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Believe: A Young Widow's Journey Through Brokenness and Back
After Jennifer's husband, a police officer, died in a line of duty accident, grief upended her life. Believe follows the story of her long road out of darkness and her struggle to believe in anything after she'd lost everything. As she recounts her journey back into the light, Jennifer offers empathy and encouragement to those who have experienced loss, including those who have been widowed far too young. In Jennifer's story, readers can find reason to believe.
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2009
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61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 8, 2009
I won this book on Goodreads. Yeah! I love winning books! I love reading nonfiction books. I have to tell you though I cried (sobbed) through the first, well, a lot of the book. I can't imagine how hard this would be. I know us on the outside can sometimes think that time heals wounds, but I can understand that although it may go away the wound is still there, life has changed. Time does not change that. I would definately feel like life was over if it happened to me. I loved reading about Jennifer's life and struggle to want to live. It made me want to appreciate what I have and the time I have, and as she said to "be here now." This is what we have and we should be here and live it now. Don't wait until tomorrow. Live everyday.
September 6, 2009
This is a book that I won from Goodreads. Definitely a book that was written from the heart. Well written and easy to relate to if you have lost someone special. A confirmation that time doesn't heal wounds, it just dulls the pain of the ache. Although, when you least expect it, sometimes those wounds reopen quickly and deeply. Here's hoping that Jennifer and her children will be able to remember all of the positives and continue to turn a bad situation into a positive lesson and support for others.
September 28, 2009
Another lovely win on GoodReads giveaways - and especially meaningful because this author lives nearby. She gives a heart-wrenching story of what grief is like - and though this is something I have not yet gone through in life, it is such a help in knowing how to love and support others as they do. It's a beautiful portrait of the triumph of love and hope, and a testament to the faith of Jennifer Silvera. Absolutely worth reading - especially if you have someone near you going through a similar situation.
September 7, 2009
A heartbreaking story of a woman named Jennifer whose husband was killed in the line of duty. It is tough reading about her story and how she dealt with her husband's death in great detail. I enjoyed reading her story although it did make me cry a few times. Many times you hear about a killing of a police officer and never really know how it affects the family the tragedy left behind. I felt Jennifer's story was raw, yet very useful for others who find themselves in the similar situation.
January 4, 2023
I cannot imagine what Jennifer went through, but she was able to connect her story so that I was able to get a glimpse, and it is one of the most encouraging books I've read. Through her vulnerability she shows us how Christ is our strength and fortress no matter what, and that good can always come out of tragedy.
A must read for everyone!
A must read for everyone!
September 28, 2018
Beautifully written.
September 19, 2009
First of all, I didn't know this book was religious. I guess I should have known what with the title "Believe" and the American flag on the cover! Being an atheist, I find these references a little annoying, but I entered the contest to win this book because of the subject. For some reason, becoming a young widow is one of my big, irrational fears so I thought that reading about the author’s experience would be interesting.
Now, it is very hard to criticise someone’s experience, especially when it’s such a difficult subject, but I will try to. The book definitely teaches you the typical things like not to take the little things in daily life for granted, don’t waste time doing things that really don’t matter to you, tell those you care about why you appreciate them, etc. All of these big ideas are great and inspiring, but they’ve all been heard before. But, what makes this memoir interesting is that Silvera really gets into the details of her grief and she stresses the importance of finding your own way to deal with grief. You don’t have to listen to everyone’s advice because “only you know what’s right for you” (p. 75).
For example, she states that the concept of ‘moving on’ after someone important to you dies is not appropriate. You can’t just ignore a huge part of your past that has shaped who you are. She uses her example of living in Honduras to explain this; When she moved back to the US, she didn’t ‘move on’ from life in Honduras, but she incorporated it into her life back in the US through things like recipes. The important thing to do is to embrace your story of loss. The only thing you need to do is “let go of past regrets, obstacles, negativity and a constant striving for perfection” (p. 116).
I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of her relationship with her husband. Their relationship seemed genuine and really sweet. I love the little things they shared that made their relationship special (for example, saying “I something you”).
Overall, this is a great, raw account of a young woman’s extreme pain after the loss of her husband, and it is great inspiration for anyone who has to deal with a similar situation. If you, like me, do not like religious stuff, I still recommend this memoir because it is more about how she dealt with grief. I tended to skim over areas with lots of “God” on the page, and I simply appreciated her honesty and intimacy in retelling her story.
