Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience

I tried to read this book slowly because I wanted to extend its impact. Insightful writing and really hard to put down. Families support each other in every way in this moving story.

Allison Pataki’s newest book, Beauty in the Broken Places, is an amazing story of the tragedy that overcame her husband while they were on their way to a vacation in Hawaii. Allison was 5 months pregnant and this was a time to relax for her and her husband, Dave, who had a break in a grueling schedule while studying to be a doctor. As fate would have it, they never made it to Hawaii, but instead began another type of journey. Dave had a stroke on the airplane and they were forced to change not only their destination, but their lives. This book is the compilation of the events that happened as Allison wrote daily to her husband, who now had no memory of past events. A loving memoir written that she hoped she would be able to reveal to him when and if he survived this devastating series of events. Allison’s words flow as if she were having a conversation with a friend. She expresses her emotions, fears and hopes. This is a moving story of real life as it happened. It is also a testament to family and friends who helped a young woman keep her hopes and faith that good things would come out of bad events. Allison has become a force in the literary field with her ability to present past and present in a truthful and compelling way. I definitely recommend this book. (I was given this book for an honest review and am part of the Launch Team.)