The Opposite of Certainty, Janine Urbaniak Reid
The Opposite of Certainty, Janine Urbaniak Reid
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The Opposite of Certainty
Fear, Faith, and Life in Between

Author: Janine Urbaniak Reid, Anne Lamott

Narrator: Ginny Welsch

Unabridged: 7 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 05/12/2020

Synopsis

This gripping memoir about what it means to face uncertainty details the plans Janine had for her family and her life that were gutted by her then 10-year-old son Mason’s diagnosis of a cancerous brain tumor, only to be followed by her own cancer diagnosis.All Janine Urbaniak Reid ever wanted was for everyone she loved to be okay so she might relax and maybe be happy. Her life strategy was simple: do everything right. This included trying to be the perfect mother to her three kids so they would never experience the kind of pain she pretended not to feel growing up. What she didn’t expect was the chaos of an out-of-control life that begins when her young son’s hand begins to shake and he is diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 10.This moving memoir is the story of Janine’s reluctant journey beyond easy answers and platitudes. She searches for a source of strength bigger than her circumstances, only to have her circumstances become even thornier when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Drawn deeply and against her will into herself, she discovers hidden reserves of strength, humor, and a no-matter-what faith that looks nothing like she thought it would. The Opposite of Certainty is:Brilliant, breathtakingly honest, and sometimes very funny account of marriage, motherhood, and the unfathomable salvation we find in God An unvarnished look at defying the gravity of challenging life circumstancesThe recognition that anyone can tap a source of strength inside themselves to walk through the impossibleBeautifully written and deeply hopeful, Janine shows us how we can come through impossible times transformed and yet more ourselves than we’ve ever allowed ourselves to be.

About Janine Urbaniak Reid

Janine Urbaniak Reid was born in Chicago and grew up in California. Before she began raising a family and then writing full-time, she was vice president of a San Francisco public relations firm. Janine has been published in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and San Francisco Chronicle and is widely syndicated. Hoping to bring humanity into the healthcare discussion by sharing her experience as a mother of a son with a brain tumor, she penned a piece for the Post that went viral. She has been interviewed on national news networks and continues her work as a spokeswoman for healthcare justice. Janine writes about her imperfect life, what connects us, and addresses the question of what it means to love fiercely in a sometimes dangerous and always uncertain world. Janine is a graduate of the University of California at San Diego and lives in Northern California with her family and a motley assortment of pets. She attends St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Marin City: all are welcome. For more information, please visit JanineUrbaniakReid.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer

If you enjoy medical memoirs, this book is for you. If you are a perfectionist, this book is also for you. I personally struggle with wanting life for my family “just so” and this book beautifully illustrates the freedom in letting go of the past and living in the present. The writing was excellent......more

Goodreads review by angela

What happens when we can no longer pretend that the ground underfoot is bedrock and the sky above predictable? Thank you @thomasnelson and @tlcbooktours for sending me The Opposite of Certainty by @janineurbaniakreid. What a timely book as our nation and the entire globe navigates together this time......more

Goodreads review by Cheryl

This is one of the most real feeling book that I have read in a long while. the fact that Janine shared her family story was inspiring. I felt for her son, Mason. Yet, the chipper attitude that Mason maintained despite his situation was uplifting. What I liked about this book was the fact that Janin......more

Goodreads review by Judith A. Reinsberg

This was an amazing story to read. It was difficult for me, at times, to continue, because my heart was breaking for Janine, her husband, children and especially Mason. We almost lost our daughter to an eating disorder many years ago and this stirred up some very traumatic memories. My husband actua......more

Quotes

'A beautiful sucker punch, like life. When the ground crumbles beneath your hopes, big dreams, and great expectations, what do you stand on and for? Where do you find the strength to keep going? You find it in this gem of a book.' --Ron Fournier, New York Times bestselling author of Love That Boy

'Full of spiritual grace and shining with a kind of rare hope, yes, it brings you to your knees but miraculously shows you that this might actually be the best vantage point to see the stars. Extraordinary.' --Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World

'Somedays it's doughnuts and hot coffee. Other days it's gurneys and scans. That's true of almost every full life. Here's the good news: observant and warm, the writing of Janine Urbaniak Reid is the finest company on both kinds of days.' --Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me More and The Middle Place

'The diagnosis of life-threatening illness is one of the most terrifying challenges any family or individual can face. Anger, resentment, fear, and loneliness rise up ready to do battle with hope, and all are made more powerful by love. The Opposite of Certainty is a deeply personal memoir about such a journey, told with brutal honesty and so much grace it will touch your soul.' --Jacqueline Winspear, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Journey to Munich, A Dangerous Place, Leaving Everything Most Loved, and nine other novels featuring Maisie Dobbs

No parent wants to hear the words 'your child has a tumor.' In this audiobook, narrator Ginny Welsch captures the frustration, fear, and disbelief of a woman struggling to care for her child who has brain cancer while also struggling to keep her family, herself, and her faith together. Even though Welsch is sharing the powerful words of another woman, her emotional performance makes this audiobook truly personal for the listener. She captures its raw honesty. - Audiofile Magazine

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