
4 out of 4 stars
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Roughly two years ago, the world was hit hard by a pandemic that took away numerous lives of people. These individuals were spouses, sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, and friends. Aside from that, life is different when you lose a loved one to diseases like cancer and diabetes. I have a pal who sank into alcoholism after losing his only parent. In HOPE, Edith Hedden shares a couple of stories from various people. Anguish and grief are two constant themes that prevail throughout the book. Above all, the predominant message is hope!
The author shares her story. Edith was married to a loving husband named Thomas. Sadly, a year later, he died. His demise was the second tragedy for Edith, following the loss of her sister to cancer. Years later, the author met a kind man named Tony, and the two were soon married. However, Tony was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. How did Edith manage?
The other stories are a mixture of reactions. Richie is Edith’s stepson, who experienced a challenging time coming out as a gay man. While growing up, his life was without any strong LGBT people to emulate. In another tale, we have Sifu, who always had a passion for martial arts from a young age. However, his parents wanted him to get a college degree. Sifu followed his heart, but the journey had its ups and downs, including an accident that had him relinquish his long-term goal. I encourage you to grab a copy of this piece and read more of Ron, Laura, Anna, and other true stories. Each narrator enriches their story with optimism.
I loved almost everything about the work. Firstly, there was no sugarcoating in any tale. Every narrator recounts their story without shame, despite being personal encounters. I cherished Linda’s story the most. Not to include spoilers, but I find it worth mentioning. Linda was the youngest among her five siblings. However, she has buried all of them and is now the only remaining child. I shed a tear reading this.
I disliked one thing. The author included medical slang that I did not grasp, which consisted of initials like DBS. That said, the book is professionally edited. I affirm this because I did not detect a single grammatical error.
I rate the publication 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to any reader who would love to devour a book about loss, agony, and hope.
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HOPE
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