A FLOWER GROWS IN STONE: The Diary of a Life in Progress by Anisah Hassan

Llumina Press
www.llumina.com
Genre: Memoir/Personal Development
Rating: Good
ISBN: 9781595269546, $14.95, 188 pp.

Quoting from the back cover:

"A Flower Grows in Stone is Anisah Hassan’s personal testament to the suffering and plight of people living with Stiff-Person/Moersch Woltman Syndrome. The ravages of the condition must be brought into the public view, given the misconceptions and lack of knowledge surround the disorder.

"The author offers her first-hand account in the form of a narrative, with personal impressions, anecdotes, experiences, and reflections. In trying to demystify SPS, the author endeavors to provide inspiration and hope. The human experience is a universal, not a singular phenomenon, from which no individual is immune. Therefore, Anisah also reaches out to victims of Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, accidents, and anyone enduring isolation occasioned by illness. This introspective journey is a tool to give a voice to those suffering from SPS and other neurologic conditions."

Anisah’s life-in-progress story, indeed, reads like a diary. Occasionally her writing drifts from her purported purpose of informing readers about her rare neurological condition toward just being a personal memoir with family photos. Her writing style is sweet, flowery, educated, and somewhat affected. She most certainly has an upbeat spirit and desire to inspire. Did she accomplish what she set out to do?...yes, to some degree; however, I felt she lost her focus somewhere along the way.

Kaye Trout - May 21, 2008