Official Review: Junie Moon Changes Course by June Collins
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Ngozi Onyibor
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Official Review: Junie Moon Changes Course by June Collins
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Junie Moon Changes Course" by June Collins.]
To fulfil her dreams of having a large family, June got married at eighteen. After the birth of three preterm babies that didn't make it, she gave up on marriage and motherhood and left her husband in pursuit of adventure. Shortly after, she got a job as an exotic dancer. Her career path ushered her into the world of the affluent, and she enjoyed a jet-set life of luxury and travel. She jaunted all over the world in style, and on one of such trips, in an inebriated state, she tripped over some sleeping kids in Manila, Philippines. Appalled by their scruffy appearance and the abject poverty they lived in, she felt a burning desire to help, but that wouldn't be without some hitches.
Junie Moon Changes Course by June Collins is a true story of a woman's desire to make a difference in the world by taking at least one underprivileged child of the street; though she ended up taking six. This book is by no means an exhaustive guide on adoption, but it does cover the basics of international adoption without romanticizing the process. June is very candid about her battles as a mom raising traumatized kids from different cultures. She is not perfect, and many people in today's world will probably raise a brow at her parenting style, but her honesty is what makes the book so alluring.
Her kids weren't easy to raise, especially the teenage ones because they were largely set in their ways before she took them under her wings. Some had a stint with drug use, alcohol and a ton of other issues. Seeing her navigate these problems with grace and candour is my favourite part of the book.
All parents struggle with their kids, whether biological or adopted. However, I suppose adoptive parents struggle more because they second-guess themselves a lot. It's often easier for them to fall into an abyss of self-blame when a child doesn't turn out the way they expected, despite their best efforts. They wonder if the lack of parental bond at birth has anything to do with it or if they are bad parents. Nevertheless, I believe a parent can only do so much. In the words of a certain philosopher, "Parenting is like baking a cake, you don't know if you have a disaster till you are done." and I couldn't agree more. As a result, I think June's struggles mirror the experience of many parents at one point or another in their parenting journey. So, I would recommend this book to parents.
Overall, I have no quibbles whatsoever concerning the book. So, I gladly rate it 4 out of 4 stars. June has a simple, humorous and evocative writing style. That said, I love how immersive and relatable her story is. Regarding the editing, I glimpsed a few minor errors while reading, but it's undoubtedly professionally edited. I must warn would-be readers that the book contains instances of gun violence and paedophilia. If you find the subjects triggering, you might want to pick up another book.
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Junie Moon Changes Course
View: on Bookshelves
To fulfil her dreams of having a large family, June got married at eighteen. After the birth of three preterm babies that didn't make it, she gave up on marriage and motherhood and left her husband in pursuit of adventure. Shortly after, she got a job as an exotic dancer. Her career path ushered her into the world of the affluent, and she enjoyed a jet-set life of luxury and travel. She jaunted all over the world in style, and on one of such trips, in an inebriated state, she tripped over some sleeping kids in Manila, Philippines. Appalled by their scruffy appearance and the abject poverty they lived in, she felt a burning desire to help, but that wouldn't be without some hitches.
Junie Moon Changes Course by June Collins is a true story of a woman's desire to make a difference in the world by taking at least one underprivileged child of the street; though she ended up taking six. This book is by no means an exhaustive guide on adoption, but it does cover the basics of international adoption without romanticizing the process. June is very candid about her battles as a mom raising traumatized kids from different cultures. She is not perfect, and many people in today's world will probably raise a brow at her parenting style, but her honesty is what makes the book so alluring.
Her kids weren't easy to raise, especially the teenage ones because they were largely set in their ways before she took them under her wings. Some had a stint with drug use, alcohol and a ton of other issues. Seeing her navigate these problems with grace and candour is my favourite part of the book.
All parents struggle with their kids, whether biological or adopted. However, I suppose adoptive parents struggle more because they second-guess themselves a lot. It's often easier for them to fall into an abyss of self-blame when a child doesn't turn out the way they expected, despite their best efforts. They wonder if the lack of parental bond at birth has anything to do with it or if they are bad parents. Nevertheless, I believe a parent can only do so much. In the words of a certain philosopher, "Parenting is like baking a cake, you don't know if you have a disaster till you are done." and I couldn't agree more. As a result, I think June's struggles mirror the experience of many parents at one point or another in their parenting journey. So, I would recommend this book to parents.
Overall, I have no quibbles whatsoever concerning the book. So, I gladly rate it 4 out of 4 stars. June has a simple, humorous and evocative writing style. That said, I love how immersive and relatable her story is. Regarding the editing, I glimpsed a few minor errors while reading, but it's undoubtedly professionally edited. I must warn would-be readers that the book contains instances of gun violence and paedophilia. If you find the subjects triggering, you might want to pick up another book.
******
Junie Moon Changes Course
View: on Bookshelves
Latest Review: In It Together by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
