Blogger Shannan Martin wrote a book: Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted. The following are the first two sentences of the final section of the book (don’t worry, no “spoilers” here):

Since I’m you and you’re me and we’re all basically the same person wrapped in different paper, I’m sure some of the words on theses pages are making your heart beat faster. I know this, because I’ve been where you are and, in many ways, still stand right next to you, anxious to imagine what on earth might wait for me just past my line of sight. (207)

I’m not sure to whom she’s writing because I haven’t been less interested in a book. I can’t even tell you what it’s really about because I found it quite disjointed. Perhaps I’m not the target audience. I didn’t know Martin was a blogger before starting the book, and I likely would not have agreed to review this book if I did. Bloggers tend to write books as if they are larger blog posts, and I’m just not into casual writing like the “here’s me being so vulnerable, but I’m really never going to change” stuff with inside jokes embedded via parenthetical statements. I was actually quite bored getting through this one but do not, however, want to diminish the significance of any shared events of Martin’s life.

There was one moment I really enjoyed: “This is the work of God, part chisel, part cannon. He’ll do what it takes to demolish our ‘this is mine’ walls” (144). That’s a brilliant image.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”