Kate Bowler’s book, Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I Love was one of the first books I read this year. I gave it five stars though I felt it was a bit disjointed with the storytelling.
Moving on. I soaked in the uncertainties of life through Kate’s journey of a diagnosis of stave IV colon cancer at the tender age of 35. She’s a history professor (theology) at Duke University, married to her high school sweetheart and has a darling two-year old son. There are many characters in this story, all very endearing, even the grumpy physicians. They were a perfect combination of family friends and colleagues surrounding a woman facing the end of her life with unconditional love, honesty and much humor. I felt a kindness in my heart for all of them.
We ask why when things happen to us, this memoir reaches past the why and heads straight into what do I do, how hard do I live, how much love can I spend, and to whom, where do I go, how to I do it all the while working, navigating the health care system and traveling weekly for experimental cancer treatments.
We don’t know how we will spend our time left when a raw, violent diagnosis is handed to us, a death sentence, but Kate Bowler gives us a tiny blueprint, whether you believe in God or not (she is a Christian, a history professor in theology and has a few books on the subject) but you won’t feel inundated for salvation, that’s not what this book is about. It’s about uncertainty and dealing with it smacked up in our face with nowhere to run.
I recommend it and will keep the five stars. I won’t forget her story any time soon so that alone, makes it a beloved book for me. Plus, I took notes, another five-star check mark. Lots of notes and I have them marked under “terrible diagnosis” in my journal. You know, for when that uncertainty is a certainty but not really.
I listened to this on Audible - Kate Bowler narrates beautifully.
Cheryl
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