Customer Reviews

Hard Times and Great Blessings: The Story of My Life

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

 

 

How many people have fascinating life stories, are even encouraged to share their experiences through the written word, but never follow through with the task of compiling a memoir? Author Kenneth Worth is one man who listened when others told him that he had a story worth sharing, and the result is the captivating memoir titled Hard Times and Great Blessings. In this short, but detail-rich, book, Mr. Worth relates a life filled with some moments to which almost any reader will be able to relate and other events that most can only begin to imagine.

Kenneth Worth was made an orphan two days after his eleventh birthday, when his mother killed his father and then took her own life. Worth and his brother were both asleep in the house when this tragic crime occurred and, even though they somehow slept through the sounds of the shots being fired, they were the ones who found their father lying in bed with, as Worth describes it, practically no head remaining. Obviously a tragic scene for two boys to witness, Worth does not spend much time reflecting on this day. The reader is left to wonder why Worth's mother felt compelled to commit such a violent act. Was there mental illness? Untold abuse? Through the noticeable absence of such details, Worth lets the reader know that he did not allow his life to be consumed by the questions surrounding that day. Like Worth himself did, the reader must move on.

What Mr. Worth does focus on is the importance of relationships in his life. He writes with genuine emotion when sharing the love story that developed between him and his wife, Ruth. As he describes it, the two are joined at the hip and have been since their courtship started when the two were both teenagers. Now married for forty-eight years, the commitment between Kenneth and Ruth that remained through multiple job changes, personal illnesses, and family deaths is a testament to true love and partnership. Beyond his marriage, Worth also expresses his delayed appreciation for the grandparents who raised him following his parents' death (he admits to a lack of gratefulness at the time), pride at the accomplishments of his two adult daughters, and respect for the in-laws who became surrogate parents and led him to his faith. Although Mr. Worth lost his mother and father at a young age, and in some ways that relationship can never be replaced, he certainly understands that he has a life richly filled with people who love and care for him.

Among the details that Mr. Worth shares about his life, I greatly enjoyed the memories that he associates with the cars he has owned over his life. (He shows a particular affection for models developed by Ford.) He fondly remembers the car he was driving when taking his pregnant wife to the hospital, the one that got him to a new city as he searched for a home for his growing family, and several others. I found that the inclusion of these cars, down to the make, model and color, added another way in which readers could relate to Worth's story. I know that always smile when I see a Ford Escort that reminds me of my high school boyfriend, remember the crayons that melted in the back of my dad's 1978 Honda Civic, and cringe when I think about the car I was driving when rear-ended by a drunk driver. Don't many of us associate cars with events in our life--a uniquely American mindset?

Through his military service in Vietnam with a young bride left at home, administrative civilian positions that took him to many areas of the country, the recent diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease, and his wife's own health problems, Kenneth Worth acknowledges the constant strength that his Christian faith has provided. He takes time throughout the book to remind the reader that God is always working in his life, even when the circumstances seemed bleak. Worth focuses on the blessings he has received and encourages his readers to do the same. A man who lost his parents to violent deaths when he was just a child certainly could find reason to go through his days filled with resentment, but instead Kenneth Worth serves as a model of how an optimistic outlook can improve one's life. What a great lesson for every reader of his book to learn!

Through Hard Times and Great Blessings, first-time author Kenneth Worth shares an amazing life story that inspires and encourages. I certainly hope that Mr. Worth plans on writing more in the future, as he mentions so many events in his life that could each be worthy of its own publication. And, perhaps Kenneth Worth's decision to share his life story will encourage some of his readers to do the same.

I was deeply moved by the story of Ken Worth's life. His journey through adversity to peaceful contentment provides an interesting and inspirational reading experience. Kudos, Mr. Worth.

The essence of faith is continuing to choose to do what is right without the certainty of an earthly reward. It requires a firmness of conviction against the unknown. Kenneth Worth exhibits this quality. In "Hard Times and Great Blessings: The Story of My Life," the reader is transported to Worth's post-World War II era childhood where in a stunning flashback he relates his tragic past with two words: BANG! BANG! These two inexplicable shots fired by his mother silenced his parents forever. Worth employs writing as a means to examine his life. The reader gains access to moments of lasting impact. It is interesting to note the events he chooses to highlight. The memories that Worth has carried with him across a lifetime. The ones he selected to record for posterity.

