Nonfiction Manuscript Editorial Review
Title: Healing Life's Broken Dreams
Subtitle: A Son's Tragedy, A Mother's Grief, A Miracle of Recovery
Author: Patricia Forbes
Date of manuscript review: 12 April 2005
General Comments about the Manuscript |
Content: Is the content valid, original, or informative? Forbes has written a compelling memoir about the tragedies that she has suffered—and recovered from. The major portion of the book focuses on her recovery after the horrendous death of her only son, a boy who seemed to be so filled with promise, but who became depressed, confused, and eventually became addicted to drugs and alcohol. Sober when he died, Louis's death nonetheless almost ends his mother's life. Her healing and recovery is extremely valuable and informative to anyone who is struggling with death and grief.
Execution: Does the material have sufficient narrative or emotional power for the target audience to engage the reader or is it presented in a unique format? Forbes's story is powerful, often unsettling, but ultimately hopeful. When she begins her story, she launches a dynamite narrative that carries us headlong into a chronicle of her life, and we watch exactly as she watched—helpless—as her only son succumbs to depression, drugs, and alcohol, and we listen to the author as she candidly reveals her severe and crippling grief and recovery, a long period filled with stress, self-doubt, uncertainty, but climaxing finally in healing, self-discovery, and renewal.
Quality of Writing: Does the writing style not only sufficiently inform but also enhance the overall text? Forbes's style is multi-dimensional, objective when necessary, but appropriately angry when tragedy seems to become a recurring ingredient in a life that seemed as though it might well be “happily ever after.” Her narrative range is extraordinary.
Author Credentials: Does the author have the appropriate credentials or authority in the subject area? Forbes is well-educated and well-read. Her credentials for writing this book are solid.
Juvenile Titles Only: Is the material age-appropriate in content, language, and message?
General Comments: Give your overall impression of the book. Patricia Forbes has brilliantly combined a heart-wrenching story of both fervent mother love and tragic loss. Often her life seems to be one long journey of grieving, almost losing a brother in a fiery accident, discovering that her boyfriend has died while she survived a motorcycle crash, grappling with the death of her father, and culminating with the almost-death of her son, and then having to make the decision to end his life by withdrawing life support. Interspersed with these almost unexpressive depressive lows as the author battles despair are scenes from court, doing battle for justice and fairness—and sometimes losing. All of these scenes are recorded with great skill and insight. Her book vividly records the shifting shapes and processes of her sorrow. Many readers who are suffering similar, seemingly endless grief, will be eternally grateful for Forbes's sharing her story of desperation and miraculous recovery.
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