There is no doubt that Sheryl Sandberg has suffered a great and terrible loss that has irrevocably changed her life and the lives of her two children.There is no doubt that Sheryl Sandberg has suffered a great and terrible loss that has irrevocably changed her life and the lives of her two children. In this book, she shares her lowest points as she struggles to deal with the sudden death of her husband and how she gained resilience and strength.
While I could sympathize as a wife and mother myself, I had a hard time relating to much of the book. I'm sure that this book was cathartic for Sandberg to write but it is not a self-help book with concrete advice for readers. Instead it's her personal journey through grief which is firmly influenced by her extreme privilege, seemingly limitless resources and familial support. She mentions several times that she realizes how lucky she is to have financial security but doesn't relate her suggestions for those of us who don't have seven figures in our bank account, job security or the exceptionally compassionate and understanding boss that Sandberg has in Mark Zuckerberg.
I think Sandberg had good intentions with this book and detailed her own personal struggle to successfully navigate through her own grief. I took away a few helpful tidbits (specifically the 3 P's of grief and how to approach others about their 'grief elephants') but this book is more of a personal memoir of Sandberg's loss. If you approach this book as a memoir instead of a self-help book with concrete suggestions I think you'll get more out of this book.
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Knopf for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review....more
My Review: As I enter my 40's I'm starting to 'get' myself more. Accept me for me. One of the main things that I've learned about myself is that I'm aMy Review: As I enter my 40's I'm starting to 'get' myself more. Accept me for me. One of the main things that I've learned about myself is that I'm an introvert. That's no big shock to me or to my family and friends (I don't think anyway). That doesn't mean that I'm ultra shy (although I can be quiet and sometimes was thought of as a snob when I just didn't have much to say). I have a healthy sense of humour and will share it with people when I feel comfortable with them. I much prefer to socialize in small groups and really get anxious when I think about going into a huge group, especially full of people I don't know well. While I can't claim to having 500+ friends on Facebook, the friends that I have I keep close and have many friendships last for several decades.
Okay, enough background on me. Because of this revelation of myself, when I saw this book on my friend Nicole's GoodReads feed I knew I wanted to read it. I wanted to validate some of my feelings of being an introvert and maybe have someone tell me the positives about being more of a quiet person.
The main thing that I took away from this book was that it's okay for me to not be an extrovert. We get so many messages on a daily basis (school, work, media) that an outgoing personality means success, more friends and is generally more valued than introversion. It was nice to hear that it takes all kinds of personalities to make the world go round.
I also loved getting the validation that some of my anxious feelings in large groups may stem from the fact that I'm just not necessarily wired to like that kind of thing and that my feelings aren't a social deficiency within me. Quiet also helped me to see the introversion in my own kids (and husband) and that I need to stop pushing so much to get my kids to be outgoing because that's what I've been told (by society and others) that they should be doing. My new plan is to let them be who they are but still encourage them to live life to the fullest ... in their own, unique ways.
While this book had some great validation and descriptions of introversion in the beginning and end of the book I will admit to skimming through the middle. The middle felt like the author was focusing too much on extroversion with only little comments to show the benefits of being an introvert.
Overall, the benefits at the beginning and end of this book outweighed the slow go in the middle. This was a good book for those who want to learn more about the different social needs that introverts have compared to extroverts.
Note: This book review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).
Disclaimer: My sinNote: This book review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to NetGalley and AuthorBuzz for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
My Review: My blog readers know that I'm not a connoisseur of Chick Lit so when I saw the cover of this book on NetGalley I wasn't sure it was for me. But after seeing the high ratings by other readers I was persuaded to give it a shot. And I'm really glad I picked it up.
This is the debut novel from Michelle Colston and I was very impressed with the writing, humour (sarcastic, dry humour at its best!) and the character development. Colston deftly combines Chick Lit with Self-Help and Humour seamlessly and I loved it! Loved it, I say!!
I like to think of myself as someone who has a firm appreciation of what great humour is (and apparently little humility). This means that when I read humourous novels I have really high expectations. Let's just say that Colston knows funny. While reading this book there were so many parts where I literally laughed out loud -- like choked on my coffee at 6:30 in the morning all over my dog laugh out loud. Parts were so funny (wait until you get to her cleanse!) that I'd go back and re-read the section only to continue my giggling because Colston really gets into the mind of the middle class housewife. In other words -- my peeps.
Holly, the main character, has a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour and I found that the voice that Colston gave her was expertly written and authentic. I could see Holly as someone who I'd hang out with (after her metamorphosis, of course). I envision her as being a cross between Claire Dunphy (my alter ego) from Modern Family and Tina Fey -- both women who exemplify humour, sarcasm and honesty when mothering the small humans who came from them.
When we first meet Holly I honestly didn't like her at all. She was a mom who didn't connect with her kids or husband. She needed to drink regularly to get through the day and was someone who was utterly shallow (with a gaggle of superficial friends t'boot) who didn't realize she was so unhappy.
But, as the book progresses, we see Holly begin to change and learn more about herself. There is no Fairy Godmother to make these changes happen. Holly does the work herself and the results happen at a believable pace which I appreciated. I found that as Holly's eyes opened to some of her issues I also learned some stuff about myself -- something I wasn't expecting to take away from a book that I expected to be just some enjoyable fluff.
Another reason(s) that I loved Holly's character is that I could relate to Holly in so many ways. Colston 'gets' today's modern women and the struggles that we face. Sometimes I felt like Colston had a peep hole into my life. For example, • Like Holly, I look drop dead sexy in my flannel jammies. • I complain that I never get flowers from my husband but then complain about the waste of money he just spent when he eventually buys them for me • I experience annoyance much more than I experience most other emotions • I'm strangely vain in that like to reread funny emails/blog posts that I've written so I can be impressed with my own sense of humour (oh, there's that humility thing again!) • I have kids who have the exceptional ability to need to talk to me as soon as I have a phone to my ear • I love to make lists because it makes me feel like I've accomplished something even though I can procrastinate with the best of them
Holly's transformation isn't all about humourous looks into her life. She is a mom and a wife who struggles with self confidence and finding meaning and purpose in her life and it's this struggle which made Holly very real to me.
If there was one wee negative I'd have to say that some of the self-help workbook excerpts came off a little long and a little dry for my tastes but then Holly would step in and I'd be giggling to myself again.
I finished this book and took a good look at myself -- how I treat myself as well as what things inspire me. This inner reflection was definitely not something that I was expecting from this book. Colston's unique ability to get into the mind of the middle class mom helped take this book from being a light read into something much more inspiring and yet not too heavy either.
While I won't necessarily be trying to find my inner goddess, this book helped me to renew my interest in yoga, take more time for myself and to remember to treat myself (mind, body and soul) better. I think those are issues where we all could use a little reminding.
Highly recommended.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Memorable Quotes:
'Suffering is my teacher. If I pay attention to it instead of trying to numb it out, maybe it can lead me to its root."
"It's simply about gratitude and honor. It's about finding the joy in each of life's little facets, even the ones that are otherwise considered mundane. It's all a matter of perspective, I guess. Each day can be as joyous as you want to make it. Every day can be Super Powerful Happy Goddess Fun Time Day. Kumbaya."
"It's the awareness beneath the thoughts, the stillness inside that creates space to connect with the magic on the outside." ...more
Laurie • The Baking Bookworm
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