Worth also recalls the mundane yet special moments that fill every life such as getting married, having children and earning a job promotion. It takes an individual with an acute sensitivity to realize the bigger picture behind the backdrop of this collage of everyday life. Every life has its fingerprint, no two are the same. There is something to be learned from every one. Through writing, Worth illustrates an active faith. He does not doubt, but engages the reader into questioning the fundamental purpose of a life. Beneath the surface, questions are there but the ultimate answers remain illusive.

Later in life, illness strikes Worth. His golden years of retirement are filled with coping with a body assaulted by Parkinson's Disease. It is not the situation he imagined for himself. Yet as his physical abilities decline, his mental and spiritual capacities sharpen. He has known all along that life is not fair. Yet he has come to the realization that it can be examined and shared with others. Does a life come full circle? Does the constant cycle of change lead to a final culminating point? Worth is still examining these primal issues. He has taken the first introspective step with this book. However, his spiritual journey continues.

A complimentary review copy was provided by Kenneth F. Worth.

I think we have all had those days when we feel as though nothing is going right. From the moment we get up in the morning to the time we retire to bed, one would think the world has been against us the entire time.

A little dramatic? I would say so, but it doesn't stop us from looking for reasons to feel sorry for ourselves and try and get others to do the same. If you have been one of those who feels as though the sky is falling on top of you, then "Hard Times and Great Blessings" by Kenneth
F. Worth is a book you need to not only read but memorize.

This autobiography reminds me much of the story of Job. He was a man who had been greatly blessed and was forced to suffer great loss, but remained true to his faith. Kenneth has done the same. In writing this book he opened his life up to us and revealed the real life of the man behind the smiles. Here was a man who lived a relatively simple life with his brother and parents, enjoying the simple pleasures of life, when one day that was destroyed forever. Imagine having to deal with the fact that your mother was found to have not only killed your father and then herself, but had been dealing with emotional difficulties for sometime.

Kenneth's story is amazing in that he can be the man living next to us that we had no idea what he has gone through because he chooses not to focus on the negative. Instead he looks to the ways he has been blessed instead of the hard times that has befallen him. This holds true in his relationship with his wife as well. They have been together for decades and had to deal with health issues that have not divided them but managed to bring them closer together. It is the true definition of love and marriage. When they said "Til Death Do Us Part" they meant it with their whole being. Through cancer scares and other ailments Kenneth appreciated life enough to know that you can't sweat the small stuff, and he knew that everything except death was the small stuff. He wasn't going to live his life dwelling on the past. There was a future left to live.

His brother died a few years ago, yet instead of drowning himself in sorrow he chose to reflect on the fact that his brother had dedicated his life to God. Ken now suffers from Parkinson's, and even through that Ken is looking for ways to educate the public about the effects of the disease and providing information about support groups for family members who are living with the affects.

Now after hearing just a snippet of what this man has had to endure, doesn't it make a great deal of our problems seem quite trivial? "Hard Times and Great Blessings" is the story that movies are made of. Sure, it doesn't have the ending that you may want for your hero, but it still gives you that feeling of hope in the end.

Ever want to sneak a peak at your father's or grandfather's journal? How could you resist the temptation especially if you knew he'd been writing in it all his life? This is what I found in Kenneth F. Worth's "Hard Times and Great Blessings: The Story of my Life". This 124-page memoir is not a daily journal of every little nuance of each day of the author's life. It is a record of the highlights of a man's journey from childhood to maturity.

The book is a study in optimism as Worth and his older brother begin life in a relative bliss that is shattered with the suicide murder of their loving parents. It appears that Mrs. Worth shot her husband while he lay asleep in his bed, then she shot herself. The author describes the confusion inherent in an event this disruptive, yet doesn't dwell on it, which I find very interesting since I wrote a memoir based on one death and its repercussions. Author Worth could have written an entire book about the loss of his parents. Yet he decides to go on with his narrative and describe he and his brother's childhood under the car of their grandparents, people too old to care for preteens who took every advantage--as kids will--to circumvent their new parental substitutes.

