Broken: A Love Story by Lisa Jones

I haven’t written a review for such a long time that I’m starting to fear I might be out of touch. Hopefully I’m not, because I really want to give justice and write as good a review as I possibly can on Broken: A Love Story by Lisa Jones. It’s a wonderful memoir and it deserves the attention and words of praise and, last but not least, a good review.

Lisa Jones is a freelance writer, writing articles for magazines and for NPR. One of her magazine assignments was to write about Stanford Addison, an Arapaho Indian. She left her home and went to Wyoming in search for Stanford, not having the slightest idea that what was supposed to be a four-day-trip, would turn out to be a life-long journey of friendship with a very inspiring man. Stanford Addison was that man. He ‘broke’ wild horses, he healed people from maladies, depression, bipolar disorder and cancer being only some of them and everyone just gravitated towards him, especially children. He was also a quadriplegic who at one point in his life, shortly after a terrible accident that left him paralyzed, wanted to kill himself to end his own misery. But physical limitations seemed to be the least of his problems. Right after the accident, Stanford kept being visited by spirits and eventually realized that he had special and mysterious gifts and he had to use them whether he wanted to or not. Lisa comes into his life twenty years after Stanford’s accident but instead of simply writing an article, she ends up with a book in which we learn how she got ‘broken’ and discovered truths about herself she didn’t know existed, and how she got to truly love and be loved.

Broken is a refreshing, captivating memoir. And it’s not a love story you might think it is. It’s a story of discovering love of life, of the people and world around you, and of every mundane thing there is out there. Because in end, nothing in our lives really is or has to be mundane. From the description, you’d think the book is a work of fiction what with the ghosts and healings in it. However, I didn’t for a second doubt Stanford Addison’s story because Lisa somehow managed to convince me with her writing that Stanford’s spirit visitations and his healing abilities are very much real, however amazing and mysterious they might seem. I remember actually being quite envious at times. I envied Lisa her friendship with Stanford and his family. They all are Northern Arapaho Indians who live in poverty, who get into a lot of troubles with law, who are wild but who are also beautiful and rich, and wise.

Lisa Jones really is a skilled writer and I hope she actually decides to write more books. She’s very honest, especially about herself even if it may invite criticism. I think I liked that honesty the most. No one was glorified which only made the memoir and the people in it all the more likeable. You have no idea how many times while reading I wished I were right there, in Wyoming with Stanford and his family. I know they could teach me a lot about appreciating life and all that comes with it. But because I can’t, Broken is quite enough for now and I know I will be going back to reading this book many times, just to remind myself of simple truths written in there. If you like memoirs and want to be inspired, this is definitely a book for you. Even if you don’t read memoirs, you should still read this one because there is much to learn from it, and maybe you’ll even gain a fresh perspective on your own life.

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Special thanks to the author, Lisa Jones, for sending me a copy of Broken: A Love Story.

Understand My Sorrow Challenge

Depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder. 

I could go on and on. These are very real and very painful illnesses, and yet they are one of the most neglected, misunderstood, ignored and stigmatized ones as well. These are demons that destroy lives, break human spirits and annihilate happiness. Millions of people struggle with them, fight daily battles. Some are lost and some are won. I hope that one day none will be lost and that's why I decided to host this reading challenge. The purpose of it is to increase awareness and understanding of a mental illness. In my small way I wish to help people see through the stereotypes and the fog of ignorance surrounding the serious medical conditions under an umbrella of mental illness. These conditions are deadly when untreated and more often than not still pose a risk of death after a person receives proper medical treatment. The statistics are frightening and below I am providing you with a couple of links so you can read for yourselves.

Anyway, the rules for the challenge are pretty easy.

It starts today but I would like to make it an ongoing process, therefore there will not be a deadline in the nearest future. If I decide that the no deadline rule somehow doesn't work, I will let you know at least six months in advance. The only requirement is that you read a minimum of one book on the subjects provided below.

• Depression
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

There are of course many more disorders that we could talk about but for now I'd like to focus on the four.

So, you have to read a minimum of four (4) books, one on each subject, either fiction or non-fiction (any format is fine: graphic novel, e-book, audio, etc.).

I am including a button on the side on my blog that you can grab just for this challenge and put it on your blog.

Also, when you write an introductory post about this challenge, please come back and sign up under McLinky.

Optimally, I would love for this to spark discussion. I'd like to talk with all and any of you. If you read a book or two, or more and they evoke strong emotions withing you, I'd love to invite you to write a guest post sharing them with me and other readers.  If you have a story to tell, that's even better. I would be happy to read your story and invite others to do it as well. It doesn't matter if it's on my blog as a guest post or your own blog, as long as it's under the Understand My Sorrow banner.

Another important thing: you do not have to be a blogger to join in. If you don't have a blog, you can leave me a comment letting me know that you're joining and when you decide which books to read, when you read any of them and want to talk about them, email me and I will, with your permission spotlight your thoughts, stories, even book reviews on my blog.

