Official Review: 1 Man, 3 Hearts, 9 Lives

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 09 Jan 2016, 18:19

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "1 Man, 3 Hearts, 9 Lives" by Christophe Lafontant.]

4 out of 4 stars

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It is not likely that you will ever read another story about a man who has endured two heart transplants, a kidney transplant, and numerous other medical and emotional traumas---like you will when reading 1 Man, 3 Hearts, 9 Lives: A Story of Hope, Resilience, and Survival by Christophe Lafontant. I was, of course, intrigued when I saw the book up for review, and though it was a harrowing journey in which I felt as if I was there with the author experiencing his pain, it is a journey I would gladly take again.

Our story begins with young Christophe (a name which people constantly misspell, which is perhaps a foreshadowing of the confusion that is to define his life in ensuing years), in his adolescent home in New Jersey. He is an upbeat, seemingly healthy, growing boy with a large and loving family; his life is laid out before him with endless possibilities. Then, one tragic day young Christophe begins to experience chest pains, and his struggles with health begin while his future seems to suddenly take a turn for the worst. Christophe experiences various health related problems from here, but the emotional burdens are what really take a toll. He is in and out of school due to sickness, and to avoid bullying or people treating him differently, he begins to try to hide his sickness. As a very young man, he also struggles with his sexual identity and hides his confused feelings from his family and the world. While the issues with his health are ultimately very life-altering, the constant hiding and pretending to be someone other than who he really is are the things that tear his life apart. He evens jeopardizes his second chance at life more than once, as these emotional issues, (and the fact that he missed out on his childhood fun due to health problems) eventually lead him to a life of partying and drugs.

Of course, the themes are overflowing in this book. Love, respect, understanding, forgiveness, perseverance and discipline. Christophe dives to the very depths of life, to the brink of suicide. But no matter where he finds himself, he also finds multitudes of people around him that love him and support him; that love is what drives him on. Although he is loved, he is also allowed a lot of leeway in his actions due to all of the things that he endures as a kid; that lack of discipline is part of what causes him to find himself destroying the life with which he has been given. Unfortunately, these things could have been avoided if he had just known openly that he would be respected and understood no matter what, as he finds out later in his life. HIs poor decisions are all an attempt to cover up the confusion that he feels inside. It is a blessing that due to his and his loved ones' perseverance, he made it through these things to give us this cautionary tale.

There were some missing words as well as words misspelled along the way, and I would possibly give a full or half star less in my rating if the story had not been so moving. I found myself challenged and angry at myself, as I judged the author for his actions, and then realized that his mistakes were the same ones that I make every day (just not with hearts and health at stake). I also found myself reminded to be open and honest and love everyone, every day as if today was my last day to accomplish those things. This is a first-time author, and I can overlook some editing issues for a tale such as this that needs to be told. That said, as the book’s presence grows, I hope that the author can and will edit it so that his memoir can continue to prosper and touch lives.

I say very passionately, read it and weep! It is a story that will touch your soul, and in these polarizing times, we can all use a reminder to live to the fullest and love one another. I recommend this story to anyone who has health issues, anyone who has struggled with substance abuse, and anyone who loves a truly heartwarming story. I recommend it to all but the youngest or the most sensitive audience due to the strong subject matter and a few instances of hard language. In honor of Christophe I give 1 Man, 3 Hearts, 9 Lives: A Story of Hope, Resilience, and Survival a very hearty four out of four stars!!

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1 Man, 3 Hearts, 9 Lives
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gali · Post by **gali** » 10 Jan 2016, 10:24

Great review! The story sounds very touching and inspiring.

Congratulations to the author for the positive review!

Post by **bookowlie** » 10 Jan 2016, 10:43

Nice review! I see you are on a roll with memoirs. The book seems very raw and heartfelt. You did a great job highlighting the little things that made the book shine.

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 10 Jan 2016, 13:06

Wonderful review! This sounds like a very intense emotional read.

Heidi M Simone · Post by **Heidi M Simone** » 10 Jan 2016, 13:43

@Escapeartist, you did a wonderful job on your review! I am able to get that heartfelt feeling through your words. Thank you for sharing, and thank you to the author for a beautiful job on his memoir

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 10 Jan 2016, 14:21

Wow, thank you so much everyone!! I promise I'm not ignoring you, I've just been lounging reading The Goblet of Fire and logged in to see all of your very kind comments. I really enjoyed this one and wish the author much success as this book could really help touch lives. @bookowlie I love to read all kinds, but I have been lucky to read some very touching ones lately.

Post by **bookowlie** » 10 Jan 2016, 14:26

I usually love memoirs and this one seems like the guy pulls no punches and tells it like it is.

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 10 Jan 2016, 14:36

@bookowlie he definitely does, and while it is at times sad, it is a story of hope, and acceptance, and family, and love and perseverance. Wait, did I say that already

! It was a very heartwarming story.

Bigirimana Celestin · Post by **Bigirimana Celestin** » 13 Jan 2016, 04:23

The book sounds as more impressive.
thanks for Great review.

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 13 Jan 2016, 08:06

Very nice review, Escapeartist! For the author to put his struggles on paper for the world to see is quite the achievement.

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 13 Jan 2016, 09:59

Thanks you two!! @rssllue thank you very much my friend, I agree it is quite an achievement, especially after all he made it through to get here!!

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 13 Jan 2016, 10:21

You are most welcome!

charysma_lilly · Post by **charysma_lilly** » 13 Jan 2016, 11:01

It must have been difficult to write such a book. It's not easy reliving all this. The book sounds full of emotions. Great review

and congratulations to the author!

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 13 Jan 2016, 11:37

@charysma_lilly by the time he wrote this he had finally come to terms with himself and done a lot of healing, and therefore wanted to get his story out to help other people. I'm sure it was still tough to relive some of those memories, but knowing that it could help to heal other people probably made it a lot easier.

charysma_lilly · Post by **charysma_lilly** » 13 Jan 2016, 12:35

@Escapeartist Yes, I think this is the point of books like this one. It's not easy opening up like that and seeing it on paper will for sure be an inspirstion to those with similar issues. I admire the way you yourself understood the book. Thanks for sharing it