Official Review: Picking Up The Pieces by Marie Joiner

[Mindi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Picking Up The Pieces" by Marie Joiner.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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"You can become a product of your environment, or you can break the chain so the next generation does not need to go through what you went through." This was a very inspirational quote by Marie Joiner, the author of Picking Up the Pieces, a compelling autobiography of a self-made businesswoman. Mrs. Joiner tells the story of her dreadful childhood that motivated her to create a better life for herself.

Marie tells of her early childhood, which was actually quite pleasant, according to her memories. She and her sisters lived with both parents and seemed to have a normal life. However, when Marie was about nine years old, things started going downhill with her mom and dad. They fought all the time, and soon after that, they got divorced. Marie ended up being tossed back and forth over the next several years. She first lived with her mom. Her mom remarried, and that husband turned out to be violent. She later lived with her dad who was an alcoholic. Marie and her sisters started getting into trouble, joining the wrong crowds, and overall, living a miserable life for the remainder of their childhood. This was mostly due to things that were out of their control, including Marie being sexually assaulted by friends of her dad. The second part of the book tells of her life after Marie turned 18 and started trying to transform her life for the better. She met a young man who would become her husband, and she committed herself to starting her own business by the age of 30.

It was horrific to read about Marie's childhood. The worst years were her preteen and teenage years, which occurred during the late 70s and early 80s. It brought tears to my eyes to read about everything that she experienced and her helplessness at such a young age. It was very clear that Marie had determination to be better, though. She mentions a random man who was a stranger that she met when she was twelve, and he told her that her life would be her own once she turned 18. That man's words were an inspiration to her as she grew older.

It was very inspirational to read about how Marie began to transform her life. She really did "pick up the pieces," as the title of the book says. It was amazing to read how a young woman completely started from scratch and made a better life for herself and her own children. She had a very supportive husband in the process, too, although she stated that she did not want to rely on him to do everything. She had not grown up in an environment where she could rely on people, so she took it upon herself to make sure her life was stable and secure. This did not come without the threat of downfalls throughout her life, but she pressed through it all and never gave up.

I cannot say anything negative about this book. It was such a gripping story, and it is so well-written. Marie did a wonderful job of bringing both the negative and positive aspects of her story to life for the reader.

I am rating this book 4 out of 4 stars, and I would recommend it to anyone who has had a determination to overcome something in their past and succeed in the future. It would also be a good book for anyone who would just enjoy an inspirational story and be able to see the life of someone who probably experienced a completely different childhood and life than his or her own. I encourage all who are interested to get a copy of this compelling book.

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Picking Up The Pieces
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[Jeremie Mondejar]

I can relate to her. Broken family is extremely horrific. The stranger she met when she was 12 years old, was a blessing in disguise. You have a nice review. I choose this as my lesson of the day, "completely started from scratch." Thank you.

[J_odoyo]

"You can become a product of your environment, or you can break the chain so the next generation does not need to go through what you went through."

What a wonderful quote! Marie's story, wading through life for betterment of the next generation is quite inspiring. I'm a fan of this genre, and I think I should read this book. Thanks for this incredible review.

[Dayodiola]

The experience of others we don't wish to pass through, but need to learn from.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

The title tells it all. Such books should be stored in a safe place. Learning about life from someone else's experience is fulfilling. I'd like to also express my gratitude for the extensive review.

[Harty Muli]

I like that the author felt motivated to write her story to share with others her pain while growing up. Nice review.

[Jonesy1959]

I would say this book deserves 4 stars as it somehow will resonate with most young teens who now have to face uncertainty in life due to the rising tide of family breakups

[Priyanka2304]

Marie seems to be an interesting character to read. I really enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for detailing it amazingly.

[Adrianna Melillo]

This sounds like a fantastic, inspirational read! I'll definitely be adding this to my shelf. Great review!

[Ms_Rita30]

Marie serves as an example to all women out there who have had similar experiences. They could also "pick up the pieces" and make the most of their lives.