List of some books you might find interesting:

1. Depression:

a) Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon

b) Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression by Nell Casey

c) Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel

d) Jesus Wept:When Faith and Depression Meet by Barbara C. Crafton

2. Schizophrenia:

a) The Day the Voices Stopped by Ken Steele and Claire Berman

b) The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn R. Saks

c) I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg

d) The Quiet Room by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett

e) Welcome Silence by Carol North, M.D.

Bipolar Disorder:

a) An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

b) Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher

c) Manic by Terri Cheney

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder:

a) Tormenting Thoughts and Secret Rituals by Ian Osborn

b) The Imp of the Mind by Lee Baer, Ph.D.

c) Rewind, Replay, Repeat by Jeff Bell

Once again, the above titles are just some suggestions in case you feel a little lost, not a required reading at all. If you know of books that you'd like to recommend to others, please include them in your post. Thank you all for joining.

I'm not going to lie, it is very, very important to me that as many people join me as possible.

Statistics' Sources:
National Institute of Mental Health
Suicide.org
Schizophrenia.com
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

BUTTON:



<a href="http://lilly-readingextravaganza.blogspot.com/2010/07/understand-my-sorrow-challenge.html"><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt289/lillygustavus/lonely-1-1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.


Last week has been much better than I expected in terms of reading. Here's what I managed to read:

1. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson - it was funny enough, a few episodes actually made me laugh out loud, so I guess the book provided what I was looking for. However, it's not Bryson's best. His rants about nature being destroyed and acid rain killing everything in its path were a little bit too much for me. I got it the first time, no need to repeat yourself. Bryson still remains one of the writers I will keep reading though. As I mentioned somewhere already, I enjoy his language wizardry.


2. Roseflower Creek by Jackie Lee Miles - a full review will be coming up this month but in the meantime I'll just say, it was a quite depressing read. A lot of characters dying in sad circumstances.


3. Halfway to Each Other by Susan Pohlman - I will attempt to write a review for this one also. Another memoir with traveling involved (A Walk in the Woods was the first one). I enjoyed reading about the Pohlmans' experiences living in Italy and Susan definitely has the knack for writing memoirs.


Right now I'm reading:


1. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth - it's going to be a rather long reading project, since this novel is 1349 pages. I wanted to read it for the longest times and I'm glad I finally got myself to do it.







2. Damaged by Alex Kava - I read only one other of her thrillers but I remember it was quite a thrill ride. I'm hoping this one will turn out to be the same.








I want to read by next Monday:


Optimally, I'd want to have 500 pages read from A Suitable Boy and Damaged finished. We'll see how that goes.

What are you reading this week?

The Thousand Aututmns of Jacob de Zoet Giveaway!

As previously promised, I am hosting a giveaway of an ARC of David Mitchell's newest novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. The book hits the bookstores today, so i figured it is a good day to offer it to you.

Publisher's description:

In 2007, Time magazine named him one of the most influential novelists in the world. He has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. The New York Times Book Review called him simply “a genius.” Now David Mitchell lends fresh credence to The Guardian’s claim that “each of his books seems entirely different from that which preceded it.” The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a stunning departure for this brilliant, restless, and wildly ambitious author, a giant leap forward by even his own high standards. A bold and epic novel of a rarely visited point in history, it is a work as exquisitely rendered as it is irresistibly readable.

The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the “high-walled, fan-shaped artificial island” that is the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay; the farthest outpost of the war-ravaged Dutch East Indies Company; and a de facto prison for the dozen foreigners permitted to live and work there. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, costly courtesans, earthquakes, and typhoons comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout and resourceful young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland.

But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings.  As one cynical colleague asks, “Who ain’t a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?”

A magnificent mix of luminous writing, prodigious research, and heedless imagination, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is the most impressive achievement of its eminent author.

Giveaway 411:

1. The giveaway is open until Monday, July 12th.

2. All you have to do is leave me a comment expressing your wish to be entered plus your email (unless your email links to your profile).

3. This giveaway is international so come all and try your luck.

Enjoy! Good luck and thank you for visiting my blog!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. It is hosted by Sheila from One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

Last week I didn't get much accomplished at all. I know now that I will not complete 100+ Reading Challenge, especially if I continue reading only one or two books per week.

Last week I only managed to finish one book, even though I started reading three.



I read The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley. I did enjoy it for the most part but, as Shellie from Layers of Thought said in our little conversation, the book just hit to close to home with the two infant boy characters. I have one myself and it made the story a little too depressing.

I also started reading A Walk in The Woods by Bill Bryson and The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore. I know both of the authors to be funny and I was in search of good laughter. In the end I settled on A Walk in the Woods which I hope to finish sometime in the next couple of days.

I am also hoping to read Roseflower Creek by Jackie Lee Mills by next Monday. We'll see how that goes.

What about you, what are you reading on Mondays?