Letting Go: An Anthology of Attempts

by Martha Ellen Hughes (Editor), M.E. Hughes

A fascinating collection of life stories told by 30 authors from seven countries. They write of their attempts to move beyond crippling grief, free themselves of haunting memories, get out from under abusive relationships. They tell of their struggles – often painful, sometimes funny - to let go of everything from a fear of horses, to old family homes, and piles of books and papers.

“The question in the air is: Does the inability to let go of ideas, people, places and things sometimes drag one down? I believe readers will find answers to that question in the many thoughtful essays in this collection, which show us that freeing oneself by letting go is not only possible but often necessary for enjoying the fullness of life. Via their stories, these fine writers give us valuable food for thought on letting go or, for those still not convinced, permission to stop forcing oneself to try.” From the Introduction by M. E. Hughes, editor

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Essays

322 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2016

Reviews

[Rae Richen · Rating 3 out of 5]

M.E. Hughes has gathered courageous non-fiction essays about the process of letting go. When she put out the call to chosen fiction and non-fiction authors, she hoped they could explore the very real efforts we all make to be done with hurt, with things and sometimes with people. Her invited authors responded with funny, painful and sometimes frightening stories.

Each essay in Letting Go has gripped me. Several I have reread. The brave truth reaches out to the reader, grabbing the heart and the mind, allowing both reader and writer to explore the winding path, or the abrupt reality that allows us, finally, to let go, or forces us to recognize that we cannot do it, yet.

Reader, dive into the section Letting Go of Haunting Memories and Places. Don’t miss Sue Parman’s “The Holy Ghost Bird” and Evalyn Lee’s “Throwing Out the Trash”.

From there move forward and back in the collection. Take your time. Each one has a message for you, as it did for me. One special re-read for me is Maria Ostrowski’s “LionHeart”.

With each essay, I decipher a little more of what can be learned from the efforts and failures of others to let go of things, of memories and of damaged spirit.

[Jacqueline Masumian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of thoughtful personal essays about the process of trying to release oneself from negative emotions, obsessions, misconceptions, and people. Even though some of the writing is uneven from essay to essay, M.E. Hughes has collated some fine pieces here. Take for instance Emily Tsokos Purtill’s essay, “The Perfect Mother,” on letting go of her obsession with being a perfect parent to her small children. Or Julie Strong’s “Acadie” on releasing herself from her fear of horses, an emotion linked to the “heavy weight of mother loss” she suffered as a child. Or Joe Levine’s essay on his struggle to give up on a novel he’s been writing and obsessing over for twenty-three years.

The above are all fine essays, but special mention must go to Norma Nixon Schofield’s piece, “No Longer George Schofield’s Wife,” on letting go of grief after her husband's death and her role as his wife in order to realize her autonomy, Sue Parman’s “The Holy Ghost Bird” on freeing herself from her mother’s control, and George P. Farrell’s “Hoarding Memories” describing his process of releasing himself from childhood memories of parental abuse. And there are several other outstanding essays in the collection, as well.

I recommend this anthology to any reader who enjoys personal essays and memoir; also to anyone who may have fears, obsessions, or haunting memories of their own that need to be let go.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique and interesting read. It approaches the subjects of pain, regrets, moving on and creating a positive future from a negative past.

I liked that this book was unique, in that it has stories written by several people, rather than just one person telling you what to do and how to fix your problem. With several different contributors, it also meant that each story had a different perspective on life.

I liked most of the stories, as they were very helpful and uplifting, at the end. It was a good read to brighten my spirits and keep me looking forward, trying to see just what I could do and try to keep my mindset and emotions in the best place possible.

I thought the length of each story was perfect. It gave you enough time to connect with the authors and understand just where they are coming from, but not too long that it felt as though they were being dragged on.

The book was compiled well, with each story being written well and put together in an excellent way, especially with the little bits of information at the end of each story. This made the read very smooth, easy to understand and very enjoyable.

Overall, it was a really good read and I highly recommend it for those who are looking for an uplifting read.

**I received this book for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Laura]

From a very brief essay, to interesting and sometimes educational short stories and novellas, this collection of internal ruminations by 30 authors offers unexpected and possibly profound insights on making changes in order to move forward with life. Some changes are necessary for survival.

The changes written about cover ground from changing thoughts and ways of thinking to releasing beliefs thrust upon one by others, to physical changes, releasing emotional bonds, and physical possessions as well as ties to location.
Given a chance, each will leave an impression. The readers' interpretation will be individual and therefore the enjoyment received will vary reader to reader. Much depends upon your own experience up to this point in your life and your own relationships with people, possessions and change itself.

The authors write about every type of relationship imaginable. The emotions, including grief, confusion, fear, acceptance and more resonate in the phrasing. Tones vary from light-hearted to very dark.

I am reading this because the concept intrigues me. I was given the anthology in exchange for review.

[Elena Lelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great essays

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection.

This reminded me of a long episode of The Moth. All the stories are relatable. Many of them talk about how they use their gifts of writing to let go of memories.

[ariestess]

I got this one free on Amazon. It was a fascinating book overall, though some of the essays fell flat for me personally.

[Ricky Kimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dealing With Adversity

The essays in this book are all about dealing with adversity.
Whether it's after a loss of a loved one or after a divorce all these essays are all about coping with adversity.