The Opposite of Certainty

May 1, 2020
With three children, and a husband always traveling on business, Reid might have seemed like a control freak. But her need to be in motion, make lists, and tick off finished tasks belied deeper, darker origins in sexual abuse and family alcoholism. Still, the author seemed to have it all, until her son Mason's hand tremor and headaches began to worsen. At first, a family doctor waved it off, but Mason's symptoms escalated and tests (and another doctor) revealed a brain tumor thought to have been present since birth. The family's equilibrium is thrown wildly off as the "family orbits the tumor." Reid and her husband get additional opinions and decide the best course of action for Mason while also trying to parent their other two children. Just as their life seems to find stability, the tumor hemorrhages, and Mason ends up in a coma, later undergoing lengthy rehabilitation. Through it all, Reid leans into her Christian beliefs, seeking solace from friends and prayer. Women's Bible study groups may want to check this out.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 26, 2020

Writer Reid's carefully crafted, comfortable, suburban family life was upended abruptly when her younger son began to show vague signs of neurological impairment. Gradually, 13-year-old Mason's headaches and tremors were recognized as the symptoms of a complex brain tumor and the hard-fought equilibrium sought by Reid was disturbed beyond her ability to repair. As her family life was disrupted in ways large and small, all of the coping strategies Reid developed during her own turbulent upbringing fell short when it came to controlling her new circumstances, and she was faced with approaching life from a different perspective. By turns amusing and affecting, this account of one woman's journey to acceptance--if not understanding--provides a graceful meditation on finding refuge in what is already in front of you rather than fighting to create your own reality. VERDICT Reid's saga will appeal to readers seeking a faith-filled approach to confronting the worst that life throws at them.--Th�r�se Purcell Nielsen, Huntington P.L., NY

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