Review of Butterfly of Hope

[Ebele Ekelobi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Butterfly of Hope" by JoAnn Santore Dickson.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Butterly of Hope is the autobiographical story of how JoAnn Santore Dickson moved from being a victim of a chronic disease to reclaiming her life. JoAnn was raised in a double-parent home with two brothers and a sister. Her parents were older when they had her, so JoAnn often felt abandoned. They also paid no mind to her emotional well-being, although they took care of her physical needs to the best of their ability. Her siblings were no better as she was much younger than they were, and they saw her mostly as a disturbance to them and their cousins. That led her to look for love in the wrong places; thankfully, that was just a phase. She met her husband, and they had a healthy relationship. However, her life was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with cervical dystonia. In Butterly of Hope, JoAnn Santore Dickson walks us through her life after the heartbreaking revelation of the diagnosis.

I have a fair amount of praise for this book. The book was exceptionally well edited because, as hard as I searched, I couldn't find any grammatical errors. JoAnn did an excellent job of telling her story in a way that the reader could sympathize with her truth and also appreciate the book as a literary work. She is very good at painting a picture so the reader can visualise things.

However, I found the variation in the length of the chapters a bit awkward. Several chapters were only one paragraph or a few sentences long and could have easily fit into a previous or subsequent chapter. Also, as I advanced in my reading towards the middle of the book, the story became rather repetitive. I understand that it resulted from the fact that the author tried to narrate her story in the sequence it happened, but she could have done a better job at it and not come off so repetitive. There were several chapters with the same events recorded in them.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it's a brilliantly written autobiography. JoAnn did an exceptional job. However, I removed a star due to the negative points I already provided in the preceding paragraph.

Lovers of autobiographies will enjoy this book. I also recommend it to anyone who needs some motivation to get through the struggles of life. If you are battling a chronic illness or you have a loved one battling such, this book will be of immense benefit to you.

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Butterfly of Hope
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Chinedum Chijioke]

This isn't my kind of book(not a fan of autobiographies), but I appreciate that it was excellently researched about by the writer. Thanks for the review.

[Prosper2000]

JoAnn Santore Dickson's autobiography seems quite motivational. It'll inspire a lot of people to never give up. Great review.

[CrossK]

JoAnn Santore Dickson's diagnosis must be really heartbreaking. I'd love to know how she lived with cervical dystonia.

[Alexander C Schmoock]

I love to read autobiographies especially when they're very detailed and inspirational. This is a great book.

[Kelly Tunstall]

I do enjoy autobiographies and I enjoyed reading your review on this one. It sounds as if it is beautifully written. Thank you for your review.