Sharon Emery struggled with the losses and limits she faced but couldn't change - no matter how hard she tried.
And she
did
try. First with her incurable severe stutter, then with the death of her daughter, Jessica, and the too-early deaths of her own younger siblings. Meanwhile, her "broken" voice meant her long career in communications was regularly a battle.
Emery wrote this memoir to help guide her children on their own life journeys, stressing the amazing resilience of humans beings. Exhibit A: herself.
In the foreword, Steve Gleason - former NFL player with the New Orleans Saints, now living with ALS, and a friend of Emery's son, Ben Schneider, front man for the band Lord Huron - provides a compelling introduction to what we can gain from what we lose.
Emery was a daughter, sister and mother - and lost all those roles. She was a journalist, public relations consultant, and teacher - and never able to speak fluently.
Her memoir recounts Emery's challenges and achievements, tracing her efforts to give them meaning and find where they fit in her life. It's a process she considers vital to surviving what happens to you - telling the story. This is a reaffirming example of how it can be done.