Customer Reviews

Show Me the Way: A Memoir in Stories

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

 

 

Show Me the Way is Jennifer Lauck?s third memoir, and continues to demonstrate her fine writing skills. Jennifer has an amazing ability to examine the best and worst of humankind through the eyes of her life, communicating tremendous joy and grief with clarity and honesty.

Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found is the story of Lauck?s early childhood, which began with adoption by two loving parents and quickly slid into horrible abuse after their deaths. Stillwaters follows Jennifer to her adoption by her father?s sister and through adolescence where resentment and anger took the place of love, caring, and compassion. Through both of these books, the reader senses Jennifer marking time until adulthood, freedom, and independence.

Show Me the Way delivers the next step of Jennifer?s journey as she and her husband start a family. Jennifer faces many of the same challenges as other women that are attempting to balance the roles of mother, wife, lover, and self. Interspersed with Jennifer?s depiction of the physical emotion of childbirth and rearing are recollections of Jennifer?s own childhood and the loss of her parents. The reader can almost feel Jennifer reaching back in time to her mother and father, both requesting and sending love and acceptance. Approaching the birth of her second child, Jennifer seeks to make sure her son will never hurt his younger sister. Wrapped through these conversations is the love Jennifer?s brother was afraid to feel and her sadness at his suicide in his early twenties.

After searching for adulthood for so long, Jennifer finally finds discovers it comes in fragments like fighting for your children with the pediatrician, or embracing a moment of child induced chaos during a Starbucks morning filled with people eager to get to their offices.

Show Me the Way is not as gripping or heartrending in the same way as Blackbird or Stillwaters, and it should not be. It would be too simplistic to call Jennifer a survivor, for her spirit and ability to envelope the reader into her heart is something more. Although Show Me the Way is strong enough to stand on its own, it is best read after Jennifer?s first two books so the reader can live Jennifer?s journey with her.

With her flawless writing and sure hand, Lauck tells a painful story that isn't maudlin and doesn't beg for sympathy -- it just is. If you liked this book, you might try "An Egg on Three Sticks" by Jackie Moyer Fischer, "Sights Unseen" by Kaye Gibbons, and "A Girl in Parts" by Jasmine Paul.

Show Me the Way is a gorgeously written memoir for real mothers everywhere. The stories weave together seamlessly into a true picture of motherhood, with its highs and lows. I recommend this highly.

Well, I saw lots of reviews that said skip it - but I have to really read it for myself. And I thought it was a perfect way to end the series of her life. It had enough tie-ins to the previous books - but COULD be ready singly if you really had to. I enjoyed it and found it endearing, and I hate the idea of having children. Just read all three books ok?

Quite simply, one of the very best books of this type I have read. I hope Jennifer Lauck continues to publish. She is indeed a gifter author.

I LOVED her first 2 books, but this one seems like it was written just to sell another book. Overly-told, very, very detailed stories about any mother's everyday life.

I love Jennifer Lauck's life memoirs. The story of neglect she suffered was tragic, realistic and yet not sensationalized. She didn't need to embellish her story to make it stong and memorable. This collection of observations is more current than past memoirs but no less strong and moving.

I don't have much time, but I read Black Bird, and it was so sad and intriguing and well-written I had to get the rest of her books. Can't wait til she continues. She is more than spunky, very adventurous and self reliant and writes her life brilliantly. I felt her sadness, her rage, her love. She's quite honest. Here is a woman who's parents died when she was very young and lived with people who didn't really seem to care about her. The ones that did were kept from her. Imagine growing up in a home where you felt like you didn't belong. No encouragement, no love, no hugs, just criticism and treated like Cinderella. Plus she was adopted by the parents who did die so young. She had an adoptive brother and their relationship was never close, but even he was taken away from her. I love to read. This is what is considered one of the best of my collection and I read so many books. Can't really give the book justice right now, but give it a try. Start out with Black Bird though and you'll just have to read this book too.

Book was a continuing series in her life story, I loved the first 2, Blackbird and Still Waters and read them over and over (unlike most books I get which I only read once). This was a good book but not one I'd read over and over. I do love her writing and her story is very sad but also uplifting.

I agree with the reviewer who said not to waste your time reading this and with the reviewer who felt the book was written just to write a book. If you read Blackbird you have read much of the story as she flashes back many times almost word for word from that book. It was poorly written and a weak story. As a reviewer said her antidotes are no different from any other mother's. The reader does not need all of the physical details she provides, going into during her labor and birth etc. It wasn't even in the same league with Blackbird. I skimmed most of the book and kept waiting to see if it got better and it did not. I had a hard time warming up to Jennifer in this book and found her to be somewhat abrasive.