Trauma can come in many forms. Whether it’s watching a loved one going through a tough time, or experiencing the difficulties in our own lives, this trauma is never easy to face head on. Deryck Whibley bravely comes forward in sharing his multiple instances of trauma on his gripping new memoir entitled Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell. Whibley is a gifted songwriter, and while most of us know him for his lifelong work in Sum 41, I was surprised to hear just how deeply involved he was as the primary songwriter for the band. He mentions several times in the book instances where he recalls many fans and critics alike crediting Dave “Brownsound” Baksh as the main writer of Sum 41’s material, when that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Whibley remains poised and positive as he weaves an epic tale of the rise of Sum 41, the backstage shenanigans, key relationships he made in his life, all with an overarching narrative of the alleged abuse of his band’s former manager Greig Nori. The memoir is told in chronological order, while Whibley hints at the future tales that led to his highest of highs (Heaven) and the most dramatic of lows (Hell). Much like a Ying and Yang, Whibley needed to experience both polar opposites in order to determine what he values most in his young life that is starting to regain momentum for the next steps in his blossoming career.