2021-03-08 Publishers Weekly

78 BOOKLIFE, MARCH 8, 2021

MEMOIR

Future Widow: Losing

My Husband, Saving

My Family, and Finding

My Voice

Jenny Lisk | Bluhen Books

294p, ebook, $9.99, ASIN B08MJG9VM5

A polished heartbreaker

touched with wit and insight,

the debut from Lisk, the host of

the Widowed Parent podcast,

recounts the harrowing months

after the discovery of her

husband Dennis’ brain tumor—

and then how, after the funeral,

how Lisk and the couple’s two children have found their way

forward. A grim diagnosis found the Lisks facing surgery,

frequent ER visits, radiation, and the side effect of “cognitive

confusion,” which Lisk likens, in one of the book’s many pierc-

ingly frank moments, to making her feel as if she lost her

husband twice, once eight months before his actual death. All

through the ordeal, Lisk, feeling that she wore an “FW”

(“Future Widow”) like Hester Prynne’s scarlet A, strived to find

the healthiest way to guide their children through the trau-

matic experience, to connect with Dennis (Mariners baseball

proved invaluable), and to manage family affairs.

Key passages come from Lisk’s public posts updating friends

and family on Dennis’ condition. Fascinatingly, Lisk often

follows these with accounts disclosing what she left out and

what she wasn’t yet ready to face. In crisp, inviting prose, Lisk

finds surges of feeling in sharply rendered moments, such as the

day she told the kids that their father likely would not survive.

“Is he going to live to see me graduate?” asks her eight year old

daughter. Then: “Will he live until Christmas?”

Lisk has taken up blogging

and journaling, and she’s

adept at short, essasyistic

considerations of behavior

and feeling. One incisive

passage address the options a

grieving person has when

asked “How are you?”;

another mines persuasive

insight from Kenny Rogers’

“The Gambler.” Her short

chapters and reliance on

public posts means the book

works better as a collection of

thoughts than as a narrative,

but they’re moving and

certain to buoy anyone experi-

encing (or facing the likeli-

hood) of grief.

SELF-HELP & RELATIONSHIP

The Power of Vision:

Principles and Practices

to Help You Become

Extraordinary

Oluwaseun Oyeniran | OyES

Education

262p, hardcover, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-

7774602-3-5

In this impassioned, provoca-

tive treatise, Oyeniran (Live

Love Learn Grow), the founder of

OyES Education, challenges

readers to develop and actualize

a personal vision as an opportu-

nity to “become extraordinary” and build the future they desire.

He argues that the true visionaries—the few who fully tap their

innate potential for “uncommon greatness”—ultimately mani-

fest personal visions for the betterment of humanity itself, rather

than solely focusing on personal success. He urges readers to

develop and dedicate themselves to grand personal visions,

leaving behind lives of minor impact for something greater.

The Power of Vision aims for greatness, studying the lives of

Walt Disney, Masaru Ibuka, Helen Keller, Henry Ford, Nelson

Mandela, and other historical figures. Oyeniran delineates the

route taken by each famous idealist, chronicling their hard work

and perseverance, often in the face of denigration, failures, and

danger. The true visionary, he notes, bears the responsibility to

“challenge existing norms”

and attempt to create a more

noble world, a call-to-action

that demands great focus and

character. Oyeniran insists that

intense focus on “Big Hairy

Audacious Goals” can make

every reader a habitual change

agent.

There’s power in Oyeniran’s

insistence that the truly

visionary approach is to better

the world rather than just one’s

own circumstances. The

work’s first half becomes repet-

itive, with some chapters

closely echoing each other, and

some sections lionize the idea

of a vision rather than offer

clear guidance to developing

one. Oyeniran’s focus tightens

as he considers questions of

leadership and character. This

enthusiastic guide poses chal-

lenging questions for readers

eager to explore the possibility

of visionary thinking.

This incisive memoir

of the death of a

husband faces grief

with purpose and

love.

Production grades

Cover: B+

Design & typography: A

Illustrations: C

Editing: B+

Marketing copy: B

Production grades

Cover: A-

Design & typography: A

Illustrations: –

Editing: A-

Marketing copy: A

This eager treatise

challenges readers

to develop ambitious

personal visions not

just for personal

gain but for the

advancement of

humanity.

Great for fans of

Mark W. Johnson and

Josh Suskewicz’s

Lead from the Future,

Joyce Schwarz’s The

Vision Board.

Great for fans of

Kelly Corrigan’s The

Middle Place, Nina

Riggs’s The Bright Hour.

PAID REVIEWS