This title arrived in a recent order and I immediately wanted to touch it, to pick it up and carry it. It charmed with its cover alone and I borrowed it for the recent holiday break. I carried it in my 48.5 lb luggage to New Orleans and back without cracking its spine, but yesterday, after finally finishing Allegiant (Roth), I opened this little gem as a reward. I read the preface. Twice. Who does that?
The individual chapters, intensely small like a fine truffle, captivated me with their sincere and simple words – choose your hero, choose how to spend your time, choose to love. The story Alice Hoffman shares with readers is her own, a story on the surface about her experience with cancer. But that’s not really what it’s about – it’s about choosing. One would never choose cancer, but I think what Hoffman is suggesting is that we choose how we handle an obstacle like cancer or war or heartbreak. She is inspiring.
Survival Lessons is the kind of book word lovers, and those who celebrate beauty every day, should have on their bedside table. Get an extra one for a friend.
DelSo 