"I started writing this book with the understanding that it was my destiny to be God’s messenger."
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My Life by Tamilee Sherwood Trafford Publishing
book review by Priscilla Estes
Near the end of this memoir, Sherwood relates a near-death experience while hospitalized for another epileptic seizure. The next morning, this unhappily married mother of two felt as if a "backpack of anger had been removed" by her glimpse of heaven, and she vowed to get closer to God and spread His message. After 136 pages of pain, poverty, loneliness and bad luck, Sherwood's potential transformation is welcomed. We want this misfortunate woman's hard-scrabble search for love and happiness to succeed. Instead we sigh with sorrow as she falls into old patterns of resentment and despair, repeating past mistakes. The conversion returns a few pages before the end of her memoir, and she resolves anew to open her heart, learn to love and seek a happier life. This declaration might convince if earlier narrative demonstrated potential for change. But the raw, bitter image of a lonely woman cut off from her feelings, unable to communicate her desires, and who blames others for her miserable life is indelibly imprinted.
Sherwood's strong narrative makes one flinch with pain. Anyone can relate to a dysfunctional childhood, a stalled marriage, and troughs of despair. But not all have the courage to expose their anguish to others. Sherwood excels in sharing her sorrows. Insight into pivotal points in her life would build empathy. Why was her mother so influential? Why did she bash her husband's cat against the wall? More is hidden than revealed in a brave, sad tale.