NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today • As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie Yip-Williams began to write her story, a story like no other. What began as the chronicle of an imminent and early death became something much more—a powerful exhortation to the living.“An exquisitely moving portrait of the daily stuff of life.”—The New York Times … stuff of life.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping
That Julie Yip-Williams survived infancy was a miracle. Born blind in Vietnam, she narrowly escaped euthanasia at the hands of her grandmother, only to flee with her family the political upheaval of her country in the late 1970s. Loaded into a rickety boat with three hundred other refugees, Julie made it to Hong Kong and, ultimately, America, where a surgeon at UCLA gave her partial sight. She would go on to become a Harvard-educated lawyer, with a husband, a family, and a life she had once assumed would be impossible. Then, at age thirty-seven, with two little girls at home, Julie was diagnosed with terminal metastatic colon cancer, and a different journey began.
The Unwinding of the Miracle is the story of a vigorous life refracted through the prism of imminent death. When she was first diagnosed, Julie Yip-Williams sought clarity and guidance through the experience and, finding none, began to write her way through it—a chronicle that grew beyond her imagining. Motherhood, marriage, the immigrant experience, ambition, love, wanderlust, tennis, fortune-tellers, grief, reincarnation, jealousy, comfort, pain, the marvel of the body in full rebellion—this book is as sprawling and majestic as the life it records. It is inspiring and instructive, delightful and shattering. It is a book of indelible moments, seared deep—an incomparable guide to living vividly by facing hard truths consciously.
With humor, bracing honesty, and the cleansing power of well-deployed anger, Julie Yip-Williams set the stage for her lasting legacy and one final miracle: the story of her life.
Praise for The Unwinding of the Miracle
“Everything worth understanding and holding on to is in this book. . . . A miracle indeed.”—Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author
“A beautifully written, moving, and compassionate chronicle that deserves to be read and absorbed widely.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies
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I happened to catch Jenna Bush-Hager on the Today Show when she was announcing her April book club pick. One of the other show hosts also talked about what a good book it was, so I went to my library website and put it on reserve.
This is a good book, but at times it’s hard to read. It was for me anyway, but that may be because there has been so much cancer in my family. The author tells us about being born blind in Vietnam and how her life almost ended there. Not because of war, not because of illness, but because of an order from her grandmother. As a toddler she moved to the US with her family and eventually grew up, got married and had two little girls. She writes about her feelings, fears, treatment, childhood, anger at the cancer, etc from when she was diagnosed until just before her death. None of us really know how we would react to the same circumstances, but I think I would react similarly. I know this book will stay with me for a while. I will think about her husband and little girls and wonder how they are doing without her. The book isn’t all sadness though. It also teaches us that we need to appreciate the time we have. Enjoy every minute with our loved ones. It’s not preachy. It’s not depressing. It’s real life.
This was an emotional read. As you experience the author’s diagnosis of colon cancer, the journey that follows, and her history of being born with infant cataracts — which left her blind. The author’s raw and honest expressions as she dealt with her imminent death. Her husband, Josh’s note at the end was nothing short of heart wrenching.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
a strong soul who is willing to share and teach; many memorable moments which explain the meaning of life
Amazing life story from a glorious writer chronicling her battle with colon cancer. Inspiring, heartbreaking, insightful, loving and meaningful beyond almost anything else I have ever read.
Amazing book and very well written! Deep and raw emotions along with an incredible journey told in the most honest way. A Must Read!
This was a very moving book for me. Having lost two dear friends to cancer, this was especially poignant. The author was an exceptional writer, particularly in light of what she was living through as she wrote. Obviously a very sad book, but also an insight into how someone who should have been worrying about her children and husband and what they want for dinner, was instead having heart wrenching thoughts about their lives when she was gone. Any one who reads this work of art will be thinking about it for a long time. Strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the author’s family, Netgalley and the publisher Random House, for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Julie Yip-Williams was a 37-year-old with a successful career as a lawyer, married and the mother of two small daughters when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. She was born in View Nam to Chinese parents after the war ended. She was born with congenital cataracts and her grandmother wanted the parents to take her to an herbalist for something to make her go to sleep permanently. Luckily, the herbalist said no. They escaped by boat and came to America where Julie had surgery for her cataracts but was declared legally blind due to very poor vision. This did not keep her from being a top student and finding love, marriage and motherhood. This book chronicles her struggles with the cancer diagnosis, multiple surgeries, treatments including chemotherapy and radiation, alternative treatments, setbacks and trying to take care of her family. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this very sad and inspiring book.