Worth lays down the incidents of his life in a direct and simple conversational tone. There is no dramatic through-line or plot, structural elements of fiction that are woven into memoir in order to shape it in a way that imbues the work with suspense and builds and releases tension. Worth simply jots down the significant moments of his life as he remembers them. I found this straightforward, nonliterary approach refreshing. The book is well written and direct. My Dad couldn't write this much edited this well.

I would've liked to know more about the author's wife. The memories build from an adventurous childhood and into teen and early adulthood, but lose impact when the latter part of the book moves into a career path that proves successful. Worth designed his final home with future handicaps in mind and I wondered if he is withholding some of the current hard times he might be enduring.

It is clear that the author is a Christian. I do not read Christian books, but in "Hard Times and Great Blessings", the total number of direct references to Christianity or Jesus, other than childhood memories of trips into and sneaking out of church, probably take up one page. My take on this is that the person exposed in this memoir is an example of a good Christian and doesn't believe he has to beat me over the head with it.

If you're looking for a riveting, plot driven, thriller, this is not the book for you. But if you want to sit down and have a cup of coffee with a dad or grandfather, and you have a desire to learn about a life, this is a pleasant read for you.

Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." I say the self-examined life is worth reading and learning from. I recommend this book.

"HARD TIMES AND GREAT BLESSINGS" by Kenneth F. Worth

Review by C.A. Webb, President, Conversations Book Club

I think we have all had those days when we feel as though nothing is going right. From the moment
we get up in the morning to the time we retire to bed, one would think the world has been against
us the entire time. A little dramatic? I would say so, but it doesn't stop us from looking for reasons
to feel sorry for ourselves and try and get others to do the same. If you have been one of those who
feels as though the sky is falling on top of you, then "Hard Times and Great Blessings" by Kenneth
F. Worth is a book you need to not only read but memorize.

This autobiography reminds me much of the story of Job. He was a man who had been greatly blessed and was forced to suffer great loss, but remained true to his faith. Kenneth has done the same. In writing this book he opened his life up to us and revealed the real life of the man behind the smiles. Here was a man who lived a relatively simple life with his brother and parents, enjoying the simple pleasures of life, when one day that was destroyed forever. Imagine having to deal with the fact that your mother was found to have not only killed your father and then herself, but had been dealing with emotional difficulties for sometime.

Kenneth's story is amazing in that he can be the man living next to us that we had no idea what he has gone through because he chooses not to focus on the negative. Instead he looks to the ways he has been blessed instead of the hard times that has befallen him. This holds true in his relationship with his wife as well. They have been together for decades and had to deal with health issues that have not divided them but managed to bring them closer together. It is the true definition of love and marriage. When they said "Til Death Do Us Part" they meant it with their whole being. Through cancer scares and other ailments Kenneth appreciated life enough to know that you can't sweat the small stuff, and he knew that everything except death was the small stuff. He wasn't going to live his life dwelling on the past. There was a future left to live.

His brother died a few years ago, yet instead of drowning himself in sorrow he chose to reflect on the fact that his brother had dedicated his life to God. Ken now suffers from Parkinson's, and even through that Ken is looking for ways to educate the public about the effects of the disease and providing information about support groups for family members who are living with the affects.

Now after hearing just a snippet of what this man has had to endure, doesn't it make a great deal of our problems seem quite trivial? "Hard Times and Great Blessings" is the story that movies are made of. Sure, it doesn't have the ending that you may want for your hero, but it still gives you that feeling of hope in the end.

Hard Times and Great Blessings is a memoir by Kenneth F. Worth. This little book is a mix of funny, sad and inspirational stories by an excellent storyteller. Older readers will smile at the stories of simpler times when kids ran up behind moving cars on snow covered roads and grabbed hold of the rear bumpers for a thrill ride sliding on their boots. Younger readers will find lasting values in what happens when you make right and wrong decisions growing up. All will find strength and inspiration in the heart-felt stories of struggling with life-defining diseases and the search for one's purpose in God's world.

Book Review By Steven R. Roberts
Author of Twenty-Nine Months,
A Fifteen-Year Fight with Cancer and Its Consequences