Reviews

The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams

gimchi's review against another edition

3.0

amazing for the story, and the realizations, and just... for what it is.

however, did run a little uhh... long? which is terrible to say, but i skimmed a few years towards the end.

sby's review against another edition

5.0

Books about dying are books about living.

gtmommy05's review against another edition

4.0

This is a 4.5 for me. A beautiful telling of a life.

nerdyrev's review against another edition

4.0

This was my second read through of this and it is such an incredible story of life while confronting death head on. She doesn’t hold back, nor does she sugarcoat or saint herself. She admits times when she wasn’t her best, she shares her fears and sorrow, but she celebrates life throughout everything.

brighteyed's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

i feel weird assigning a rating to this given that it was someone's life. i think this was beautifully written, but since it was reorganized from blog posts into a book, it felt a little disjointed and sometimes the order was confusing (i'm not sure if it was quite chronological, but some pieces seemed like they weren't). 

overall, this was a beautifully and brutally honest memoir of living with cancer for 5 years. as a future doctor and former cancer researcher, i will take to heart julie's experiences - we don't always experience such honesty when we talk to patients (for obvious reasons). 

honestly, i don't think i would have gotten along with julie as a person. but i think that makes her story more powerful because she is completely raw. i appreciate that, and i hope this book gives strength to those living with cancer that they don't have to be "model" cancer patients. i am overall honored to have read this book and be able to know someone's intimate life and pain. it takes a lot of courage, something which julie valued immensely. 

moogen's review against another edition

3.0

To post a review, I had to assign a rating - so I went the average 3 stars - which isn't fair or right. I don't think you can rate a memoir about dying because these books speak differently to different people. For me "When Breath Become Air" was the book that really touched me. But I can see how this book could do the same for others.

andrearbooks's review against another edition

5.0

The Unwinding of the Miracle by Julie Yip-Williams was outstanding. This is an emotional read, but worth the journey given the beauty of the writing. This is a memoir (posted posthumously) built around the author's terminal cancer diagnosis at 37. She uses her writing to chronicle the emotions of living with this disease. This includes her relationship with her husband, young daughters, and extended family. The title speaks to the fact that it is somewhat of a miracle the author even made it to adulthood. Born blind, her own grandmother wanted her parents to have her euthanized. After coming to the United States as a refugee to escape the turmoil of Vietnam, she is able to eventually get surgery to restore some sight. She spends some time on what it means to overcome such obstacles to achieve all she has, but really this is a reflection on the emotions that come with coming face-to-face with your mortality. There are days where she details the beauty in the world, and there are others where she is overcome with the pain and grief of cancer and what this means for her, as well as what will never be. By the end of this one, I was a mess of tears. However, I also found such power in this story. Throughout, she stresses the importance of living while you're living. Given her situation, she has a unique understanding of working with the time you've got, and her message is going to stay with me for awhile. Thanks to Random House for the ARC that I'm a bit behind in reading. The good news? This one is out now, so no need to wait on a release date to check this one out right now.

mags017's review against another edition

4.5

This was a beautiful and deeply personal account of navigating life with cancer. If this is a sensitive subject, maybe avoid. As someone who has had a lot of cancer in the family, I found this both difficult and informative, almost helpful in a healing way too. 

ohemgee's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

suzw13's review against another edition

4.0

Lovely perspective on dying: moving, profound, and amazing in many ways. I respect very much her life and her work on the book. It is sad, and at times, the emotional details were hard for me to hear. I listened to the audiobook, and that probably accentuated the emotion.