Title: Now I See: A Lifetime of Learned Truths Along My Journey Through Life
Author: Michaela S. Cox
Publisher: Thriving Books
ISBN: 9781962494113
Pages: 110
Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir
Reviewer: Christa Hill
Pacific Book Review
Author Michaela S. Cox gives her memoir in a gripping and truly touching way. She seizes the reader’s heart with the strength of her parents’ convictions when praying for her healing. As the story unfolds, the author adds dashes of humor and realism to her story that all retellings of complicated experiences need to humanize the lead character. The memoir opens with the story of a baby girl born blind that later starts to see thanks to unending faithfulness and endurance from parents, friends, and concerned church members in the girl’s life.
Now I See: A Lifetime of Learned Truths Along My Journey Through Life literally explores the idea of enlightenment not just in going from blind to sighted but also in how hard knocks can build character and create amazing people. But within the story the author does a good job of acknowledging which parts of her journey have been like others, and which parts she recognized as uniquely her own. Delving into the author’s struggles in her first marriage were jaw dropping. Many people look at sex as a holy grail, as something that you just get along the bumpy road through adulthood. However, this snapshot drives home the importance of prayer in all aspects of life and that there are a vast number of circumstances that can occur in a person’s life.
As Cox is a Christian woman with a strong Christian background and understanding about divorce, marriage, and family it is fascinating to read how she has navigated her own understanding of her faith and how she articulates what she believes God’s laws are for. The memoir is incredibly rich moving through dramatic moments of bullying, divorce, and even death to beautiful vignettes of new life, love, and opportunity.
Throughout the book the readers are taken on a journey of reflection. Cox adds a dash of everything to the story leaving pieces that anyone can relate to. She shines a spotlight on the fact that everyone must forge their own path and that life is not one size fits all. While the sections of the story go through the 38DDD it would have been nice to have an opening sentence with an explanation for the number and letters as they so heavily inform the book.
Now I See offers a faith-centered perspective on the lessons learned along the way, encouraging readers to trust the process, embrace their experiences, and recognize God’s presence in every chapter.
