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Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After
Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After | Julie Yip-Williams
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie Yip-Williams began to write her story, a story like no other. What began as the chronicle of an imminent and early death became something much more--a powerful exhortation to the living."An exquisitely moving portrait of the daily stuff of life."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) That Julie Yip-Williams survived infancy was a miracle. Born blind in Vietnam, she narrowly escaped euthanasia at the hands of her grandmother, only to flee with her family the political upheaval of her country in the late 1970s. Loaded into a rickety boat with three hundred other refugees, Julie made it to Hong Kong and, ultimately, America, where a surgeon at UCLA gave her partial sight. She would go on to become a Harvard-educated lawyer, with a husband, a family, and a life she had once assumed would be impossible. Then, at age thirty-seven, with two little girls at home, Julie was diagnosed with terminal metastatic colon cancer, and a different journey began. The Unwinding of the Miracle is the story of a vigorous life refracted through the prism of imminent death. When she was first diagnosed, Julie Yip-Williams sought clarity and guidance through the experience and, finding none, began to write her way through it--a chronicle that grew beyond her imagining. Motherhood, marriage, the immigrant experience, ambition, love, wanderlust, tennis, fortune-tellers, grief, reincarnation, jealousy, comfort, pain, the marvel of the body in full rebellion--this book is as sprawling and majestic as the life it records. It is inspiring and instructive, delightful and shattering. It is a book of indelible moments, seared deep--an incomparable guide to living vividly by facing hard truths consciously. With humor, bracing honesty, and the cleansing power of well-deployed anger, Julie Yip-Williams set the stage for her lasting legacy and one final miracle: the story of her life. Praise for The Unwinding of the Miracle "Everything worth understanding and holding on to is in this book. . . . A miracle indeed."--Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author "A beautifully written, moving, and compassionate chronicle that deserves to be read and absorbed widely."--Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies
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NerdyRev
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This was my selection this month for the other voices book club I lead at my church. This year is all about women who are authors with this selection focusing on the refugee story and her death. While we know the ending, it is her life story which is incredible- a refugee from Vietnam during the war, born blind, her grandmother tries to kill her, she survives, and gets cancer in her 40s. This is about life though as much as death.

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Readaholics
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What a quote! This book is going to make me cry a million times. A memoir of a blind immigrant orphan who grows up to be a daughter, sister, wife, mother and eventually a writer - all before dying from cancer in her early 40‘s. Inspiring and also poetic! Like a love letter to living....

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Readaholics
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Started this audio book tonight! Wow talk about an eloquent ode to life. A blind, orphaned immigrant who lived to be a daughter, sister, mother and writer before she died in her early 40‘s. Her letter to her daughters on the paradoxes of life was amazing! How only through pain can you appreciate joy. I‘m crying....your crying....we‘re all gonna be crying. omg! ❤️ I love her honesty & attitude. My friends who lost family last year need this!

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Cinfhen
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#SoaringScores This is actually a review that I‘m posting under a blurb because I feel uncomfortable having to rate a memoir of a dying woman. Julie Yip-Williams was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 37. Confronted with such devastating news, Julie began blogging her journey as both a chronicle for her young daughters & a way to channel her rage. She doesn‘t hold back with her anger, fears & often wonders #DidIMakeTheMostOfLovingYou 👇🏼

