The word “stroke” has the power to inflict unimaginable dread and fear. In Smith’s memoir, she describes how, despite only being in her early fifties, a stroke changed the complexion of her life. In describing the nitty-gritty details of her experience and the road to recovery, she hopes to provide a blueprint for others in a similar situation. The opening presents a visceral image, using words that create knots in one’s stomach: “hemorrhage,” “six pints of blood,” “feeding tube,” and “medical coma.” However, this is the image that audiences need to see to understand the resilience and support necessary to go from wheelchair-bound to being able to walk—albeit with a walker—within two months.

What Smith suggests throughout the book, however, is to slow down. This is especially true after having a stroke but is just as relevant otherwise. Her perspective on the fleeting nature of life is commendable and one that emphasizes enjoying the moments, reflecting, peering within, and constantly assessing if the life we are living is the one we want to live. Are we cultivating strong relationships? Through her husband and sister Bonnie, Smith gets to see how much she truly means in the eyes of her family.

Overall, adversity brings life into focus, and in Smith’s work, this is magnified even more through her knack for authenticity, particularly through her journal entries. What she calls her “Stroke Book” is an outpouring of vulnerability that shows readers the grueling journey to recovery in its most minute forms. Though she has endured a tremendous health ordeal, Smith is fearless in her writing and desire to demonstrate a pathway forward for stroke victims, step-by-step, with support and gratitude.

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