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 More than 100 writers contributed the heartfelt essays, stories, and poems that make this collection a celebration of the wondrous human drive not only to survive, but to overcome—and flourish. Organized into nine areas, the anthology explores some potentially obvious aspects of strength in sections named Physical Strength, Role Models of Strength, and Strength of Community that nonetheless offer plenty of subtle surprises.
Reviewed by Karen DeGroot Carter
Stories of Strength
Edited by Jenna Glatzer
Published by Lulu.com ( www.lulu.com/content/172091)
November 2005
Price: $15.95 paperback / $5.09 e-book
ISBN: 1-4116-5503-6
“It took a village to rear this baby.” So says editor Jenna Glatzer on her acknowledgements page of Stories of Strength, an anthology for disaster relief. Published with Lulu.com, a print-on-demand company that made the remarkably quick publication of this work possible just two months after the onslaught of Hurricane Katrina, Stories of Strength features stories of “what it takes to beat the odds.” Glatzer may have many to thank for helping her mother this mother of an anthology, but she deserves recognition for conceiving the original idea for such a powerful, poignant book that’s also an impressive fundraising project.
In the days immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Glatzer suggested to other writers in the forum of her website AboutWrite.com that they publish a book and donate the proceeds to relief efforts. Having now guided Stories of Strength through the publishing process, Glatzer is spearheading publicity efforts that include a Stories of Strength website (www.storiesofstrength.com) featuring a tracker of total sales. All profits from the anthology’s sales, including those earned by Lulu, will be donated to support on-going hurricane relief.
More than 100 writers contributed the heartfelt essays, stories, and poems that make this collection a celebration of the wondrous human drive not only to survive, but to overcome—and flourish. Organized into nine areas, the anthology explores some potentially obvious aspects of strength in sections named Physical Strength, Role Models of Strength, and Strength of Community that nonetheless offer plenty of subtle surprises. Stories of less obvious aspects of strength are grouped under headings such as Strength of Spirit, Borrowing Strength, and The Strength to Start Over. All the sections boast compelling works from new as well as established writers. Strength in Fiction alone features memorable stories by popular Sci-Fi/Fantasy author Orson Scott Card and Christian fiction author Robin Lee Hatcher as well as from 16 emerging authors.
Strength of Spirit starts things off on a wondrous note with “The Shrine,” a stirring personal essay by Matthew James. Poetry and additional personal essays of heartache and redemption, humor and remembrances, fill out this section. “My Mother’s Table” by Noreen Braman resonates with historical references, the impact of past tragedies, and an appreciation for the stories that bind us in a tapestry of shared experiences. In “Taking Back My Heart,” Deborah Rose, a survivor of childhood psychological and sexual abuse, offers the powerful perspective of a person who’s fought her entire life to realize the depths of her own strength.
Add to that a poem of revelation by 15-year-old Kesi Augustine amid stories of trials overcome in Physical Strength; Janet Ross-Pila’s account of her daughter’s remarkable tale of survival in Strength of Faith, or Claudia Ann Sodaro’s story of a man named Bret who’d been paralyzed by an accident at age 19, followed by a prayer-poem by Bret James Sigler about life in a wheelchair. The wonderment goes on and on.
In Role Models of Strength, a story from the Vietnam War era turns into a touching tribute to parents who drew strength from each other to overcome years of hardships in “The Ace I Got Dealt” by C.J. Piperly. Ellen Lewis Lief’s memory of a blind couple who adopted a blind and deaf little boy many years ago ends with a simple expression of awe. And Kimberly Ramsey’s “Tom” reveals the strength sometimes needed just to acknowledge one’s own right to demand respect, especially after a devastating childhood.
In Strength of Community, Julia Rosien’s “What Really Matters” examines the isolation common in contemporary communities and what it often takes to break through the barriers we erect. “Heart of the Mountain” by self-described “hillbilly” Stephanie Cordray reminds us of the importance of simple, country ways like the willingness and readiness to help others in times of need.
The first essay in Borrowing Strength, Charmian Christie’s “Wet and Naked,” resonates with the determination and humor her family drew upon in order to cope with a crippling illness that had struck one of their own. Audrey Glassman Vernick’s “What Remains” speaks to the strength it takes to make sense of life’s hardships as well as the strength received when strangers take the time to extend their sympathies and shared grief. The surprise ending to “One Breath at a Time” by Cynthia L. Kryder wraps up this concise but immensely emotional section.
Strength of Love features more than love stories—much more. “Sixteen Times,” a poem by Kathy Powers, reverberates with a simple chorus in which love and gratitude somehow overcome an excruciating sense of loss. Lisa Voiles survived Hurricane Camille in Biloxi, Mississippi, when she was a teen. Her essay “What There is Left” addresses the critical, healing power of compassion and love in the face of utter hopelessness.
The Strength to Start Over reaches a peak in “Night and Fog Action,” a tale of terror and escape from domestic abuse by Heide AW Kaminski. In “Perseverance” by Joanne D. Kiggins, the power of perseverance is celebrated not as a luxury for those striving to excel, but as a daily necessity and a mantra for survival. All the stories in this section explore survival strategies and are testaments to those who find the strength not only to survive but to start over, strengthened by what they’ve endured.
Strength in Fiction explores strength from a variety of angles. Jenny Schwartz’s fun-loving “Who Wants a Hero?” offers a skewed re-telling of Rapunzel’s story, in which a “modern girl” named Rap sports a mohawk and combat boots and repeatedly tells her meddling mother, the Wicked Witch of the Wild Woods, that she needs no hero. When a handsome engineer named George Knight turns out to be dragon slayer, Rap insists he and his latest scaled nemesis hammer out a compromise, rescuing them both from danger just as George helps her resolve her own life-long battle. “Everyone needs rescuing sometime,” Schwartz writes, aptly wrapping up the entire anthology’s goal of strengthening those who read it as well as those who may never even know the book exists, but remain in need of its powers to heal.
Dedicated to “the survivors of Hurricane Katrina and all those who are helping them,” Stories of Strength represents a highlight in the history not only of print-on-demand publishing, but of the entire book publishing industry. This book has given dozens of writers an opportunity to participate in a project that can effect significant change in the lives of many, many people. Booksellers are eager to feature it this holiday season. Grass-root efforts to promote Stories of Strength are beginning to reach the thousands who’d wanted to help victims of Hurricane Katrina but didn’t know how. Now there is a very simple way: Buy some books and spread the word. Jenna Glatzer and her fellow villagers have already done the hard part.
About the reviewer: Karen DeGroot Carter lives in Lone Tree, Colorado, with her husband and their three children. One Sister’s Song (www.PearlStreetPublishing.com), her first novel, explores biracial families, single parenting, grief recovery, and the Underground Railroad. Carter hosts a diversity blog, BEYOND Understanding (www.sustenancescout.blogspot.com), designed to highlight resources that promote tolerance and celebrate diversity.
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