Nadine Burke Harris has two central stories to tell in The Deepest Well—the story of how she brought her insights about ACEs and toxic stress to national attention and the science that explains the link between ACEs and toxic stress. Because her audience is likely to be neither scientists nor elites who know the ins and outs of public health and brain science, Burke Harris skillfully uses anecdotes from medical and scientific history as well as other narratives to make her two central stories accessible.

The framing medical anecdote for the story is about Diego, a child Burke Harris encounters early in her tenure at Bayview. Burke Harris’s narration of Diego’s story is tender and heart-rending. She describes him as cute and loveable but dealing with the physical and psychological burden of having survived terrible abuse. Centering the story of this vulnerable child and Rosalia, a mother who ultimately serves as a buffer for her child, instantly reveals the stakes of this conversation. Although Burke Harris mentions in passing the health disparities that exist between Bayview and the more affluent neighborhoods nearby, her inclusion of a specific story forces an understanding of the people behind those numbers.