education and a master of arts, and she has spent more than two decades healing, teaching and advocating for people who deserve more than the world has given them. She is the founder of Shrewd Wit Incorporated, a nonprofit educational publisher, and she also writes and speaks as Linda Kamal.
What We Didn't Get: How Poverty, Racism, and Trauma Interrupted Black Development looks at how systemic racism, historical trauma and poverty disrupted critical stages of human development in the African American community. It explains how missed milestones in trust, identity and emotional security show up in children, in adults and across generations, and why traditional theories of development fall short when the full context of Black life is left out.
The book is written for educators, nurses, counselors and social workers, for parents, grandparents and caregivers, and for any adult trying to understand how their own childhood still shapes them. It closes with practical, affirming strategies for families, schools and communities to repair what was interrupted.
What the book covers
- Interrupted milestones: how missed milestones in trust, identity and emotional security affect children, families and whole communities across generations.
- Poverty, racism and historical trauma: how these forces disrupted critical developmental stages in the African American community.
- A culturally responsive lens: why traditional Eurocentric theories of human development fall short when the full context of Black life is left out.
- Resilience and repair: practical, affirming strategies for reclaiming lost stages and making sure every child has the chance to thrive.
About Linda Landum
Linda Landum, RN, MSN-Ed, MA, is a nurse educator, author and the founder of Shrewd Wit Incorporated. Readers may also know her as Linda Kamal or Linda Landum-Kamal. What We Didn't Get is published under the name Linda Landum and is available in paperback, hardcover and eBook. She also leads trauma-informed workshops for teachers, nurses, counselors and community groups based on the book.
Essays that go deeper
Linda writes free essays on the ideas in the book. Good places to start:
- Generational trauma in Black and African American families
- Erikson's stages of development through a Black lens
- Unmet childhood needs: a list, examples and a self-check
- What is generational trauma? Definition, examples and signs
Keep going
- Read a free sample of What We Didn't Get on Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and more.
- See the book's synopsis, formats and where to buy.
- Read more about Linda Landum and her work as a nurse educator and author.
- Book Linda for a workshop or talk based on the book.