Title: The Passionate Long Walk to the Awakening of a New Life
Author: Katherine Steele
Publisher: BalboaPressAU
ISBN: 978-1452530031
Pages: 82
Genre: Self-Help/Self-Esteem
Reviewed by: Tony Espinoza
Pacific Book Review
Living with or raising someone with a disability, either physical, mental or learning, is something that many families have had to learn and adjust to over the years. As our understanding of disabilities grow and evolve over the years, new approaches to parenting and caring for someone with a disability are highly sought after. As Sinead Burke once said, “Disability is articulated as a struggle, an unnecessary burden that one must overcome to the soundtrack of a string crescendo. But disabled lives are multi-faceted – brimming with personality, pride, ambition, love, empathy, and wit.”
In author Katherine Steele’s The Passionate Long Walk to the Awakening of a New Life, the author shares their journey of discovering one of their children is autistic, and the journey to not only accepting that but dealing with the painful process of watching your child struggle with pain, and how to find a path to live one hour and one day at a time.
This was a heartbreaking yet uplifting read all at once. From the book’s first pages readers are able to feel the overwhelming emotions of the author as they struggle with the birth of her second daughter, Lourdes. From a physical birth defect to the discovery of her child’s diagnosis, the author quickly showcases the toll it takes on a parent to care for a child they love so dearly who also suffers from such ailments. The overwhelming message of not giving up and how the author fought every day to adopt this mentality and viewpoint to help give her daughter the best life possible Is a tremendously inspiring read.
This is the perfect read for those who are looking to improve or help their own self-esteem or perhaps are looking for a non-fiction book to find authors who understand the struggle of loving and caring for someone with a disability. The author’s raw emotional journey and openness with her own struggles mentally throughout her life and her overall goal of overcoming that sadness was amazing to see come to fruition, and will be an inspiration to many others.
This is a raw, quick yet powerful read. Author Katherine Steele’s The Passionate Long Walk to the Awakening of a New Life is a memorable journey of self-reflection, empowerment and overcoming the odds. From the author’s own struggles, to her daughter overcoming what others expected of her and living a full life, this is a truly one of a kind read that is not to be missed.