Cinfhen Julie‘s childhood was equally heartbreaking as she was born blind and was nearly “put to sleep” by her maternal grandmother who was worried caring for a blind child would be too much of a financial & emotional burden for the entire family. My issue with this book was unfortunately Julie was not always sympathetic or likeable (and I feel like an A-hole for saying that) This memoir was just so -so for me. (edited) 5y
Hooked_on_books You shouldn‘t feel like an a-hole. Not every person in this world is likeable. And sometimes crappy things happen to unlikeable people. It is what it is. My dad was controlling and could be a real jerk and when I would say this when I was younger, some people would get terribly offended (they‘d never met him). Yet they wouldn‘t dispute there are people like this in the world. Better to be honest and tactful and you were both. 5y
DrSabrinaMoldenReads I agree with @Hooked_on_books I appreciate you so I do not waste any of my time reading it 5y
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Cinfhen Thank you both for sharing your opinions @Hooked_on_books @Joyfulmimi and making me feel less like a jerk. I agree, crappy things happen to all types of people and I don‘t diminish that Julie Yip was dealt a real shitty hand. I feel sorry for all those that loved and cared for her, and are now left without her. But you can totally skip the book @Joyfulmimi 😉 5y
Cinfhen And I‘m sorry you had a tough dad @Hooked_on_books I know it‘s not always easy to be honest with ourselves when it comes to acknowledging faults of the people we are meant to admire 5y
Hooked_on_books Thanks, but it‘s no big deal. Many people have dealt with way worse than I did. I was just glad I figured out a way to have a relationship with him while shielding myself from his more negative attributes. My sister never figured that out and I predict she‘ll carry that anger forever. It‘s sad, really. 5y
TrishB Think you‘ve been fair and honest💕 5y
Cinfhen Thank you @TrishB I wanted to love this memoir but it was a tough one 🙁 5y
CrowCAH Oh wow for one so young. Sounds like a touching story. 5y
Reviewsbylola I agree Cindy. I liked this one but there wasn‘t much of a connection. Still heartbreaking though. 5y
Cinfhen I think I remember you feeling disconnected as well @Reviewsbylola those poor girls 😭😭😭 5y
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Cinfhen
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Good God! This is a heartbreaking listen 🎧A young mother/wife facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. Born blind to a poor farming family in Vietnam, Julie Yip beats her odds and graduates from Harvard Law School. Now at age 37 she‘s told she has Stage 4 colon cancer. And yet, she has this fighting spirit 💪🏽

TrishB Not for me!! 5y
GlassAsDiamonds Sounds like quite a legacy but... not for me either (lost a good friend at that age to colon cancer that had been misdiagnosed as simply “morning sickness” & was found 6 weeks after her son was born). 5y
Cinfhen This isn‘t really a book for many people @TrishB @GlassAsDiamonds but I‘m really inspired by her childhood illness and triumphs. I‘m so sorry for your personal lost @GlassAsDiamonds 💔 5y
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Cinfhen What‘s new @GlassAsDiamonds ???? Feeling settled now??? 5y
Reggie Yikes, need the right head space for this one, but stacked. 5y
Cinfhen It‘s ROUGH @reggie 😥😥😥 5y
GlassAsDiamonds @Cinfhen thanks, she was a lovely person. A couple of years ago, I‘d have probably read this but I think I‘ll give it a miss. For me... GOTTA stop moping but working on it! 😊 Probably looking at a 16 week recovery but i can finally do exercise (from the waist down) again which is nice because I was going stir crazy with the “sit still and don‘t sweat” stuff!!! 5y
Cinfhen I have a real sensitivity for those dealing with arm/hand injuries😔 @GlassAsDiamonds hope recovery is smooth 5y
ElishaLovesBooks I couldn‘t finish this one. My head wasn‘t in the right place! 5y
GlassAsDiamonds @Cinfhen any tips? It‘s driving me crazy! (How did/is his recovery going? All good now or was it long as well?) 5y
Mdargusch Wow! So heartbreaking. ☹️ 5y
Cinfhen @GlassAsDiamonds It was longer than he wanted & he had a few setbacks along the way, but Thank God he has full use of his hand & nerve feeling is almost fully recovered. Give it time. Whenever my son tried to push it to soon, it ended up costing him more time. Sending 💓💓💓💓💓 5y
Reviewsbylola Ugh I read this one and now I‘m reading something similar. 5y
Cinfhen I‘m adding that one @Reviewsbylola not sure why I feel the need to torture myself. Although these women‘s strengths are incredibly inspiring 💗 5y
GlassAsDiamonds @Cinfhen oh I can relate, it‘s maddening but thanks! (edited) 5y
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