Customer Reviews

A Cracking of the Heart

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A very moving book...How sharply contrasting political views between Horowitz and his daughter led to a large gulf in their relationship that was eventually bridged before she died...she was a liberal. A good read!

David Horowitz has written a very personal and touching book about his daughter Sarah, who died in 2008 at the age of 44. In it Horowitz shares profound insights he gained through his late daughter. It is a story of love and of conflict, but ultimately of compassion and the transcendence of a father and daughter's love for one another over their differences. It is also a lesson for all of us in the virtue of seeing others, as Sarah put it, "in the fullness of their humanity."

Sarah lived a truly inspiring and triumphant life. Born with Turner Syndrome, she faced difficulties that would have been considered huge obstacles by most people. She walked slowly and with a limp, had severe hearing difficulties, a poor sense of direction, was near-sighted and unable to drive. Despite these limitations she lived life with compassion, determination and generosity, along with a fierce sense of independence. Refusing to view herself as disabled, Sarah managed to work a 40-hour week as a teaching assistant for pre-school children and simultaneously earn two Masters degrees.

In addition, later in her life she became involved with a conservative synagogue led by a rabbi who became a trusted advisor and friend. Sarah traveled overseas to India and Uganda to work with the poor, and visited Israel twice. Each month she traveled across town to cook a meal for 60 homeless people - an obligation which her synagogue had taken on, and which Sarah volunteered to organize. She even traveled to Iowa during the last presidential campaign to work in support of Barack Obama. Sarah was also a talented writer. Her father includes many excerpts from her writings in this book, which show her to have possessed wisdom far beyond her years. Some of the most poignant passages for me are those that relate dialogue between Horowitz and his daughter regarding his own writing. Sarah's commentary on her father's work was always perceptive and incisive.

Horowitz has said he considers this book a gift to him from Sarah, in that it has allowed him to reveal a side of himself of which many are unaware from his other writings. He has written a celebrated memoir, Radical Son, as well as a more recent book of personal reflection titled The End of Time, published in 2005. Though very different from these two books, I believe A Cracking of the Heart is equally well-written and in some ways surpasses them in excellence, which is no faint praise. As anyone who has read his work can attest, Horowitz is an immensely talented writer. Sarah's keen life insights, wisdom and accomplishments, which would be impressive in someone who lived twice as long as she, have inspired her father to write what I would argue is his finest book yet.

David Horowitz's memoir of his daughter is a poignant reminder of how a life can be filled with love, determination, and meaning in spite of the impediments of birth defects. He writes in an almost dispassionate recounting of her friends and career. More moving are his regrets in their relationship. Also interesting are the descriptions of how different religions overlap. I read this book together with Left Illusions and found them both to be wonderful insights into one of the nation's most intriguing minds. The two books show him to be compassionate and caring as well generous with his innermost thoughts. I liked the book very much and only gave it three stars because I don't think Horowitz shares enough of himself in the book. Perhaps he is too close to the subject or wants the book to only be about his daughter, but I thought if he had put a bit more of himself into the book it would have made more engaging reading. A worthwhile read.

I'm glad I read this book. I finished it in one day, yet the characters will live on with me for a long time. I feel like I know Sarah Horowitz, and through her, many others who live with disabilities. One of my favorite sections introduced me to Mariah, Sarah's niece born with severe autism. While it shares Sarah's struggles, the book also shares the attachments, anxieties and tensions of Sarah's parents. It is a great read for all parents and full of hope for parents whose children are disabled. I will always remember the mystery of the white rose.

Few things are sure in David Horowitz's latest book, including eternal purpose and meaning. In "A Cracking of the Heart," the normally combative Horowitz, non-theist and erudite conservative pundit, writes with real emotion and throbbing pain from the loss of his daughter who died in her early forties. He describes his loss as being left with a "hole in his heart." It's complicated and difficult to read this well-written book inasmuch as Horowitz has no real ever-lasting answers; hence the theist is aware of the author's pain and knows he will be left without true hope.
Horowitz's memoir will help the reader follow his example in seeking and finding reconciliation with a loved-one (his daughter).

What I am now motivated to do is: 1. love my family and friends with a deep and focused love everyday, even if just for a sincere ten second goodbye on the way to the office; 2. Forgive my love-ones promptly; 3. Ask for their forgiveness swiftly; 4. Pray for Horowitz and other non-theists who truthfully need the grace and hope of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in Him; may you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Necessary Existence of God: The Proof of Christianity Through Presuppositional Apologetics

Just recently became aware of David Horowitz ... he has quite a big persona, and I am sure it was not an easy task to live under his shadow. His love for his daughter shines through on each page. I finished this book in just a few days and feel as if I actually knew Sarah; unfortunately I did not. I would definitely recommend this book. There is nothing quite like a father/daughter relationship. afp; Fairfield, CT

Any parent of a handicapped child will recognize many of the themes of this book. We experience fear as our kids mature and begin to navigate the often-unfriendly world. We feel our child's disappointments and the compromises she will have to make. We tread that fine line between helping and intruding. This book is a thoughtful exploration of those themes, but is more.

The gulf between his political views and his daughter's views as well as the common moral and spiritual political ground that they came to inhabit is also examined.

This is a great read on many levels.

Truly a heartwarming read. David Horowitz is a truly great writer.
He writes this loving memoir of his daughter straight from the heart,
the "cracked heart." His courageous daughter should make us remember
to live to make every day count and to tell those we love that we do
love and appreciate them.

I read this book in two sittings - it's a very fast but incredibly inspiring book about the death of a daughter who lived a lifetime in a few short years. A great book to sit down with over Shabbat.

A Cracking of the Heart provides a powerful reflection on life and loss in this story of a father and daughter's estrangement and a slow eventual reunion ended by sudden death. Author David Howoritz was a conservative with a very liberal daughter: his reflections are powerful insights on what really matters: "When death takes someone you love, there is no looking back. And there is only looking back."