Soul Baring Essays Brave women tell their own stories. A note at the end of each essay summarizes the lesson learned or the point made. Some of the stories were tragic and brought tears to my eyes and some were a little lighter and even had comedic moments, but all were inspiring. I was moved by the courage of the women writers, first by their surviving and becoming better and second by their willingness to share their stories. My personal favorite was the one by the stuntwoman who survived a terrible accident and finally opened her eyes to the truth about her fiance. A close second was the one written by the eleven-year-old girl who bravely lived with a painful disease and her medication side effects until a holistic solution was found to manage her symptoms. If there is a common theme to the book, it is that there are turning points in life and if they don't kill you, they make you stronger. These women all became stronger. I couldn't help but think that sadly, there are many women out there who don't have their courage and insight.
This is a beautifully done book that should appeal to all women.
LOVE. Love. love. I read a lot of personal essays. A lot. And this book puts together some truly original yet relatable ones. I bought it after reading a review and then met my friend for lunch. My friend picked it up by accident and took it home... proceeded to read it... and loved it. Since I was in a funk, she mailed it back to me so I could read it right away. I'm so glad she did. No other books have been speaking to me lately... and I'm an avid reader. This one spoke to me. It wasn't precious. It wasn't overwrought. It just was real. And honest. And inspiring. I'm so happy to have happened upon it in the first place. It completely de-funk-afied me. Now I want to get copies for all my friends!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!! In NOTE TO SELF, Andrea Buchanan shares a collection of inspirational, heartwarming stories gathered from a diverse group of 30 amazingly resilient women, many of them famous. Ms. Buchanan brilliantly collated these wonderfully poignant essays into her uplifting book. We can gratefully learn from each others' tales of overcoming life's challenges and obstacles, and flourish in these life changing moments. Each touching story ends with an enduring message summarizing the story's newly found wisdom. I learned that I am not alone in facing life's hardships, and not only can I survive, but emerge stronger than ever. Grab a copy for yourself and all your friends!!Great read / Great gift I'm enjoying this book AND got 2 copies for friends. Very good inspirational book.Low Note The moral of the story summed up in a sentence or "note" at the end is worth writing down or at least remembering. That having been said, if any one of these moving and honest stories was in a magazine, I would have read it and thought, "Wow, she really laid it on the line and bared her soul." I would have been able to drink in the adversity and how the brave woman handled it. But as a collection, by the time I got to the end I was rather depressed. It was too much hardship coming at me at once. As I said though, each story as a stand alone is a gem.
