Sharon's Work IN THE NEWS |
Small Press Bookwatch
Volume 6, Number 6 June 2007
Reviewer's Choice
The six year old son of Sharon Knutson-Felix died when a reckless driver jumped a curb and hit the child. She was plunged into the kind of grief only a parent can know, when her husband (on duty as a police officer) was killed by yet another reckless driver. Written with the assistance of Allen R. Kates, "Gifts My Father Gave Me: Finding Joy After Tragedy" is Sharon's personal story of how she came to be able to forgive those reckless drivers who had destroyed her world. This is a memoir of a woman who found the courage and faith to remain a compassionate and loving mother, an informed and caring citizen, and a human being able to transform loss and despair into joy and thanksgiving. "Gifts My Father Gave Me" is inspired and inspiring. Deftly told with pathos and with humor, Sharon's life is laid out for anyone to read, but is most especially recommended to the attention of anyone who has lost a loved one of their own and is seeking to come to terms with tragedy and recover life's joys.
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The South County Cronicle
The Right Lane--Dealing with Tragedy
By Robert E. Lee, Jr.
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Arizona DPS Digest
Wife of DPS' deputy director authors touching autobiography
by Kellen Chavez
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BOOK REVIEWS from Experts |
"Life has dealt Sharon more than her fair share of tragedy. She writes about her odyssey the way she lived it, with honesty, humor, faith, and pure grit."
Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D., author of I Love A Cop and I Love A Fire Fighter
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"Sharon's compelling story will make you laugh and cry. It exposes the richness of spirit that can dwell in the most desolate places. Through her handling of her own tragic losses, Sharon proves that we are not powerless in the face of adversity. She shows how the cruelest life experiences may bring us bountiful gifts-grace, courage, hope and a strengthened spiritual life."
Sarah J. Hallett, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Police Officer, Oro Valley PD
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"This book will touch your heart and spirit. Sharon's gift to you, the reader, is that through her story, you will find comfort and find the answers you seek concerning your own loss."
Barbara Rubel, Certified Bereavement Specialist, MA, BCETS, CBS. Author of But I Didn't Say Goodbye and Death, Dying and Bereavement
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"This is a riveting account of hope in times of despair, of perseverance in times of trial, of joy in times of sadness. A must read for anyone who dares to risk loving someone else."
Cal Jernigan, Senior Pastor, Central Christian Church of the East Valley, Mesa, AZ
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"Everyone should tap into this treasure of wellness. The book provides the quintessential path to healthy recovery from any of life's grief."
Bill Genêt, Director, Police Organization Providing Peer Assistance (P.O.P.P.A.)
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"Gifts My Father Gave Me is a book of hope and inspiration. Sharon Knutson-Felix takes the reader on her life's journey and shares her powerful story of love, loss, and learning to live again after the devastating tragedies that struck her family. She demonstrates that life can be good again, even after profound loss."
Patricia Loder, Executive Director, The Compassionate Friends
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"We all need a little inspiration to pull us through a difficult time in our lives. Prepare to become immersed in Sharon's story and learn the secrets to finding joy."
Craig Floyd, Chairman, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (N.L.E.O.M.F.)
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Reviews from Readers
"I sat at the kitchen table for hours and thought this is the best book I have read in ages. This is the book I have been looking for."
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"It is an extremely powerful story and exceptionally well written. I couldn't put it down, and definitely found it inspiring."
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"I LOVED that it started with love and ended with love. Brilliant! You had me from the beginning. I had to know how her life went from the fairy tale beginning to the tragedy."
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"I found the progression of the book to be very well done, with a great balance of laughter, tears, anxiety, suspense, and a myriad of other emotions."
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"I loved the conversational style of it. It felt as though Sharon were telling me her story at my kitchen table over coffee. There's nothing better than that. It feels like the intimate sharing of a friend."
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"This book is about someone courageous enough to recognize God's plan and surrender to His bidding, pushing past the pain to see the purpose. This book is clearly about hope and healing. And when someone can find joy after the tragedies Sharon has endured, it is clearly a book about the inspiring strength of the human spirit."
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"I loved the humor injected at just the right times. I appreciated the details, not only of different events that took place, but the description of the rawness of the emotions involved. There was just enough to take me right there, but not too much so that it felt invasive or gratuitous."
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"It gave me a good feeling to know that Sharon would open her heart again after so much tragedy."
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"I found it a very easy read. I picked it up to read a few chapters and didn't put it down until I was finished."
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"The book is amazing and you will never know how many people you have helped until you stand before the Lord. I have never been on such a roller coaster ride. I laughed and cried as I read it. I read the entire manuscript out loud to my Praise Team of single adults and they loved it."
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"One of the best books I've ever read. It's a wonderful book, a wonderful story and best of all, it is true and real."
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"It is an exceptional piece of work. I was deeply moved, as I am certain others will be."
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"The book has a great tempo and excellent order of telling."
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"You just want to keep on reading to see what happens next."
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"It is gripping and engrossing. It is a real human story, immensely interesting."
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"Humans are much stronger than we give ourselves credit for being and can survive the most awful things life has to deal us with God's help."
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"The book tells me that a true relationship with God is achievable for each of us."
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"I would share the book with friends-the highest compliment."
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