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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
A beautiful story. Very helpful if you’ve come to via hearing her story elsewhere (Dancing with the Stars, the ESPN special, hearing her speak, etc) since that framework will inform the details she shares. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I understand that anyone who writes a book has invited the critiques that may come. Fair enough. But I can’t imagine being one of the people whose demons have so damaged them that they felt compelled to type a complaint here about the fact that she calls her mom “mummy” or didn’t provide the legal details surrounding her medical care that they’ve decided they’re entitled to. Thankfully, Arlen will keep moving forward and those folks can get left behind in their malaise.
I understand that anyone who writes a book has invited the critiques that may come. Fair enough. But I can’t imagine being one of the people whose demons have so damaged them that they felt compelled to type a complaint here about the fact that she calls her mom “mummy” or didn’t provide the legal details surrounding her medical care that they’ve decided they’re entitled to. Thankfully, Arlen will keep moving forward and those folks can get left behind in their malaise.
Victoria lives a 5 star story, but unfortunately it's written in a 3 star way. I wish her writing was done as competitively as the sports in her life, or that she had a better editor (if she had one at all, it's not apparent). The writing itself was very "stream of conscious", which sometimes I enjoy, but in this case less so.
It makes sense for someone who is locked in with only their imagination for years to rely on analogies and symbols, but many were silly when specifically pushing a pseudo-motivated point. The writing, at times, was all over the place, with repetitive mention of the same events or sentiments. She also sped through the the parts that I personally found the most interesting; while vegetative but aware, while learning to walk, and DWTS. She covered how she felt during the vegetative state tremendously, but mostly about her inner monologue and less so about little details, like her parents putting on certain shows for her, etc. What else did she think about besides "I have to get out?" for 2 years? The last two components had barely a brief mention, and I would've loved to know the methods in as much detail as her swimming routine. There are strangely no details on her most recent achievements (walking, DWTS), but a significant amount from when she was 10 (unlikely). Throughout the book, I was massively confused on the current state of her disability. She suddenly could walk again with a few paragraphs of explanation.
Victoria's life is incredibly interesting because of the actual events/details, and motivating because of how she handled it, but this book was mostly inner thoughts about her competitive motivation and much less about the actionable events. Frequently, I was bored and skimmed through many of the repetitive monologues. Perhaps I have a more personal problem reading motivational scripts that assert the "any medical miracle can happen if you don't give up" mantra, because while Victoria gives a lot of credit to her mother for constantly seeking answers, she ignores an incredibly important part in anyone's recovery; finances. It's clear that the Arlen family was blessed in that department, but it's hurtful to read as someone who has a vision issue that Doctors erroneously said couldn't be healed after a similar brain swelling event (the studies are still scant) when my family doesn't have the immense time and resources to support full recovery. Motivation doesn't always resonate with others when it's based upon affording nice schools, travel, sports, therapy, etc. A mention of this privilege would've been nice, while omitting the "you can do anything you put your mind to" mantra (it's anything you put your wallet to).
I feel as though I have many more questions to be answered. She mentioned a LOT of abuse in this book.. it seems as though almost every hospital in the NE metro area abused her. Are those individuals in jail? Have those facilities been investigated? Again, recovery/therapy reform would've been a huge detail to discuss in this book to close that loop. If she was abused, countless others have been too, and I hope the Arlen family uses their platform to help eradicate that abuse.
I'd say that many of my complaints, besides the writing style, are based upon wanting to know MORE about her life and the details, which isn't a bad problem to have. Pictures would’ve been lovely!
The good: A lot of lessons she expressed were lovely. While not always stated eloquently, the sentiments she expressed were important. Sans monologue, the descriptions of her efforts were quite interesting and incited emotion. I loved reading about her family members and their interactions. I'm certain she'll continue to make history and unbelievable achievements, and I hope she considers re-writing these chapters if another book is on the horizon.
It makes sense for someone who is locked in with only their imagination for years to rely on analogies and symbols, but many were silly when specifically pushing a pseudo-motivated point. The writing, at times, was all over the place, with repetitive mention of the same events or sentiments. She also sped through the the parts that I personally found the most interesting; while vegetative but aware, while learning to walk, and DWTS. She covered how she felt during the vegetative state tremendously, but mostly about her inner monologue and less so about little details, like her parents putting on certain shows for her, etc. What else did she think about besides "I have to get out?" for 2 years? The last two components had barely a brief mention, and I would've loved to know the methods in as much detail as her swimming routine. There are strangely no details on her most recent achievements (walking, DWTS), but a significant amount from when she was 10 (unlikely). Throughout the book, I was massively confused on the current state of her disability. She suddenly could walk again with a few paragraphs of explanation.