Now, it is very hard to criticise someone’s experience, especially when it’s such a difficult subject, but I will try to. The book definitely teaches you the typical things like not to take the little things in daily life for granted, don’t waste time doing things that really don’t matter to you, tell those you care about why you appreciate them, etc. All of these big ideas are great and inspiring, but they’ve all been heard before. But, what makes this memoir interesting is that Silvera really gets into the details of her grief and she stresses the importance of finding your own way to deal with grief. You don’t have to listen to everyone’s advice because “only you know what’s right for you” (p. 75).
For example, she states that the concept of ‘moving on’ after someone important to you dies is not appropriate. You can’t just ignore a huge part of your past that has shaped who you are. She uses her example of living in Honduras to explain this; When she moved back to the US, she didn’t ‘move on’ from life in Honduras, but she incorporated it into her life back in the US through things like recipes. The important thing to do is to embrace your story of loss. The only thing you need to do is “let go of past regrets, obstacles, negativity and a constant striving for perfection” (p. 116).
I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of her relationship with her husband. Their relationship seemed genuine and really sweet. I love the little things they shared that made their relationship special (for example, saying “I something you”).
Overall, this is a great, raw account of a young woman’s extreme pain after the loss of her husband, and it is great inspiration for anyone who has to deal with a similar situation. If you, like me, do not like religious stuff, I still recommend this memoir because it is more about how she dealt with grief. I tended to skim over areas with lots of “God” on the page, and I simply appreciated her honesty and intimacy in retelling her story.
September 10, 2009
I won this book on Goodreads and was looking forward to reading it. The author's husband, a police officer in Minnesota, was killed while on duty, and this book tells the story of their relationship and marriage and how she tries to cope after his death. I definitely got a good sense of the love between them and I understood the depth of her grief after he died. Despite the sadness in this book, it was also somewhat uplifting too, blending the sad parts of her new life with memories from happy times with her husband. The author described days when she struggled to just get out of bed, other days when she got by moment to moment, and then things that helped her feel a little better.
I was not aware before I read this that there was a religious slant to this book, so that was a bit of a surprise to me, with quotes from the Bible peppered throughout and the author occasionally talking about how some church trips helped her. However, for all the religious writing that was in this book, I don't think it was overly religious, and in fact the best parts of it had to do with the author's story and not her beliefs.
There were some very nice messages in this book. The main one is probably my favorite, to try to be here in this moment and enjoy it as much as possible. The other thing that really stood out to me was when the author went through old receipts, tossed the receipts from after her husband died and kept the ones before that. She didn't know the reason for this at first but then realized that she'd kept those receipts to see what had been purchased because those were important memories, things that may not have seemed important at the time but the sort of "everyday moments" that she treasured afterward. What a nice thought.
My only complaints about this book are that occasionally the dialogue sounded stilted and the events in the book sometimes jumped around in time to the point where I'm not sure when the events were taking place. These complaints are minor, though they did occasionally bother me, so I thought I'd mention it.
Overall, a very nice book that I'd recommend to others. It's not one that you could read the entire thing in one day because it's heavy and there's a lot to think about. Very heartfelt and thought-provoking.
I was not aware before I read this that there was a religious slant to this book, so that was a bit of a surprise to me, with quotes from the Bible peppered throughout and the author occasionally talking about how some church trips helped her. However, for all the religious writing that was in this book, I don't think it was overly religious, and in fact the best parts of it had to do with the author's story and not her beliefs.
There were some very nice messages in this book. The main one is probably my favorite, to try to be here in this moment and enjoy it as much as possible. The other thing that really stood out to me was when the author went through old receipts, tossed the receipts from after her husband died and kept the ones before that. She didn't know the reason for this at first but then realized that she'd kept those receipts to see what had been purchased because those were important memories, things that may not have seemed important at the time but the sort of "everyday moments" that she treasured afterward. What a nice thought.
My only complaints about this book are that occasionally the dialogue sounded stilted and the events in the book sometimes jumped around in time to the point where I'm not sure when the events were taking place. These complaints are minor, though they did occasionally bother me, so I thought I'd mention it.
Overall, a very nice book that I'd recommend to others. It's not one that you could read the entire thing in one day because it's heavy and there's a lot to think about. Very heartfelt and thought-provoking.
October 14, 2009
It amazes me that Jennifer Silvera was able to write this memoir after such a devastating loss. With two little children and a lifetime of happiness ahead of her, she is suddenly faced with something she never expected – the death of her husband. Reading about her marriage, it seems to be one that everyone hopes for. Her husband was understanding, compassionate and caring and they both shared dreams for the future.
As her world collapses around her, Jennifer must find it in her heart to continue, not just for herself but for the children, as well.
Although the road is rough, she finds little things to get her through one day at a time in order to come to terms with her loss.
