2 out of 4 stars
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"I'm not sure my entries here are making sense anymore. I wake up in the morning and have thoughts to enter here, and when I get up and am at the keyboard, all thoughts have escaped me."
Richard's Thoughts by Richard Fry is a journal-style memoir spanning close to seven years of the author's life after his traumatic brain injury as a result of a motorcycle accident. Fry relates the strong sense of God's presence and speaking the word "love" to him during his first waking moments. In dated entries, he chronicles his struggles with memory, communication, his relationship with his wife, and his healing process, allowing readers a glimpse of life with a TBI. He shares his faith, physical and daily activities, the therapy he received, and the frustration he experienced trying to adapt to his new life and circumstances.
Intrigued by reading the thoughts of someone who has experienced such a serious brain injury, I selected the book expecting to read the memoir at a leisurely pace. Truth be told, I found Fry's story fascinating and had a hard time putting the book down. His dated entries allow readers to follow his progress and the reality of dealing with the sporadic emotions he experienced at times. Some of the entries include scriptures for messages he planned to share with the local youth group or from personal Bible studies. While most of the entries are a few pages, some are only a paragraph or two, keeping the journal surprisingly fast-paced. Usually, Fry's entries are dated a day or two apart, but there are also instances when a few months pass, and once, over a year goes by before he resumes writing. However, the reason for the gap soon becomes apparent and does not detract from the book.
I particularly liked Fry's raw and transparent style of writing. Even when he conveyed his frustration in struggling to remember activities from his day and life before his brain injury, he effectively communicated his thoughts. The range of emotions Fry shared was eye-opening. His account of overhearing a conversation that repeated, "...love, love," and the realization that he was the butt of someone's joke was heartbreaking. However, he was equally honest about his "meltdown" moments with his wife, Amy, who occasionally distanced herself, as a result. Plagued with self-doubt about how to interact with others socially, his transparency and insecurities were relatable and evoked compassion.
Unfortunately, toward the end of the book, it becomes difficult to follow. The shift begins with a 10-page section titled "Richard's Memories," which is an abrupt departure from the dated entries. Fry shares memories from his childhood to a previous marriage, but they seem random and less focused. Since some of the memories are previously mentioned, the purpose of the change in format is unclear, but it does detract from the book, overall. When the dated entries resume, the pace never quite regains momentum, and a few times, Amy interjects by writing a few paragraphs. I disliked these excerpts because they didn't mesh well with Fry's writing and further disrupted the flow.
Also, based on the grammatical errors including incorrect verb tense and quotes without quotation marks, the book doesn't appear to have been professionally edited. For all of the above reasons, I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to readers who enjoy memoirs and inspirational stories. Fry's reflections on the Bible and related content will also appeal to Christian readers but may turn off those who dislike reading scriptures.
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Richard's Thoughts
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