“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central
Consulting for Jericho Books. I received a product sample to facilitate my
review.” All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.
The book that I received to read and review
is The
Invisible Girls: A Memoir by SarahThebarge. The Invisible Girls is a memoir that expresses some of the
struggles Sarah went through while being diagnosed with breast cancer in her
twenties, the joys she discovered while helping out an invisible Somali refugee
family, and finding new beginnings while realizing God never left her side.
Sarah's writing style is very honest and open
and you feel as if you personally know her while reading her story. Sarah gives
you a glimpse of what it feels like to be someone who feels like they are on
top of the world and within an instant, their world came completely crashing
down. Knowing what it is like for a women to go through the trial of having
breast cancer and the hurt that comes from feeling abandoned by individuals whom
she loved, Sarah gives us a little glimpse of what it is like for women to be
diagnosed with breast cancer.
In going through the process of trying to
heal from the inside out, Sarah by chance meets a beautiful Somali family who consists
of a mother raising five young daughters on her own, in a culture completely
foreign to them. Sarah learns that by giving of herself and pouring her heart,
soul, and energy into this amazing Somali family (that so desperately needs her),
that she begins to heal and rediscover who she really is again. In the end she
realizes that she needed this Somali refugee family as much as they needed her.
I know at times I have gone through difficult
trials that have brought much sadness and hurt into my life, and the times
where I have been able to forget my own struggle and focus on serving others,
that my trials have been much easier to carry. Sarah grew up knowing, yet
fearing God, and while going through her trials she felt as if God abandoned
her, and didn't love her. Towards the end of her memoir Sarah realizes that God
is actually a God of love and that often times the struggles and trials we go
through, make us better people in the end. Even though the journey can be
difficult and we don't know why at times we have to go through what we go
through in life.
My favorite part of the book is probably the
relationship she has with Hadhi and her five young daughters. It is so
beautiful to me that Sarah would not only take a chance on helping this young
family out, but that she was willing to give completely of herself to help this
family that to everyone else around them was "invisible". It was hard
to read the struggles this family went through and know that so many other
people could have helped them if they just wouldn't have turned a blind eye.
That is one of the many reasons why I think that Sarah Thebarge is a wonderful
individual.
As far as the technical aspect of the book,
like I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed how open Sarah's writing was. Personally I
didn't love some of the swear words that were included in the book. At times
when she would quote someone, I feel as if the point would have come across just
as strongly without using such harsh swear words. That was probably my only
turn off of the book. Generally if a book swears a lot I will put it down and
not continue reading it. Although, that is simply my own opinion. However, I
wouldn't let that stop someone from reading this book. The Invisible Girls has
such a strong message that needs to be heard by many. It is one of those books
you read and walk away wanting to be a better person because of the beautiful
message that you read.
Thank you Sarah for being willing to share
your story with all of us. I commend you on the person you are, and I know you
will continue to do many beautiful things in your life. Thank you for reminding
me about what is important in life and that God truly loves all of us, no
matter what walk of life we come from, and no matter what our triumphs and
trials we are going through. God bless you.
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