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The Opposite of Certainty

Fear, Faith, and Life in Between

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

This gripping memoir about what it means to face uncertainty details the plans Janine had for her family and her life that were gutted by her then 10-year-old son Mason's diagnosis of a cancerous brain tumor, only to be followed by her own cancer diagnosis.

All Janine Urbaniak Reid ever wanted was for everyone she loved to be okay so she might relax and maybe be happy. Her life strategy was simple: do everything right. This included trying to be the perfect mother to her three kids so they would never experience the kind of pain she pretended not to feel growing up. What she didn't expect was the chaos of an out-of-control life that begins when her young son's hand begins to shake and he is diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 10.

This moving memoir is the story of Janine's reluctant journey beyond easy answers and platitudes. She searches for a source of strength bigger than her circumstances, only to have her circumstances become even thornier when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Drawn deeply and against her will into herself, she discovers hidden reserves of strength, humor, and a no-matter-what faith that looks nothing like she thought it would. The Opposite of Certainty is:

  • Brilliant, breathtakingly honest, and sometimes very funny account of marriage, motherhood, and the unfathomable salvation we find in God
  • An unvarnished look at defying the gravity of challenging life circumstances
  • The recognition that anyone can tap a source of strength inside themselves to walk through the impossible
  • Beautifully written and deeply hopeful, Janine shows us how we can come through impossible times transformed and yet more ourselves than we've ever allowed ourselves to be.

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      • Booklist

        May 1, 2020
        With three children, and a husband always traveling on business, Reid might have seemed like a control freak. But her need to be in motion, make lists, and tick off finished tasks belied deeper, darker origins in sexual abuse and family alcoholism. Still, the author seemed to have it all, until her son Mason's hand tremor and headaches began to worsen. At first, a family doctor waved it off, but Mason's symptoms escalated and tests (and another doctor) revealed a brain tumor thought to have been present since birth. The family's equilibrium is thrown wildly off as the "family orbits the tumor." Reid and her husband get additional opinions and decide the best course of action for Mason while also trying to parent their other two children. Just as their life seems to find stability, the tumor hemorrhages, and Mason ends up in a coma, later undergoing lengthy rehabilitation. Through it all, Reid leans into her Christian beliefs, seeking solace from friends and prayer. Women's Bible study groups may want to check this out.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

      • Library Journal

        June 26, 2020

        Writer Reid's carefully crafted, comfortable, suburban family life was upended abruptly when her younger son began to show vague signs of neurological impairment. Gradually, 13-year-old Mason's headaches and tremors were recognized as the symptoms of a complex brain tumor and the hard-fought equilibrium sought by Reid was disturbed beyond her ability to repair. As her family life was disrupted in ways large and small, all of the coping strategies Reid developed during her own turbulent upbringing fell short when it came to controlling her new circumstances, and she was faced with approaching life from a different perspective. By turns amusing and affecting, this account of one woman's journey to acceptance--if not understanding--provides a graceful meditation on finding refuge in what is already in front of you rather than fighting to create your own reality. VERDICT Reid's saga will appeal to readers seeking a faith-filled approach to confronting the worst that life throws at them.--Th�r�se Purcell Nielsen, Huntington P.L., NY

        Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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    • English

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