9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A WOMAN'S JOURNEY FROM HEARTACHE TO PEACE, September 15, 2006
This review is from: Inconceivable (Paperback)
This book shares the author's journey of learning to accept the fact that she'll never be able to conceive children. Her story begins in 1988, when her doctor discloses the dreaded news. She said his words became like "a constant, haunting hum in my head, like a song you can't shake -- a song with the power to drive you insane. His voice was inescapable."
Shannon Woodward explores her pain and subsequent healing in intimate detail for readers. She takes us back to her childhood, where she first looks out at the stars and wonders if God even exists, and she shares with us how her faith began to grow.
She takes us with her to every scene, filling each memory with description and dialogue which reads like the best of storytelling. We reach the point with her when she and her husband decide to adopt -- and we agonize with her frustration when birth mother after birth mother changes her mind.
One of the most poignant scenes in the book is when she and her husband are bringing home their first adopted son, Zachary, whose name means, "The Lord has remembered." As their new little son is bundled in soft blankets in the car seat, she and her husband look up and see an oversized, lighted marquis hovering above a used car lot. In bold black letters, the sign reads, "Congratulations, Dave and Shannon. It's a boy." They never learned who wrote that message.
The book takes readers up to the present, where we see how Shannon's journey has helped her become a mother to many. She has an active ministry in mentoring and encouraging hundreds of women through her speaking and writing.
There are some books I read once, then set aside, without feeling a change. Shannon Woodward's book is one I'll read again and again, always remembering how the blessing of motherhood is a gift not to be taken lightly. The back of the book contains a wonderful reader's guide which includes discussion questions for each chapter.
This is a must-read for anyone who struggles with infertility; Shannon's transparency gives readers the support they need to move toward peace.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inconceivable is a MUST READ book, August 28, 2006
This review is from: Inconceivable (Paperback)
"Inconceivable: Finding Peace in the Midst of Infertility" is an excellent book that I highly recommend.
If you suffer from infertility, or know someone who does, you must buy this book and read it. The author of this book doesn't tell you how to fix your infertility, but she does share many things that will cut to your soul. This book has a wonderful ending, but it doesn't end with her conceiving. The ending is the kind of ending that infertile people can hope for and achieve without spending thousands of dollars for infertility treatments.
Shannon Woodward shares her struggles with infertility in a very transparent and non-candycoated way. She shares the frustrations that only someone who is infertile can experience. She is so open and honest about her thoughts and feelings--things I have felt but would never say to another person for fear of being an outcast.
This book has changed my life and my outlook on my own infertility. I want other ladies to know and experience the peace that I now have.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Journey of Healing, September 14, 2006
This review is from: Inconceivable (Paperback)
I am absolutely awed by Shannon Woodward's ability to tell this story. A story lived by many, but voiced by far too few.
She has taken this uncomfortable and sometimes extremely painful journey and helped forge a way to healing.
I would highly recommend this book to any women who is struggling with issues surrounding infertility. Sometimes it's good to know you're not walking through darkness alone.
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