Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Review: Not to Spoil the Ending … But Everything is Going to be Ok by Naomi Brickel

 


Genre: Memoir

Description:

“Not to Spoil the Ending… but everything is going to be ok takes you through a mother's harrowing tragedy and deep reflection in order to reveal simple, yet profound insights about making the world more hopeful and heavenly. Starting from her own foundation built on the wisdom and writings of Brene Brown, Eckhart Tolle, and Richard Rohr, Naomi goes on to present Adam’s unique, playful and poignant principles about happiness, ‘#Adamsworld: Hashtags for Livin’ Yzy’, developed through the recollections of kids who knew him and their recorded messages in a funeral visitation book. This uplifting narrative offers simple yet profound examples - so uncomplicated they could only have come from a boy - for making this world more hopeful and heavenly.”

Author:

“Naomi Brickel has spent her adult life dedicated to raising her large family, volunteering in her community, and a career in non-profit service. In her work, Naomi helps families in the practical and emotional aspects of navigating disability service systems across the lifespan, building capacity with professionals for more inclusive communities, and working with individuals themselves to promote their self-determination and empowerment.

She is a wife and mom of six children (one in heaven) and lives in New Rochelle, NY where all of her kids attended the public schools.

Naomi’s resonating happiness is rooted in her awareness of the loving energy driving the universe and of the individual light and dignity of each person she encounters – lessons she learned in the process of grieving the sudden death of her blessed son Adam.”

Appraisal:

As a rule, if a book I’m considering reading looks like it is going to have a lot of content that pushes religious or “spiritual” ideas it will get sorted into the “nope, not reading this” stack without even opening the (usually virtual) cover. Abandoning the read early on due to too much religious content isn’t out of the realm of possibility either. For those who feel the same, consider this a warning, but be aware that there are other qualities that might make this a worthwhile read in spite of any misgivings you have. For those who see these qualities as positives, then it gets even better.

If you’ve had a family member pass away way too young, you know how difficult dealing with that is. This book is a memoir, taking us through the author experiencing the death of her 15-year-old son, Adam, and the aftermath, both the pain and the outpouring of support. As the story progresses, we get to know Adam, both from the viewpoint of his mother, but also from his friends and acquaintances. In Adam’s story are some lessons we could all learn about how to live life. (And for those looking for something more spiritual, there are a few more lessons for you too.)

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues with the exception of a small number of minor spelling or grammar issues when directly quoting another person, which are justifiable for that reason.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

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