Review of What Shall I Do?

[Aisha Yakub]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "What Shall I Do?" by Becky Erkkila.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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When we go through hard times, what matters is that we pick up and clean ourselves up. The most important part of the story is most often how it ends and not where it starts from. Becky's story is very inspiring. What Shall I do details some sad occurrences in her life and how she pulled through.

During her first marriage, Becky Erkilla realizes that her home is not as strong as it ought to be. Her husband is distant and doesn't seem to care about the kids. It took her a while to come to terms with the fact that it needed to end. After getting a divorce, she got married to a man who abused, kidnapped, and violated her. As a single mother with kids, it seemed like the right thing to do was get a husband. When Ted approached her, she felt lucky and accepted to marry him. It was only after she married him that she realized what she had gotten herself into. He locked her kids in the trunk of his car, beat her up, and abused her. It's heartbreaking what she had to go through. Having overcome this, she has put together this book.

While reading this book, I badly wanted to believe that it was a work of fiction. I couldn't believe all the things Becky and her children had to go through. You know a person is truly over bad times when they can talk about the events that happened and share their story for people to learn. The things that happened were terrible, but I felt glad seeing the confidence the author now possesses. I can only imagine how beneficial this book will be to a victim of abuse. The author intends to inspire people with her experience, and I believe this book will do just that. I liked how she recounted even the most horrible events. When learning from a person's story, it's important to know how deep the issues were. I liked that Becky was able to give readers a detailed picture of her life.

The lessons in this book are invaluable. They could be applied to different aspects of our lives. One important lesson I learned was to control the narrative. As someone who had been abused, she could have chosen to stay hurtful and unforgiving. Her husband did not deserve her forgiveness. However, we forgive others for ourselves and not for our offenders. Staying hurt affects you. Forgiveness is a decision to not let anyone steal the peace and joy God wants you to have. She chose to see things from a better perspective. When people hurt you, trying to understand the reason for it makes you feel better. For example, if someone steps on you, you feel better trying to understand that he was in a hurry, and while this does not reduce the physical pain, it calms you down. This is much better than focusing on the hurt and staying vindictive.

There were so many other lessons I learned from this book. The "self-reflection" sections of this book were insightful. In addition, this book was properly executed. There were no errors in this book; it was exceptionally edited. The structure of this book is commendable. I liked how Becky took me from one phase of her life to another. The narration was great, and it was simple. There was nothing I disliked about this book. For all of these reasons, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It deserves nothing less than a perfect rating.

I recommend this book to readers who have been victims of abusive relationships. If you need the strength to move on from a hurtful event in your past, this is a book for you.

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What Shall I Do?
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[Lucas Dos santos]

I really liked the book, it shows that we have to be strong and not let anyone steal our peace or joy

[Sonie Daniel]

Forgiveness is always for you and not the other person. It is a blessing that the author used her experiences to encourage others. I am sure many women will be inspired to overcome their challenges. As a result of her struggles, the innocent can also be protected because they will learn from her experiences.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

An abusive relationship is traumatic. How strong Becky is in overcoming the situation. And I'm glad she forgives those people who abuse and hurt her to find peace in her heart and mind. This book sounds heart-wrenching, yet inspiring. I hope I can read this. Thanks for your lovely review!

[Shedrack A]

Becky's story is inspiring though I feel sad for all she had to go through. She is indeed a brave one!