Review of Wise Little One

[Kutloano Makhuvhela]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Wise Little One" by Jana Wilson.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Here is a book about overcoming trials and tribulations in one’s life. A book about growing up in trauma and trying to find yourself after it. It’s a book that takes you through abuse of all kinds while retaining its humanity. Wise Little One by Jana Wilson is a memoir that tells about the author’s life growing up in an abusive home, surrounded by hate and neglect. It also shows us how she became who she is now, a meditation leader, a hypnotherapist, and a founder of Emotional Healing Systems, amongst many things. This memoir will touch your heart.

Jana is a young girl who has big dreams ahead of her. However, those are stifled by many factors, her parents being one of those. They are always fighting, verbally and physically. Their fights are brutal, hurling at each other things no child should ever bear witness to. Jana’s father is a drunkard. Sometimes, he leaves for longer periods, giving Jana, her brother Roy, and her mother a quiet space. Only to return later to resume where he’d left off. Jana’s mother always forgives him and takes him back, so it's easy to think she is enabling this bad behaviour by not putting a stop to it, but she also has a reason why she acts the way she does.

Moving from place to place because of her lack of a permanent home, Jana suffers abuse from her schoolmates, who call her sorts of names that are not good for a child her age. As she grows old, she suffers from low self-esteem and other mental illnesses, most of which she is not aware of. But she tries to make it in life, no matter what. How can a person in her shoes ever make it? Is there even hope? Would she ever find love? If so, in whom? Herself or other people?

This was such a beautiful memoir to read. It reminded me of the one I read years back called The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, in terms of its brutal honesty about their upbringings and what kinds of people their parents were. Jana Wilson told the story in a style, which separated it from other memoirs I have read. The chronology was one of that style. The author started the book when she was older, then in the following chapters, went back to when she wasn’t yet born. The author told how her parents met and how, when, and where they got married. This told me the author had to conduct thorough research to know. Then she told how she was still in her mother’s womb and how she got to arrive in this world. That impressed me so much. From then on, the book followed from a young age to adulthood. I like to acknowledge the strength it took the author to write this book. Someone reading it and who currently goes through what the author went through might be inspired. I liked how sensitive topics like assaults of all kinds and abuse were portrayed without filtering them out.

Another thing I liked was the writing. The writing didn’t lean much on mystery and suspense. Everything was out in the open, and, as a reader, you quite knew what was going to happen, although not all of it. There were still some suspenseful moments that kept me on my toes, but the storytelling didn’t rely on it as one might expect. This balanced writing technique made the book good. The writing itself matched the mood of the book. It was heavy, slow, and revealing. All of this made me immerse myself in the trauma and abuse and know what it was like for the author. For that, people who might be triggered should be aware of this so it doesn’t come as a surprise to them. I loved the pictures included and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

The author managed to capture the people as they were. This highlighted the author’s storytelling gift. There is nothing I disliked about the book. My expectations were met and exceeded a little bit. The errors were minor and didn’t affect my reading experience. The quality of the book was good because of the exceptional editing.

With all I have said, I am happy to rate this memoir five out of five stars. I would strongly recommend it to people who love memoirs about rough upbringings, growing up in abusive homes, and making it out of such environments. The suitable audience would be young adults, as the language used here was strong and might be off-putting to sensitive readers. I didn’t mind it because I understood the role it played. It’s a good book that should be read.

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Wise Little One
View: on Bookshelves

[Malik Bakare]

This review deftly explores Jana’s mother’s complex decision to repeatedly forgive her abusive, alcoholic husband, revealing layered motivations that challenge simplistic judgments and add depth to the family dynamics in Jana’s Story.

[Onyemuwa-dave]

You've perfectly conveyed how Jana Wilson's memoir tackles "abuse of all kinds while retaining its humanity," and your comparison to The Glass Castle is intriguing. It's admirable that you highlighted her raw honesty and the non-linear storytelling, even down to her parents' meeting. Abuse is nothing to joke about. Thanks for the review.

[Kibet Hillary]

It is always shocking that abuse could be found where love normally needs to thrive the most, but the outstanding thing is that, regardless of such, dreams can still be fulfilled and children can still overcome such challenges. The memoir sounds both inspirational and exciting; thank you, @Kutloano Makhuvhela.