There were so many things I wanted to write about today… about the mountain and the blessing of snow and indescribable scenes of moonlight on fresh powder….
But I just have to write about the book I finished reading today.
Willma Willis Gore is a dear, dear friend who has mentored me for the past ten years. She has been writing and publishing for decades, always in her great journalistic style. (Author, speaker and writing teacher William Zinsser gives the advice, “Write tight,” a skill which Willma perfected long ago.) Willma’s most recent memoir is the story of life with her husband after he lost both hands in an explosion. The two were newlyweds at the time of the accident, and they were faced with challenges that would test the strength of even a long-held matrimonial bond. Yet somehow, they find ways to work as a team, and their young love blossoms under the penetrating rays of adversity. Her husband’s story in and of itself is inspiring. As a young soldier in 1945, he faces his changed life with amazing courage and fortitude. But what makes the memoir truly compelling is Willma’s amazing response—with grace and profound inner strength—to all that transpires, both early on and much later in the marriage.
I loved this book, and would have loved it even if the author wasn’t a beloved friend. After having been turned down by quite a few traditional publishing houses, Willma decided to go forward with a print-on-demand publishing house. Hooray for that choice. Long ago I fell out of love with these fools who are interested only in the money to be gained, not literature to be presented. The book is reasonably priced, and I’ve included a link here if you want to order it on Amazon. This memoir will speak to veterans, amputees and their families, and those of us who just love a great true story.
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