The Healing Circle: Authors Writing of Recovery

by Patricia Foster (Editor), Mary Swander (Editor)

Essays describe how a variety of writers coped with the reality of illness, found their way to recovery, and incorporated their experiences into their lives

Genres: Writing

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Bonnie Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Healing Circle is a collection of essays by writers whose lives have been changed forever as the result of living with a chronic illness. Unfamiliar with previous work by the women and men in this group, I found them all to be amazingly talented. The essays tell what it was like before illness overwhelmed their lives, how life changed, and what became of them. Several stories were so exquisitely personal that a reader might find himself uncomfortable, even angry and unwilling to continue reading, if his own unacknowledged fears are stirred by the writer's account of acceptance, pain and mortality.

Those who shared their stories in this book display courage and hope, strugglling toward a future where the word "cure" isn't one they're expecting to hear. Complications of diabetes, depression, cancer and AIDS are several of the illnesses discussed. Utilizing tools of their craft to ease sadness, they learned to rely on their gift of expression to coax spiritual growth, deal with grief and move ahead.

The self-absorption of the sick is misunderstood by the healthy. Unless pain is experienced first hand, one can't appreciate the consumption and toll. when aware that society seems to equate poor health with personal failure , has a tendancy to blame the victim, and shows a preference toward sanitizing and shelving the elderly, It takes strength of character to be truthful, leaving oneself vulnerable and exposed. Maybe this gives proof of humility's power, but this book probably isn't one you'll love if you're looking for a feel-good, "Chicken Soup..." type of collection.