What do you think?
Rate this book
Pursuit of Light: An Extraordinary Journey
Pursuit of An Extraordinary Journey is a gripping and uplifting memoir that chronicles Sandy Brewer's inspirational journey from a childhood of rejection and abuse to a maturity characterized by wholeness, deep love, and acceptance. Through her gripping narration, one quickly discovers the enormous gulf between what happened to her and what she has chosen to make of her life. She finds within herself a unique ability to assist others to their own triumph and healing regardless of circumstances.
Sandy, a teacher, counselor, and lecturer with over thirty years experience, tells her story in compelling detail, interweaving it with insight, compassion, and humor. She demonstrates how a change in perspective or point of view is a powerful tool to help one heal the past and to feel the happiness of renewal and the joy of living in the moment. She finds that in her pursuit of Light, the Light she pursues has also been seeking her.
Sandy, a teacher, counselor, and lecturer with over thirty years experience, tells her story in compelling detail, interweaving it with insight, compassion, and humor. She demonstrates how a change in perspective or point of view is a powerful tool to help one heal the past and to feel the happiness of renewal and the joy of living in the moment. She finds that in her pursuit of Light, the Light she pursues has also been seeking her.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2007
30 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2008
The moment I got this book in my hands I couldn't let go until I was done. A true testimony to the mysteries and resilience of the human spirit coupled with a burning desire to choose to follow a thin sliver of light to the source of something greater. The Talmud teaches "to save one life is as if you have saved the world." This electrifying story of a life saved has the potential to transform many lives; the material in this book is that important and timely. Here the road less taken, though profoundly difficult, makes all the difference not just to ourselves but all whose paths we cross. I urge you to take this journey and learn lessons of a lifetime. Also, visit her website at www.pursuitoflight.com
November 12, 2008
i really disliked this book until i got to the last few chapters. despite that the author takes us through many levels of her initial self-analysis and meditations, i didn't feel like she had contributed anything valuable or educational up until the end. is this because i've used many of these self-taught techniques already, and didn't recognize them as revelations? not sure, quite possibly.
not that my life has been anything nearly as horrible as hers. but i think we all feel the same emotions growing up and going through life. some people more strongly than others, and for many different reasons. but i think we all need to take ourselves through at least a minimal self-analysis if we're to actually accomplish anything close to happiness in life. i guess, like for sandy, it was an intuitive process for me. maybe not so much for other people
what i found really enlightening was when she talks about how the source of our frustrations is usually something within ourselves that we haven't yet come to terms with. and that our knee-jerk reactions to being provoked usually go deep to our most intrenched insecurities about ourselves. i think i recognized that on some level, but the way she talked about it really made sense to me. that is something that takes a lot of effort to realize, and then implement. and it's largely and eastern concept, too. it makes me want to read more about eastern culture, religion, and lifestyle.
the thing i found most frustrating was that she never did anything about her father's abuse. i know why, because she talks about it in the book. but i feel like she was essentially condemning all her extended family [well, the young girls, at least] to the same fate as hers. why would she not report him? why would she just not do anything about it, except for herself? i know there are soooo many reasons why people don't prosecute sexual offenders. but i think that's an offense in and of itself because no one is breaking the pattern of behaviour. this guy knows he can continue to do hideous things to children, for YEARS, and get away with it scot-free. that part really bugged me. but as she believes, revenge is one of those things that you only need if you're still angry, and anger is only a reflection of the things in yourself you're still unhappy with, or have yet to resolve. good for her that she was able to resolve those issues and move on without this weight of anger towards her parents hanging over her head. i don't know if i'd be there with her. maybe that is the only way to survive something like this. to let it go completely.
though this has been a largely negative review, i do think it's amazing and damn near miraculous that this woman was able to become what she is today. that takes a hell of a lot of inner strength to overcome her experiences. yes, she acknowledges she made mistakes along the way, but we all do. and most of us don't have the same history as hers. if i had to rate her effort, she'd get 5 stars. for some reason, the telling of it, maybe the way it flowed, didn't enthrall me. like any heavy text, i may want to reread certain parts of it to get a better understanding. i might feel differently afterwards.
not that my life has been anything nearly as horrible as hers. but i think we all feel the same emotions growing up and going through life. some people more strongly than others, and for many different reasons. but i think we all need to take ourselves through at least a minimal self-analysis if we're to actually accomplish anything close to happiness in life. i guess, like for sandy, it was an intuitive process for me. maybe not so much for other people
what i found really enlightening was when she talks about how the source of our frustrations is usually something within ourselves that we haven't yet come to terms with. and that our knee-jerk reactions to being provoked usually go deep to our most intrenched insecurities about ourselves. i think i recognized that on some level, but the way she talked about it really made sense to me. that is something that takes a lot of effort to realize, and then implement. and it's largely and eastern concept, too. it makes me want to read more about eastern culture, religion, and lifestyle.
the thing i found most frustrating was that she never did anything about her father's abuse. i know why, because she talks about it in the book. but i feel like she was essentially condemning all her extended family [well, the young girls, at least] to the same fate as hers. why would she not report him? why would she just not do anything about it, except for herself? i know there are soooo many reasons why people don't prosecute sexual offenders. but i think that's an offense in and of itself because no one is breaking the pattern of behaviour. this guy knows he can continue to do hideous things to children, for YEARS, and get away with it scot-free. that part really bugged me. but as she believes, revenge is one of those things that you only need if you're still angry, and anger is only a reflection of the things in yourself you're still unhappy with, or have yet to resolve. good for her that she was able to resolve those issues and move on without this weight of anger towards her parents hanging over her head. i don't know if i'd be there with her. maybe that is the only way to survive something like this. to let it go completely.
though this has been a largely negative review, i do think it's amazing and damn near miraculous that this woman was able to become what she is today. that takes a hell of a lot of inner strength to overcome her experiences. yes, she acknowledges she made mistakes along the way, but we all do. and most of us don't have the same history as hers. if i had to rate her effort, she'd get 5 stars. for some reason, the telling of it, maybe the way it flowed, didn't enthrall me. like any heavy text, i may want to reread certain parts of it to get a better understanding. i might feel differently afterwards.
August 3, 2008
Sandy, with her compelling compassion, wit, and wisdom, offers a pathway out of darkness into light with warmth and richness. She is a dynamic, inspirational woman who suffered such severe and near-fatal abuse as a child that she was drawn so deeply into the dark that she found the light. With her empowering insights and natural good-humor, Sandy offers the profound lessons of her personal journey and how they apply equally to people from all walks of life and in all circumstances. Along the road to her own healing, she developed seminal techniques that enabled her not only to overcome, but also literally gain strength from these experiences. She has devoted her life to helping adults and children recognize that they are loved, and that no matter what happened yesterday it is insignificant to what lies within the core of one's being today. Now Sandy has memorialized her innovative work and techniques in Pursuit of Light, An Extraordinary Journey, an entertaining, soul-stirring, master trope in the art of healing that shares her true-life story of how she came to find the presence of Light within her, and the "how to's" of choice - how you, too, can look at your life from a new perspective and create new choices.
November 25, 2007
Very insightful book into Sandy's life growing up and her struggle to not only live but become a very strong person. Its quite amazing to see what she went through to get where she is today. Great book!
February 28, 2008
A deeply disturbing look into a tragic family and the heroic struggle of one small girl to overcome her wounds and embrace life.
September 13, 2009
The books message is to take what you can learn from your past and empower yourself with it- rather than letting it continually victimize you.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews