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Unexpected Grace: A Discovery of Healing Through Surrender
June Hyjek. Meridian Media, $16.95 ISBN 978-0-9896427-0-5
Hyjek’s memoir is an intimate but bland look at her struggles with scoliosis, “a walking medical nightmare, and a deformed one.” Her story, often told through emails and responses from friends, is reminiscent of a holiday letter received from an old aunt who includes way too much information about very personal struggles with health. “Help! My center is crooked!” Hyjek wrote early on as she struggled to accept her situation. Without knowing the author or her encouraging friends, it’s hard to get connected to or invested in her journey through a series of surgeries and eventual psychological “acceptance.” The most interesting question posed in the book comes from the author’s son, who asks his mother whether the person she was 15 years ago would recognize the woman she is today. That theme might have been a more useful foundation for Hyjek’s year-long transition from feeling defeated to “feeling peaceful.” While her closing advice is reassuring—ask for help, she suggests, because “we are all ready and willing to help”—it’s not enough to save this lackluster book. (BookLife)

Reviewed by Publishers Weekly on 10/17/2014

Release date 08/01/2013

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