By sharing her personal thoughts and feelings, Jennifer provides advice and help for others facing their own private losses.
I found her words particularly helpful due to the loss of my sister. Granted, it’s been many years now, but I still miss her terribly and always will. I was able to take some of Jennifer’s words to heart and I thank her for that.
As her world collapses around her, Jennifer must find it in her heart to continue, not just for herself but for the children, as well.
Although the road is rough, she finds little things to get her through one day at a time in order to come to terms with her loss.
By sharing her personal thoughts and feelings, Jennifer provides advice and help for others facing their own private losses.
I found her words particularly helpful due to the loss of my sister. Granted, it’s been many years now, but I still miss her terribly and always will. I was able to take some of Jennifer’s words to heart and I thank her for that.
October 5, 2009
I won this book on Goodreads. It's one of the best books I've ever read on the topic of death, grieving and healing. I highly recommend it to anyone who has lost a loved one or anyone who is trying to understand what a grieving friend may be feeling. Jennifer Silvera writes with true honesty, so the reader experiences all the mixed and raw emotions of her journey. Having lost a loved one myself four years ago, I found that Silvera's writing put words to feelings that I have experienced but that I was never able to put into words myself. Her story about separating receipts into stacks based on whether they were before or after her husband's passing and the lesson she learned from that was extremely powerful. I really enjoyed the quotes from scripture throughout the book, along with Silvera's telling of the role her faith has played in her life. This is a powerful, inspirational book and one that I will definitely pass along to friends.
March 15, 2012
The best grief/widow book I have read to date. Every other book I have read thus far about this topic has been geared toward or written by older widows/widowers. Jennifer's husband was killed in 2005 at 32 years old in the line of duty as a police officer. Her struggles,worries and concerns much more closely mirror mine. I found myself saying, "yeah, that's exactly it" out loud many times throughout my reading of the book.
Jennifer is a devout christian, so there are many scriptures and much spirituality and religious thinking throughout the book--that might put some readers off, but I liked it and found it helpful. Jennifer's approach is to search for and create healing, so the tone of the book is very hopeful and uplifting, which I really liked! I actually bought this book, and could easily see myself re-reading it, or going back to certain chapters from time to time.
Jennifer is a devout christian, so there are many scriptures and much spirituality and religious thinking throughout the book--that might put some readers off, but I liked it and found it helpful. Jennifer's approach is to search for and create healing, so the tone of the book is very hopeful and uplifting, which I really liked! I actually bought this book, and could easily see myself re-reading it, or going back to certain chapters from time to time.
October 1, 2009
Four years ago Jennifer Silvera became a widow when her husband who was a police officer died while trying to stop a crimminal from stealing a car. This story is about how she struggled to cope with her grief. I won this book through a GR giveaway. While I think the author has an important story to tell that might help others in a similar situation, I felt it could have been better written. It's very religious and she stops to explain bible verses quite frequently throughout the book so it interupts the flow of the story. I give it 2 stars.
September 13, 2009
This is a book that everyone should read. We have almost all lost someone. I have lost many loved ones but of course some had a more significant impact on me than others. I know it is not the same as losing a spouse, and it makes me want to send my heart out to Jennifer. I really enjoyed this and loved the way she wrote. I love the thoughts put into the book and the way she pulled herself back up and out of the lows that come from losing a very special person.
September 29, 2009
This was a goodreads give away. It is written by a young widow who tells her story of getting through her loss. I loved the details, the tiny things she writes about that we take for granted and the meaning she is able to find through those little things. I loved the message about each person needing to find their own purpose of living after a loss - or finding their own way through their grief.
December 9, 2010
I had an opportunity to meet this wonderful gal the night before our official Moms on the Run 5K in her husband's memory. The thing she kept saying is which became the 'theme' or mantra in her book - "be in the moment" ... when I ran the 5K, I kept hearing her words echo - be in the moment - be here ... her book describes her grief and "coming back" as she loses her husband in the line of duty.
April 14, 2010
A very open book about her response to her husband's murder. I appreciated how open she was with her life and how she had to grieve and not just "get over it". She wrote as a wife and mother and it was an excellent book. It has caused me to think about my life and 'be here now.'
February 20, 2012
This was just the book I needed right now...
February 25, 2013
Pulls you right in...Hard not to empathize with her and her grief.
Poignant and hopeful and dark all at once.
Jennifer used to sing at our church. She's an amazing person and lives her faith life.
Poignant and hopeful and dark all at once.
Jennifer used to sing at our church. She's an amazing person and lives her faith life.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews