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The Gift Giver: A True Story (2011)

by Jennifer Hawkins(Favorite Author)

3.54 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1934572802 (ISBN13: 9781934572801)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Emerald Book Company

review 1: Jennifer Hawkins was able to take a horrific, life-changing event and turn it from a nightmare into a gift. Even if the reader doesn't believe that her husband was speaking to her from beyond the grave, if perhaps the trauma caused her to have a psychotic break of some kind, it is undeniable that the voice she was hearing brought her comfort and understanding in her grief.Some of the moments that Jennifer relates in The Gift Giver stretched my imagination- such as the day that she was experiencing sorrow and was unable to figure out its cause and the voice told her that that particular day (if her husband hadn't died) would have been the day that another terrible event would have befallen her. There will never be a way that she could prove or disprove this, but again, it... more brought her comfort in a dark moment. Who's to say that this defense mechanism, if it wasn't actually her husband communicating with her beyond the grave (just to play devil's advocate, for a moment), wasn't the best thing for her healing at that time. She related in her memoir that she was in professional counseling so I don't believe that she was a danger to herself or others. Jennifer was also fortunate to have supportive family members who didn't dismiss her communications with her dead husband, but allowed her to share those feelings and experiences in a safe manner.I'd be curious to read a follow up to this period in her life. Does she still hear the voice? Does Mark still assist her through difficult times?The most compelling moment from this book for me was the chapter entitled The Flight (pg 189). During that interaction, Mark instructs Jennifer in the practice of mindfulness. It reminded me of the voice from Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God- an instructive, evolved being reaching across the void to provide insight and illumination. This brought up a lot of questions in my mind such as: When we die, do we all have those insights? Could we all, if we chose, improve the lives of the family that we leave behind if they and we were open to these types of communications? I think that Jennifer Hawkins demonstrates that not only is death the doorway to another type of existence, but that, if we keep an open mind and heart, that love can continue to be shared and provide positive growth to those left behind.Readers who enjoyed The Gift Giver may also like Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch and Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani.
review 2: This was a great, albeit sad, love story. The author has written what she believes to be a true account of her experiences after the loss of a loved one. Personally, I am not sure that I believe the experiences to have actually happened but I most certainly believe that they were very real for her. And, given how close they were, even if her subconscious was telling her what she wanted to hear, it was probably accurate.I would be concerned with psychologically fragile folks reading this book. However, for stable readers, it could be a comforting source of insight into relationships when one partner dies abruptly.It is also written in such a way that even if the reader's own faith experience doesn't include soul continuance after death, they could still find it a rewarding read by imagining it is fantasy if that makes them more comfortable.Aside from the spiritual message "The Gift Giver" presents, there are very basic ideas about grief that are presented along with insights into coping mechanisms that would be of help to anyone experiencing loss. less

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