This was so beautiful, a journey that so many women have taken ...
350404
This was so beautiful,  a journey that so many women have taken and are taking.  I've not had words affect me like this for so long.  Great book.
823225
This is a beautiful, painful, powerful story.  It's the story of a young transwoman's journey from self-doubt to self-recognition to self-destruction to self-esteem and self-efficacy; it can, I believe, engender understanding and empathy among young readers -- its intended audience.  For adults, especially those of us familiar with this journey either via person experience or the experience of friends and loved ones, it may seem a oversimplified and really idealistic.  Read the author's notes first!  This is intended for the uninitiated; for the young person just hearing and learning about gender diversity, who will fall in love with the heroine of the story, and, I so hope!, develop a heart of openness and generosity of spirit.  And for the young person discovering their own discomfort in the body they arrived in, Amanda can become a not-so fictional friend.
I hope many people read this treasure and share it!!
480122
Love, Love, Love this book! What an incredible journey, so thought provoking and beautiful. Thanks for sharing your story, it truly is inspiring!!
3962870
This book was so good, so beautifully written. I saw myself in each of the female characters in some way. I felt like I was right there in the story which I love. I am grateful to have found The Journey Home as s Facebook page...it was the title that intrigued me for many reasons and it did not let me down.
1229204
This is a beautiful book that makes me proud to be a woman - the strengh, character, and wisdom portrayed in the book is an inspiration.  The photograhy captures the spirit of these very different women, each beautiful in her own way.  Standards of beauty should be limitless, and that is the essence of the book.  It would make a great gift for any wonderful woman in your life - mother, sister, friend...
375961
While certainly not my favorite Atwood tale (that title goes to <em>The Handmaid's Tale</em>, this was a wonderfully beautiful, dark story of a woman trying to figure out who she is and why.  How X is able to delve into her past, figuring out why she has become who she is, with little attachment to relationships is a story that most women have experienced, on at least some level.  No, not every woman is faced with the pain that X has had to face, or the desire to simply leave everything behind, but I would bet that in each of our lives, we have had a need to become a detective to figure out our own life.

This is a novel that needs to be read on various levels.  An understanding that it is an exploration of X's mind and memories - and how they affect her current situations, along with being an exploration of X's current life and her needs to become someone knew, defined by herself as opposed to all those around her, is necessary to getting anything out of the work.  It is not a straight time-line story, nor is any of our lives.  We all fluctuate between the present and the past, trying to figure out how the past has impacted our present.

Atwood does an admirable job of writing this process out, in my opinion.
3076027
I loved this book!  What a brave, uncomplicated, emotionally- raw story of a woman who - thru her own instincts - put her unraveled  life back together by an incredible act of faith and hiked the better part of the PCT ALONE. I enjoyed every encounter, food craving, blister, description of beauty, triumph, failure, tantrum, tear, hardship, and step of Cheryl's emotional, physical, and spiritual journey. This book is not only a travelogue if her trip, but a heartbreakingly candid story of what led her there, and what she went thru to get to the other side to make herself whole again.
633248
Alice,
Thank you for taking the time to write this story which I'm sure contains many parts of your heart as well. The story flows with ease as the characters, who are become real people in all their authenticity, develop in a way that also leads, encourages, and develops my own heart.

The heart-issues in the story are relatable and as they have taken my heart on a journey, I'm sure the words would take any reader on a journey.

It was a beautiful read and journey, thank you again Alice for sharing it with the world.

-Diane
853032
The center of the World takes the reader on a journey as the idea for an amazing piece of art materializes. The reader meet numerous people playing their important role as creators of this amazing art piece. The reader journeys with each strong character separately, with  alerted senses and sensual judgments as they act their part in the creation of the painting, never to be the same again. Something so special also sends echos out to those who would find and hide this special painting for their very own, the reader meets them too.

