A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence
- Downloads：4581
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-30 02:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Mary Pipher
- ISBN：1635577586
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the bestselling author of Women Rowing North and Reviving Ophelia-a memoir in essays reflecting on radiance， resilience， and the constantly changing nature of reality。
In her luminous new memoir in essays， Mary Pipher-as she did in her New York Times bestseller Women Rowing North-taps into a cultural moment， to offer wisdom， hope， and insight into loss and change。 Drawing from her own experiences and expertise as a psychologist specializing in women， trauma， and the effect of our culture on our mental health， she looks inward in A Life in Light to what shaped her as a woman， one who has experienced darkness throughout her life but was always drawn to the light。
Her plainspoken depictions of her hard childhood and life's difficulties are dappled with moments of joy and revelation， tragedies and ordinary miseries， glimmers and shadow。 As a child， she was separated from her parents for long periods。 Those separations affected her deeply， but in A Life in Light she explores what she's learned about how to balance despair with joy， utilizing and sharing with readers every coping skill she has honed during her lifetime to remind us that there is a silver thread of resilience that flows through all of life， and that despite our despair， the light will return。
In this book， she points us toward that light。
In her luminous new memoir in essays， Mary Pipher-as she did in her New York Times bestseller Women Rowing North-taps into a cultural moment， to offer wisdom， hope， and insight into loss and change。 Drawing from her own experiences and expertise as a psychologist specializing in women， trauma， and the effect of our culture on our mental health， she looks inward in A Life in Light to what shaped her as a woman， one who has experienced darkness throughout her life but was always drawn to the light。
Her plainspoken depictions of her hard childhood and life's difficulties are dappled with moments of joy and revelation， tragedies and ordinary miseries， glimmers and shadow。 As a child， she was separated from her parents for long periods。 Those separations affected her deeply， but in A Life in Light she explores what she's learned about how to balance despair with joy， utilizing and sharing with readers every coping skill she has honed during her lifetime to remind us that there is a silver thread of resilience that flows through all of life， and that despite our despair， the light will return。
In this book， she points us toward that light。
Reviews
Jean-Paul Marie Justin
，
Perhaps we are needing a new genre heading for books written to get through lockdown of the pandemic。。。maybe the same for movies and tv episodes also generated during lockdown。 I came with expectations to an interview with the author， who began by saying that this was a lockdown birthed book。 While I can't quite articulate the common qualities of this new genre -- they seem to be nearly palpable。 There are two subsets。 One is for those who use the actual context of the pandemic as a thread for b Perhaps we are needing a new genre heading for books written to get through lockdown of the pandemic。。。maybe the same for movies and tv episodes also generated during lockdown。 I came with expectations to an interview with the author， who began by saying that this was a lockdown birthed book。 While I can't quite articulate the common qualities of this new genre -- they seem to be nearly palpable。 There are two subsets。 One is for those who use the actual context of the pandemic as a thread for beading the events or the entire story。 The second， for those authors who wrote a book - regardless of topic - to weather withdrawal symptoms from the life they were keenly pursuing before it landed in the ditch of the pandemic。memoir requires profound skill or it is reduced to a writer motoring into the future with eyes locked on their rear view mirror。 ergo -- only one star -- harsh as it is because I'm weighing this against the authors other offerings -- if is framed by fit for lockdown genre -- then？ at least 4 stars。I'm posting this in hopes that among the brilliant avid readers， some will incorporate an analysis of lockdown/covid published works to help others seeking to read about that period/experience can more easily locate them。 。。。more
Robin
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Having known about Mary Pipher's first book， "Reviving Ophelia" and hearing friends laud her previous book to this， "Women Rowing North，" I was definitely intrigued by this memoir。 It didn't disappoint me。 I learned a lot about a woman who had an interesting childhood in another part of the country that I know little about: Nebraska with a few other western states mentioned。 She does bring her story into the present day so we hear about how she and her family coped with the pandemic which was in Having known about Mary Pipher's first book， "Reviving Ophelia" and hearing friends laud her previous book to this， "Women Rowing North，" I was definitely intrigued by this memoir。 It didn't disappoint me。 I learned a lot about a woman who had an interesting childhood in another part of the country that I know little about: Nebraska with a few other western states mentioned。 She does bring her story into the present day so we hear about how she and her family coped with the pandemic which was interesting。 All in all， a book that is meant to be read slowly and savored。 。。。more
Carin
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Twenty-five years ago when I was a frontline bookseller， Ms。 Pipher’s book Reviving Ophelia was a huge bestseller。 I wondered what the big deal was and picked it up。 I accidentally read the entire thing over the course of a few cash register shifts （we were NOT supposed to be reading at the cashwrap！） It was amazing and really changed my idea of what books could be， turning me on to nonfiction。And then I didn’t read her again until now。 I’ve kept an eye on her books， considered some， but just ne Twenty-five years ago when I was a frontline bookseller， Ms。 Pipher’s book Reviving Ophelia was a huge bestseller。 I wondered what the big deal was and picked it up。 I accidentally read the entire thing over the course of a few cash register shifts （we were NOT supposed to be reading at the cashwrap！） It was amazing and really changed my idea of what books could be， turning me on to nonfiction。And then I didn’t read her again until now。 I’ve kept an eye on her books， considered some， but just never picked one up until this one。 And this is a great second read！ Not a traditional memoir， it’s a memoir in essays， most of them quite short。 She starts when she’s a very， very young kid， with some of her oldest memories。 Those weren’t necessary good memories。 Her parents separated while her mom was in medical school in the late 1940s and she and one brother went with their dad to Missouri to live in a freezing cold trailer。 She said she felt like she stopped growing， even though she was only probably about 5。 They did all reunite and the family moved to Nebraska for her mother to start a medical practice in a small town。 Luckily there were positive memories in between of faraway vacation trips， loving extended family， and Mary herself figuring out who she was and what she was good at。 I was particularly struck by an aside when she was working at a drive-in in her teens and how much she liked getting to know the regulars and even dealing with the difficult customers， and how those people skills were very advantageous later when she was a therapist （my husband also was a waiter and now is a counselor！）She has an unplanned pregnancy in college， and manages to stay in college （probably making a mother who went to medical school with four very young children was a great example here） and then meets her husband in graduate school。 Through all of this， runs the theme from the title: light。 Light， especially sunlight， is always important and almost life-giving to her。 When there is good light， a spectacular sunset， or even a great moment when a sunbeam catches a prism， it’s meditative and almost spiritual for her。 This is a through-thread and also keeps the tone of the whole book rather contemplative， even when bad things are happening。 She doesn’t deny they happened or downplay them， but she also doesn’t make them overwrought。 Like a Buddhist she just presents them， and then lets them fall away。 It was a calming read。 I feel better for having read it。 。。。more
RyReads
，
Such a hopeful book！ I was moved by how vulnerable the author was in telling about her own difficulties while also using her experience as a psychologist to bring a new lens to the book。
Gretchen Rubin
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Quiet， beautiful， meditative essays looking back on a long life。
Candy
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