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Saturday, June 16, 2018
Life-Affirming Medical Memoir a Powerful, Inspirational Read
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As a healthy woman who had experienced a normal pregnancy only a year and a half ago, Carol J. Decker had no reason to expect that anything would be different with her second. Despite having some flu-like symptoms, she entered the hospital on June 10, 2008, expecting nothing out of the ordinary. Instead, she was rushed to the ER, where an emergency C-section was performed. Even then, Carol could not have imagined how profoundly and irrevocably her life was about to change.
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In Unshattered, Carol J. Decker describes not just the agony of fighting sepsis but also the victory of choosing to live a life of beauty and joy, even in the face of unspeakable tragedy. As a narrator, she eschews sentimentality and banal platitudes, employing a raw candor that smacks of honesty and hard-won wisdom. While Decker doesn't pull any punches, she does focus on the greatest lesson she learned from her experience:
"I began to weigh the thought of tragedy versus destiny. I could not control the tragedy that befell my life, but I could control my destiny. It was mine to determine by the choices I made. I chose to believe I could lead a purposeful life." (quote from page 156 of an uncorrected proof)
An inspiring, life-affirming book about hope, faith, and triumphing over challenges, Unshattered is a short but powerful read. I highly recommend it for anyone who needs a reminder that, no matter what might befall us, living one's best life is about choice, not chance.
For a touching teaser, click below:
(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for descriptions of medical procedures that might be too graphic/scary for young readers
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Unshattered from the generous folks at Shadow Mountain. Thank you!
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Homecoming by Kate Morton
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