Signs of Life: A Memoir Review

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(More customer reviews)Signs of Life is a rare and wonderful book that should be highlighted as an example of what a good memoir can be. There is a long list of things remarkable about this memoir, starting with the author is only in her early twenties but possesses a remarkable degree of self-awareness. As an English teacher, not only is the book well written, but also Ms. Taylor weaves in beloved bits of literature that adds even more depth to the story. Signs of Life depicts an emotionally wrenching journey of highs and lows through two life changing events without ever slipping into the self-absorption that can ruin a memoir.
Natalie Taylor and her husband Josh were an average, young, married couple, perhaps a little bit happier and luckier than most. When Josh dies in a freak accident, Natalie is twenty-four years old and pregnant with their first child. Ms. Taylor easily draws the reader into sharing her journey of grief, uneasiness, and awkwardness. The death of a young person holds a unique degree of tragedy, and the descriptions of how Josh's friends and family memorialize him are seen through the unique perspective of how Natalie both yearns and dreads to hear Josh spoken of publicly.
Enhancing Natalie's story are the friends and family that surround her. Often, they provide comfort and company, but equally, they can also irritate and annoy. Ms. Taylor writes across a wide spectrum of relationship joys and challenges with affection and a wry wit. When her son Kai is born, Natalie leans on her family for help and support while they equally struggle with joy and grief.
As time passes, Natalie comes to terms with one of the truisms of life--things change. She returns to her job teaching school, gets counseling, and finds a support group for single mothers. It is not that she loves or misses Josh any less, but that as life proceeds it becomes different, creating a new context in which we must live.
I highly recommend Signs of Life to anyone faced with a difficult personal challenge. Ms. Taylor's frank and detailed depiction of facing a stunning loss and the demands of single motherhood will affect and inspire you. Fans of memoirs will enjoy a well-written book with the exactly right degree of personal revelation, humor, and strength.

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Bridge Called Hope: Stories of Triumph from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams Review

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(More customer reviews)Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch is a place of hope and healing. In this sequel to the best-selling Hope Rising, Kim Meeder continues her stories of hope and healing at the non-profit Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, a place where broken horses and broken kids rediscover life and living.
The stories in A Bridge Called Hope are all true. Some are funny, many are heartbreaking, but hope is present throughout. As abused horses and damaged kids discover each other through their common pain, special relationships are forged and the baby steps toward wholeness begin.
Highly recommended.

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Cross Over Troubled WatersHope is like the stars—always there, yet shining brightest in the blackest of nights. It is like the dawn, always rising anew. Hope is for everyone, and that includes you. This collection of more than twenty true stories from a ranch of rescued dreams unveils the heart of true strength and the character of genuine courage. Experience for yourself the kind of love and hope that change a person from the inside out. Because sometimes, just believing in someone is enough for them to start believing in themselves. It's the galvanizing truth that no matter how deep your pain…God's love exceeds it still. Sometimes, just believing in someone is enough for them to start believing in themselves… Without raising his eyes to look at me, in a voice barely clearing the horizon of a whisper, he said, "I know you don't love me… You just say that 'cuz you're an adult and it's kinda like your job. But I know you don't really love me."Suffering and blessing balance on the same high wire, each giving stability and depth to the other. The one that we feel the most…is ultimately the one that we give the most. It was her eyes that gave her away. The conflict of her mortal illness versus her will raged behind them. Her body shouted, "I'm sick and it's getting harder and harder to do the things I love!" while her indomitable will shouted back, "Yeah, but I'm just a little kid, and little kids should get to ride horses!"What a relief it is when we begin to understand that it is within our hardships that truth is elevated from our hearts to our heads. "During the darkest days I'd ever known, I was introduced to the unconditional love of a little horse and a merciful God, and my life has never been the same," says author Kim Meeder . And her book proves that hope is not only for us to keep…but to give."Stirring, encouraging, and inspirational, Bridge Called Hope reminds us that hope is heaven sent for everyone, and that we, too, can make a positive difference in others' lives."Eric CloseActor "Kim Meeder vibrantly shares—and lives—an amazing story of hope and restoration. A triumph of recovery for wounded hearts!"Louie GiglioDirector, Passion Conferences, and bestselling authorStory Behind the Book"I was moved to write Hope Rising and Bridge Called Hope because, when I needed it the most, someone shared hope with me and it saved my life. During the darkest days I'd ever known, I was introduced to the unconditional love of a little horse and a merciful God, and my life has never been the same. Everything in our life is about choices. We cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we choose to feel about them. The pain that we feel in this life is certain. What is equally certain is how we choose to feel about the pain. It can destroy us—or it can define us. The choice is uniquely ours." —Kim Meeder

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