I breezed through the first half of this book while sitting
in a waiting room full of cancer patients. My husband had some skin cancer
removed that day. And frankly, I found SAVING EACH OTHER to be quite
self-indulgent and elitist.
Bad things happen to good people all of the time - it's part
of life. So why should one person or one family expect differently or expect a
free pass to the front of the line when everyone else has to walk through the
mud of life? It always amazes me when someone asks the question, "Why did
this have to happen to me?" Well -- why not? Should bad things only happen
to your neighbor? Your cousins? The poor? Why shouldn't you have to go through
hardships? It's part of life.
How you handle those hardships is what makes you special.
And ... that's why I ended up giving this book four stars
instead of one.
Because even though I got frustrated several times with the
narrative of this book, in the end I was impressed with the personal growth of
Ali Guthy and I was impressed with the accomplishments of Victoria Jackson.
They both took action that will not only benefit themselves, but it will also
benefit the medical community and patients worldwide for generations to come.
So while I disagree with Jackson's statement on page 225:
"I looked around at the other moms ... and realized that probably no other
mother was thinking of her daughter ... the same way I was ..." I cried on
page 162 when Ali wrote: "That night definitely sucked for me. But I think
being in Mom's shoes would suck even worse. Wouldn't trade with her if you paid
me. And she would pay anyone if she could trade with me."
Being a mom is a tough never ending job, but if you do it
well, it's the most rewarding experience in the world.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the memoir genre.
I enjoyed the different points of view of mother and daughter, but I found the
italic font annoying to read. I wish the publisher had chosen a different
non-italicized font instead.
I'd also recommend this book to any family struggling with
the diagnosis of a medical condition. However, as a lower-income family, this
is a frustrating book to read because the Jackson-Guthy family can afford to
move to the front of the line, have doctors on call 24-hours a day, and receive
the best of the best care. Lower-income families have to deal with waiting
days/months for an appointment with a doctor who's willing to accept their
minimal monthly payments for basic care. However, there are ideas and tips
within the pages of this book that can help inspire and motivate you to keep
fighting for the best care for yourself and your family.
I'll be donating this book to our high school library.
Here's a clip of SAVING EACH OTHER's authors Victoria Jackson and
Ali Guthy on The Ellen Degeneres Show:
What are you reading right now?
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