Review of It'll Be Alright, Maggie Jiggs

[nini_reads]

[Following is a volunteer review of "It'll Be Alright, Maggie Jiggs" by Karen Thiel.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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In It’ll Be Alright, Maggie Jiggs, Karen Thiel writes about her journey through grief after losing her mother. With her death in 2020, Karen Thiel did not only lose her mom but also her best friend. In 1993, her mother became her roommate, and they immensely enjoyed living together. People-watching and shopping were one of their favorite pastimes. And when her mother was diagnosed with emphysema, Karen became her primary caretaker. Trying to fill the void the death of her mother left behind, Karen Thiel recounts impressionable and oftentimes amusing memories from her childhood and talks about the heartwarming relationship she had with her mom.

This book brought tears to my eyes. Everyone who has lost a person very close to them will understand the grief Karen Thiel felt when she lost her mother. She writes about so many beautiful moments from her childhood and with her mother, siblings, and the brother she now cares for. The chapter “Remember…Mom” made me especially emotional. This chapter included so many memories from the author’s first day at kindergarten up to that heartbreaking day in the hospital in July 2020—and in every one of them, her mother would somehow promise Karen Thiel that everything would be alright.

Besides a few punctuation errors, the book is well-written. The way Karen Thiel wrote unapologetically about her feelings and thoughts throughout this book feels extremely genuine and authentic. Since she references God and Christian concepts like heaven quite a few times, people of Christian faith might be a little more interested in reading this book than people of other beliefs.

To conclude, I rate It’ll be Alright, Maggie Jiggs 5 out of 5 stars. Karen Thiel created a short but incredibly touching book about her grieving the loss of her mother and remembering the beautiful moments they shared. Due to the subject matter and the use of some profanities, the book is best suited for adults and older teenagers. I recommend it to anyone that lost someone important in their life. Books like this one really show that you are not alone in your grief.

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It'll Be Alright, Maggie Jiggs
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