An undeniably inspiring but poorly executed memoir.
In this tragic story of a life plagued by disease, Williams (Picking Up the Pieces, 2017, etc.) confirms the old adage that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
Williams’ difficulties began at an early age. She writes that her biological father was a substance abuser who left her with visible scars, and that her stepfather abused her both physically and emotionally, well into her 20s. She was eventually liberated from this turmoil and found new life with her husband and their growing family. Williams was the happiest she’d been in years and training to run a marathon when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 46. She survived this, but thereafter faced a series of other life-threatening illnesses, including an ear infection that left her with permanent partial facial paralysis. Through her pain, Williams says, she found joy and comfort in providing help to others “who needed it more than I did.” She shares her story with people across the country as a motivational speaker, celebrating inner beauty, living joyfully, overcoming fear, and embracing successes and failures. Williams’ moving story is sadly overshadowed by poor writing, including clunky transitions, excessive clichés, and spelling errors. Such distractions make it difficult to focus on the memoir’s raw emotion. When she tells of being crushed by the news that her cancer has spread, for instance, her language—“dang you, cancer”—doesn’t seem to adequately convey her anger and distress. Furthermore, her tendency to explain the emotional significance of each scene robs readers of the ability to experience the story by witnessing people’s actions, thoughts, senses, and feelings as they happen and make their own judgments. That said, one can’t deny that Williams’ story, as a survivor of cancer and abuse, is an important one to tell, and her determination to “live happy,” no matter the circumstances, is truly empowering.
An undeniably inspiring but poorly executed memoir.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4808-4004-1
Page Count: 412
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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