Review of Butterfly Awakens

[Malik Bakare]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Butterfly Awakens" by Meg Nocero.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Butterfly Awakens: A Memoir of Transformation Through Grief by Meg Nocero is an in-depth story of her life, especially through the period of her mom’s sickness, passing and after. Meg spoke of her sorrow, grief, loneliness, and moments of transformation after her mom’s death, Mary Jo, in detail in this novel. She gave explicit details of the people she met for help, the impact of the help of her friends and family in this journey, the spiritual journeys she underwent and the books she read as well.

One thing I liked about the author was her cry for help when she noticed things were getting out of hand: the depression, insomnia, ringing in her ear, anxiety, and nightmares, to state a few, unlike some who prefer to drown alone (not criticising them; everyone deals with grief differently). I felt so emotionally invested in this story and hoped she would finally find a solution that would give her the clarity and reassurance she needed. Another thing I noticed was that children who were bullied while young tend to try to overcompensate as they grow up, which later affects them, like the author here.

I recommend this to people who believe in spirituality and are Christians, as Meg’s mom, Mary Jo, was Catholic and talked a lot about her faith, which I find admirable, the way she didn’t lose her faith in her ailment (cancer) till she passed away. Also, I like the quotes at the beginning of every chapter, especially this: “Perhaps the butterfly is proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness yet become something . . . beautiful.” It compares our life to the metamorphosis of a butterfly. I like this too: “And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it” by Coelho, an author Meg met on her spiritual journey. It kind of resonates with me with the way I'm always scared of trying something new.

There's nothing I dislike about this, but there are some things I noticed, like some of the stories are disjointed and their transition was not smoothly done. This is not enough to give it a low rating, so I give this 5 out of 5 stars. I found no errors, so I will say it is well edited. Another set of people I would love to recommend this to are those going through grief or a bad moment in their lives; I hope they gain strength from Meg’s journey.

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Butterfly Awakens
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[Timothy Trivett]

Losing a loved one is a terrible occurrence that can take a toll on one. The loss of Meg’s mum was quite difficult for her. I have to agree with you, people going through grief should definitely read this book.