"You Wouldn’t Want To Be..." Revisited: Trauma, Comedy, and the Neurodiverse Now

A view of how historical horror, slapstick humour, and graphic misfortune helped shape a couple of generations of readers - and what that means in today’s publishing world.

Back in 1999, when I created and designed the You Wouldn’t Want To Be... series, the world, and the world of children's publishing was a a completely different place. Books were commissioned by editors, not branding departments. Illustration came first. Historical facts were filtered through a lens of gleeful gross-out, and the question I asked was simple:

How do you make reluctant readers care about history?

You Wouldn't Want To Be a Roman Soldier writes by David Salariya, illustrated by David Antram

The answer: Put them in the stocks. Put them on a galleon, make them walk the plank. Make them the plague victim. Make them the envicerated egyptian mummy! I took a character and dumped them into a horrible time and place, then made them walk (or limp) through it. The result was absurd, educational, and weirdly empowering.

And yes, if we’re being honest - deeply traumatic.

Was This the First Trauma Series for Kids?

In today’s language of publishing, You Wouldn’t Want To Be... would likely be reframed as “trauma-informed historical simulation.” But back then, it was just funny, grotesque, and effective.

I didn’t give it trigger warnings. I gave it buckets of vomit and snot.

And children loved it.

Fast-forward 25 years and we find ourselves in an industry shaped by neurodiverse awareness, sensitivity readers, and the spectre of social media call-outs. Pain is now treated with solemnity (as it rightly should). Books are workshopped into safe, often flattening consensus. Some of it is long overdue. Some of it feels like risk-aversion dressed as progress. In 1999, I would never have thought that I would be republishing books created, written and illustrated in 1975 in 2000 - that is the curious thing now is that old books are being republished...under the guise of a tweak with fonts, but not fact checked for the massive changes that would have occured in the passing years.

What Works Now in the Neurodiverse Universe?

We’re living through a moment of massive recalibration in children’s publishing. Here's what’s currently in:

• Neurodiverse protagonists who perceive the world differently

• Therapeutic narratives that model emotional regulation

• Trigger warnings and “safe” content zones in books and classrooms

• Sensitivity readers who advise on cultural, emotional, and identity-based concerns

• Publishing-by-committee, where books pass through multiple layers of approval

None of this is inherently bad. Representation matters. So does care. But what risks being lost is a vital creative force: provocation.

What happens when the grotesque, the inappropriate, the satirical, and the outrageous are smoothed into beige?

Children - especially neurodivergent children often thrive on extremes. They love rules, but also absurdity. They don’t need everything to be tidy. They need it clear, intense, and visceral. That’s what You Wouldn’t Want To Be... delivered.

It was emotionally deregulated storytelling, on purpose.

The Role of Anachronism and Artistic Risk

David Antram, who illustrated most of the series, did so in a wonderfully anachronistic style. Roman centurions with enormous feet...and noses, in fact everyone had huge noses. Medieval peasants are adverts for the lack of toothpaste. We leaned into the absurd, because we knew the audience could take it.

Would that get through today’s publishing gatekeepers?

Possibly not.

But it’s worth asking: Have we confused sensitivity with sanitisation?

Connecting the Threads

In my blog One Painful Story at a Time, I wrote about how adult publishing is currently obsessed with trauma memoirs, where pain is the product, and redemption is the marketing plan.

In children’s publishing, it’s more subtle. Pain is still present, but it must be healed, deconstructed, or softened into educational value. Yet 25 years ago, I created a bestselling series that did the opposite:

It threw children into historical pain, let them squirm in it, and made them laugh at it.

Was it grotesque? Yes.Was it trauma-informed? Accidentally. Did it work? Absolutely.

And maybe that’s what we need more of - not less. Controlled chaos. Honest discomfort. Historical slapstick. Because not all children want safety in books.

Some want the gallows joke that teaches them how not to end up there.

Terms in Trauma & Neurodiverse-Aware Publishing

Trigger Warning A notice alerting readers to potentially distressing content, commonly used in memoirs, children's books, and educational material. A well-meant gesture, though sometimes over-applied.

Sensitivity Reader A person hired to read a manuscript for culturally or emotionally sensitive content, particularly in narratives involving trauma, disability, race, or identity. Helps avoid harm, but can flatten tone when misused.

Neurodiverse-Aware Describes stories or editorial approaches that recognise different ways of thinking and processing the world (e.g. autism, ADHD). This often leads to clearer structure, gentler emotional pacing, and less ambiguity in narrative tone.

Trauma Memoir A sub-genre of nonfiction centred around personal suffering with a redemptive or activist arc. Now considered a prime format for “books that matter.”

Bibliotherapy Using books to promote emotional healing or psychological insight. Many trauma-based books now fall under this category, explicitly or implicitly.

Redemption ArcThe narrative shape where the protagonist endures suffering but ultimately triumphs - emotionally, spiritually, or socially. Required reading in trauma memoirs.

Publishing-by-Committee The modern reality in which books pass through multiple departments - legal, sensitivity, marketing, before final approval. Can dilute original vision but ensures “safe” output.

Curated Voice When an author’s voice has been shaped, edited, and aligned to market expectations. Especially common in memoirs where agents and editors are heavily involved early.

Authenticity Tokenism A publishing phenomenon where authenticity is celebrated, so long as it fits a popular narrative arc. Messy or unresolved truths often struggle to find homes.

Emotional LiteracyThe ability to understand and articulate emotions. A current hot theme in children’s publishing, sometimes at odds with humour-led, chaotic, or satirical books.

PS: You Wouldn’t Want To Hire a Sensitivity Reader (But You Probably Should)

Hiring a sensitivity reader can feel like a trauma of its own, a stranger reading your work with the express purpose of spotting where you’ve got it wrong. Not a relaxing prospect.

It’s vulnerable. It’s awkward. And sometimes, it’s confusing when their feedback is more tonal than technical.

But here’s the thing: it’s also one of the best tools we’ve got for writing with clarity, respect, and depth. A good sensitivity reader won’t rewrite your book - they’ll help it land more truthfully. Not to silence your voice, but to make sure it rings clear without accidental static.

Think of it as another form of editing. Only instead of fixing your commas, they’re helping you avoid cliché, caricature, or unconscious bias.

And yes, it can sting a little. But in 2025, that’s just part of the publishing process, one more way to make a book that’s as strong, thoughtful, and human as you meant it to be.