Victoria's life is incredibly interesting because of the actual events/details, and motivating because of how she handled it, but this book was mostly inner thoughts about her competitive motivation and much less about the actionable events. Frequently, I was bored and skimmed through many of the repetitive monologues. Perhaps I have a more personal problem reading motivational scripts that assert the "any medical miracle can happen if you don't give up" mantra, because while Victoria gives a lot of credit to her mother for constantly seeking answers, she ignores an incredibly important part in anyone's recovery; finances. It's clear that the Arlen family was blessed in that department, but it's hurtful to read as someone who has a vision issue that Doctors erroneously said couldn't be healed after a similar brain swelling event (the studies are still scant) when my family doesn't have the immense time and resources to support full recovery. Motivation doesn't always resonate with others when it's based upon affording nice schools, travel, sports, therapy, etc. A mention of this privilege would've been nice, while omitting the "you can do anything you put your mind to" mantra (it's anything you put your wallet to).
I feel as though I have many more questions to be answered. She mentioned a LOT of abuse in this book.. it seems as though almost every hospital in the NE metro area abused her. Are those individuals in jail? Have those facilities been investigated? Again, recovery/therapy reform would've been a huge detail to discuss in this book to close that loop. If she was abused, countless others have been too, and I hope the Arlen family uses their platform to help eradicate that abuse.
I'd say that many of my complaints, besides the writing style, are based upon wanting to know MORE about her life and the details, which isn't a bad problem to have. Pictures would’ve been lovely!
The good: A lot of lessons she expressed were lovely. While not always stated eloquently, the sentiments she expressed were important. Sans monologue, the descriptions of her efforts were quite interesting and incited emotion. I loved reading about her family members and their interactions. I'm certain she'll continue to make history and unbelievable achievements, and I hope she considers re-writing these chapters if another book is on the horizon.
I really enjoyed Ghost Boy and Brain on Fire, which are similar memoirs. This one, however, felt very shallow and “rah rah, just believe in good things and they will happen” in comparison. I think that probably has to do with the author’s age more than anything else.
I enjoyed reading about Victoria Arlen's story. I wanted to know more about her after seeing her compete in "Dancing With The Stars." The fact that she spent fours years trapped in her own body and found the resolve to rise above that trauma is amazing. She is an inspiration to others. This was a great motivational read for me while in quarantine.
emotional
medium-paced
Victoria’s story is remarkable and definitely needed to be told, however I think it needed some more editing for readability sake.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
*DNF
I wanted so badly to read this book- only to have it fail me in the end.
The true story of Victoria Arlen’s victory over Paralysis, health related abuse, and being awake but in a comatose state really pulled my attention. I am in awe of how much Victoria pushed through and is still pushing through to be here- alive today, but her story was not written well at all. There are too many prolonged sentences, Repetitive statements and words, and too much “feeling this and that.” My head was hurting after several chapters, and suddenly I was annoyed with the author. Her usage of mummy had me bashing my head against the wall. She is an adult but yet it seems as though I’m reading a spoiled child’s vague version of a horrific event that is completely detached.
.5 star rating for the book itself.
I wanted so badly to read this book- only to have it fail me in the end.
The true story of Victoria Arlen’s victory over Paralysis, health related abuse, and being awake but in a comatose state really pulled my attention. I am in awe of how much Victoria pushed through and is still pushing through to be here- alive today, but her story was not written well at all. There are too many prolonged sentences, Repetitive statements and words, and too much “feeling this and that.” My head was hurting after several chapters, and suddenly I was annoyed with the author. Her usage of mummy had me bashing my head against the wall. She is an adult but yet it seems as though I’m reading a spoiled child’s vague version of a horrific event that is completely detached.
.5 star rating for the book itself.
Victoria is truly a blessing to this earth. She survived the odds, and has influenced so many people. I love how she is trying to live her best life since we was given it back. Truly wonderful. It is heartbreaking to read her story, but some of the lessons relate to everyday life!