\This is Not the Story You Think It Is... A Season of Unlikely Happiness is often misunderstood or misrepresented. Many online reviews say it's about how one woman saved her marriage. Those reviews prove only that the reviewer really didn't "get it." No, this book by Laura Munson is really about how a woman married 20 years saved herself.
The premise for this book appeared first as a Modern Love column in the New York Times on July 31, 2009. The column was entitled Those Aren't Fighting Words, Dear. The enormous response generated by that column resulted in a book contract for Laura Munson. She was thrilled. After having 14 books rejected, finally she would have one published.
This tale of self-discovery and transformation begins with Munson pondering whether or not her husband will return after he said he didn't love her any more and walked out on her and their two children. In the first chapter Munson tells us her strategy: No matter what happens, she is going to commit herself to not suffering. Munson resolves not to play the role of victim. She will offer alternatives that will give her husband the space and time he needs to work through his issues. She will keep family disruption to a minimum. She will create beauty and harmony at home. She will continue to write. Above all, she will strive to keep a positive outlook. What follows the first chapter are the details of how Laura Munson survives the four months it takes her husband to realize he does love her and rejoin the family.
This is Not the Story You Think It Is... offers a close look at one woman's struggle to maintain her own perspective during a time of crisis and confusion. Munson allows us to share her panic and her fears as well as her hard-won insights and triumphs of spirit. It's difficult not to hold her account before you like a mirror. Let's face it: we married women can all use help and inspiration. Staying grounded as an individual while making the compromises marriage and family demand is difficult, even in the best of times.
As a memoir, This is Not the Story You Think It Is... will make you laugh and cry and experience suspense as you watch the events unfold. As a self-help book, you can use Munson as a role model for some techniques you want to incorporate in your own life. Either way, This is Not the Story You Think It Is... is an interesting, compelling, and rewarding book. So totally the opposite of Family Ties, which I reviewed yesterday.
Here's a few selected reviews of This is Not the Story You Think It Is... :
- "Her Husband of 20 Years Said, 'I Want Out. I Don't Love You.' She Said, 'I Don't Buy It.' And Then..." Huffington Post, Jessie Kornbluth, March 26, 2010
- Washington Post review, April 9, 2010
- This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Review and A Resolution, Not Just Another Jen, (blog) , Janary 12, 2011
To see blog posts about other books I've read, click HERE.
© 2011, Linda Mason Hood
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