I felt the author wanted the painting to tell it's own story. The painting wanted to be created and called forth certain people who could and would give up much of themselves to be a part this fabulous painting. At first I felt a little lost at the beginning of each new chapter, but the book felt like a painting, pulling me in farther and farther to find it's history and soul. It lingered with me as I continued to visualize the painting, see the light and wonder how I could create something so grand!
2299108
I'm not articulate enough to say how beautiful and inspiring was this heartfelt look into the lives of a couple embraced by and embracing an incredible challenge to live life with grace and courage. I can't recommend it highly enough.
1416403
What a beautiful book this is. Through her book I've been on a soul journey with Melinda of such power and beauty by stepping into her world. I have never given birth, and through Melinda I learned so much and felt I had entered into a world that has always been such a mystery to me. This is a book for everyone who is interested in being inspired by the power of healing. It's a courageous story spoken by a woman of heart.
1334668
This book was so much more than the cover or even what I thought it might be. Although it talks about Jessicas journey to start up her now very large well known fair trade jewelry company, its more than just her story, its OUR  story... its a call to us as women to step out into the areas where we are feeling a nudge to  do something bigger than ourselves. It becons you to take a step of faith, linking arms with your sisters, letting go of comparison and judgements of what it may look like for each of us in whatever season of life we find ourselves in.  Stepping into our story, embracing our vulnerability, linking arms, lightning our circle All these chapters speak to the journey we are  on together in life. This book is filled with inspiring stories of Jessicas journey and I found myself as a woman, wife, mother and friend in these pages too.
**i was given an ARC in exchange for a honest review**
4571317
I like how the author interwove the stories of two women, one unable to have children of her own and the other who chose abortion.  The one that chose abortion never realized how she would feel, especially since she was raised by a liberal mother and had no moral thoughts on the issue.  She had to learn to deal with the unexpected pain, and the lady who could not bear children had to learn how to live with her pain.  They met and did this journey together, it is an incredible story of two lives.  Also the grace they found in a loving relationship with God was the beautiful side of this story.
939978
I almost didn't read this book because I'm often not overly fond of Oprah's choices, but I'm so very glad that I decided to give it a try.  This book is so perfectly and beautifully written that I felt every emotion the author talked about as if I were experiencing it myself.  Her journey was nothing short of amazing, and the fact that she stuck with it, even though her body was breaking down and her feet were practically falling apart, made me think again about things I think I can't do.  I laughed and I cried and I didn't want her to finish her trip because I knew that I would then have to finish this awesome book.  Read it, and prepare to be moved and entertained until the end.
1111072
When I picked up Dear Dad, did you know I was a Princess?, I had no idea what to expect.  Therefore, it's no surprise I was blown away by Sundi Jo and her journey to the truth.  Written in the form of letters to her dad with prayers to her heavenly Father intermittently inserted, this book covers the time period shortly after Sundi Jo's earthly father passed away.

Unknown to her, Sundi Jo had many issues in her life that God was about to flush out.  Her father's death was a catalyst which landed her, begrudgingly and at the insistence of her closest friends, in a year of rehab.

I have never gone through anything like what Sundi Jo experienced, and her reflections were like an open door drawing me into a hidden realm of hurt, pain, despair, addiction, and even homosexuality.  After immersing me in the darkness that surrounded her, she triumphantly showed me the way out.  What a beautiful story of love and redemption.  The power of God so moved in her life that the princess inside emerged in victorious glory.

Early in her letters she shares the cry of her soul.  It is one with which we all, if we live long enough, can identify.  "I am done just surviving.  I want to live." Eventually, Sundi Jo receives a revelation of the workings of fear, and the control fear can have on one's life.  She discovers God's power to set her free from the fear that had paralyzed her heart and does indeed learn to really live.

This book is the kind of book that leaves you feeling like you've made a new and very dear friend.  Although Sundi Jo has never met me, I feel like I know her well.  Her journey will touch everyone who shares it in a lasting and beautiful way, and I am grateful it is now a part of my life.
1287828
A beautifully written journey. Her memory of other lives is profound, how clear so much of it is. The teachings feel genuine.
I'm loving it...
1429455
I just finished reading Just Hit Send: A Journey to Freedom.  As I began reading this book, it was very clear to me that Jody was telling my story-- different people, different scenes, different circumstances, different dialogue, yet the same self-defeating thoughts/concepts/doubts that stop me from being my fullest, truest, most beautiful expression of myself in the world. Towards the second half of the book, energetically, I felt a thin crush or layer of armor which encased by heart begin to slowly fall away.  I am now fully open and ready for the divine possibilities that this life holds for me.

This book is a divine kiss. In its precious pages, I was reminded that I am never alone and that I am deeply loved.  Finally, I exhale.
In gratitude, Rain