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Survivors
A collection of short stories exploring the pivotal moment where the decision is do I want to be a survivor, or just a victim? Will I allow abuse or tragedy to limit me, or do I rise above it? Some choose to surrender and be victims, some choose to recover and be survivors.
212 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2012
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 11, 2017
I obtained this book through the Kindle Unlimited program.
I think it needs a higher cover price, however, because the amount of pain contained in these pages is pretty astounding. It's a LOT more than 99 cents worth of suffering.
I don't know the author, so I don't know if she is drawing from her own personal experience, or if she is just an amazingly perceptive student of humans. My own experience as a counselor for thirty-some years informs me that these are authentic portrayals of traumatic events.
Who is this a good book for?
DON'T read this is you are just looking for cheap titillation of the emotions. For that, rent a slasher movie, and leave the book alone.
DO read this book if you are now suffering from grief or loss. One of the worst part about experiencing trauma is the incredible sense of isolation it brings; if you read these stories, you will KNOW that someone else has been through a similar experience.
That is not to say that you will find resolution to your own situation. Truly severe cases of emotional pain cannot be gotten OVER; they must be gotten THROUGH. These stories do not pretend to be "My Problem And How I Solved It, Complete On These Two Pages." In fact, the very weakest story is the last one which, sort of, gives a happy ending. (It's not a BAD story, it just has elements that need to be improved.)
But remember: the name of the books is "SURVIVORS." At the minimum, each story says:
1. This terrible thing happened in my life.
2. I am still breathing.
And those two things are the most urgent message that a person in crisis can comprehend: yes, it happened; I am still breathing.
It doesn't matter whether the crisis is one of the deeply individual events shared in these stories, such as rape, incest, murder, physical abuse, abandonment, death of a loved one, or sexual abuse at the hands of trusted caregivers, or if it a shared event, such as victimization in a pogrom or as a result of hurricane, fire, flood, or earthquake. The necessary message for redemption in each case is: yes, this really did happen; yes, I am still breathing. THIS is the next right thing; once you get to this point, you move to the next.
This is NOT a book I would have chosen for myself. Heck, the last two books I reviewed were short stories about war in space and a book on knife fighting. However, regardless of my reading preferences, I am a human being, and I must honor the raw depiction of aspects of human suffering addressed in this book.
It is worth your consideration.
I think it needs a higher cover price, however, because the amount of pain contained in these pages is pretty astounding. It's a LOT more than 99 cents worth of suffering.
I don't know the author, so I don't know if she is drawing from her own personal experience, or if she is just an amazingly perceptive student of humans. My own experience as a counselor for thirty-some years informs me that these are authentic portrayals of traumatic events.
Who is this a good book for?
DON'T read this is you are just looking for cheap titillation of the emotions. For that, rent a slasher movie, and leave the book alone.
DO read this book if you are now suffering from grief or loss. One of the worst part about experiencing trauma is the incredible sense of isolation it brings; if you read these stories, you will KNOW that someone else has been through a similar experience.
That is not to say that you will find resolution to your own situation. Truly severe cases of emotional pain cannot be gotten OVER; they must be gotten THROUGH. These stories do not pretend to be "My Problem And How I Solved It, Complete On These Two Pages." In fact, the very weakest story is the last one which, sort of, gives a happy ending. (It's not a BAD story, it just has elements that need to be improved.)
But remember: the name of the books is "SURVIVORS." At the minimum, each story says:
1. This terrible thing happened in my life.
2. I am still breathing.
And those two things are the most urgent message that a person in crisis can comprehend: yes, it happened; I am still breathing.
It doesn't matter whether the crisis is one of the deeply individual events shared in these stories, such as rape, incest, murder, physical abuse, abandonment, death of a loved one, or sexual abuse at the hands of trusted caregivers, or if it a shared event, such as victimization in a pogrom or as a result of hurricane, fire, flood, or earthquake. The necessary message for redemption in each case is: yes, this really did happen; yes, I am still breathing. THIS is the next right thing; once you get to this point, you move to the next.
This is NOT a book I would have chosen for myself. Heck, the last two books I reviewed were short stories about war in space and a book on knife fighting. However, regardless of my reading preferences, I am a human being, and I must honor the raw depiction of aspects of human suffering addressed in this book.
It is worth your consideration.
Displaying 1 of 1 review