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Library/Book/The Body Keeps the Score
Grade A20 sourcesHIS-01318

The Body Keeps the Score

Book · 2014 · Niche

33Editable slideCertificate

A trauma book became a meme; its publisher later reported over 3 million copies sold.

Clip · TikTok
Clip · Big Think on YouTube
Cover of The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
Mother Jones illustration for its critique of the book
Mother Jones
An unofficial workbook sold on the book's success
Barnes & Noble / BookMaster

Spread Score

How it works
Reach3Contagion60Breadth80Velocity0Longevity2733

Numbers

Observed peak date
Week of Sep 29, 2022
Sep 25 ’14 to Week of Sep 29, 2022
Platforms
7
Started on Retail
Origin
Seeded
Media & publishing

Mechanics

  • Platform jumpPrimary
  • Press loop
  • Maker origin
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

The book appeared in 2014 and later spread through memes and TikTok recommendations. Its highest seven-day Wikipedia total in the available December 2019 to October 2022 window ended in September 2022. Penguin later reported over 3 million copies sold.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia viewsMay ’14NovMar ’17Aug ’19Oct ’21Mar ’22NovSep ’23Jun ’24Feb ’25OctObserved peakRetailPressYouTubeTikTokAudioOpen webInstagram
RetailPressYouTubeTikTokAudioOpen webInstagram

12 more events on this chart

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Timeline (15)

  1. September 2014

    Bessel van der Kolk / Viking seed · Sep 25 ’14

    Viking published The Body Keeps the Score in hardcover and ebook.[1]

    Open the first post ↗

  2. November 2014

    New Scientist / Shaoni Bhattacharya press · Nov 5 ’14

    New Scientist reviewed the book's account of trauma and treatment.[2]

  3. September 2021

    US book buyers commercial · Week of Sep 6, 2021

    The weekly BookScan chart reported 15,259 copies sold and 376,435 year-to-date for the US paperback.[3]

  1. platform jump · Sep 17 ’21

  2. press · Sep 20 ’21

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Why it worked

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Media & publishing
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade A

Spread the same way

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Tim Ferriss; Crown / Harmony (publisher)

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How the next thing spread, the week it does.