Chapters with Chelsea: Books That Left Me Speechless

If you know me personally, you know that I am very rarely quiet, let alone speechless. So when I tell you that these books left me jaw-on-the-ground, clutching-my-heart, 5-star-rating speechless, that is really saying something. Every time I finish a book, I announce my triumph to the room (which is usually just my dog and/or boyfriend) and get to review-writing. My boyfriend asks, “How many stars?” and my dog glares at me for waking him up. I ignore the puppy glares and launch into a tirade about what exactly I liked or disliked about said book, boring both boyfriend and dog back to sleep.

But sometimes, I just stare into space and whisper, “Five” with no further explanation. I am also usually crying, a newfound depression set in from my beautiful reading experience having come to an end. This whole situation usually scares both dog and boyfriend, and they quickly move to another room to let me sit in my uncomfortable silence. Here are a few of those books. Forgive me in advance for the amount of “just read it”s you will happen upon.

I literally have no idea how to review this book because it left me speechless. Adunni’s story of strength, hope and perseverance was inspiring, heart wrenching, and above all, HOPEFUL. And her voice! Ugh. The writing style was an amazing surprise. I could hear Adunni’s voice in my head, heart and soul. Bounced from abusive situation to abusive situation, Nigerian 14-year-old Adunni never gives up on her dream to receive an education and find her louding voice. Written in broken English that evolves throughout the book, Daré finds unique and oddly beautiful ways to describe people, places and ideas. Ugh. Just read it, people.

I am going to make a wager with myself. THIS book will be my favorite book I read all of 2021. That is how strongly I feel about the true perfection of this book. We follow Ana, Sue Monk Kidd’s brilliant fictional creation, as she meets, marries and loves Jesus. Yes. That Jesus. And though her husband is the one the world will remember, Ana paves her own way through a world that finds little value in the words of women. She makes just as much of a fuss as the big dog himself, all while continuing to play the dutiful wife to the Messiah. This book was meticulously researched, beautifully written, and pulsating with emotion. Kidd brought the worlds of Galilee, Judea and Alexandria to life for me. She reminds the reader of the humanity of Jesus and the friends and family that supported him. It gives us deeper looks at the women of the New Testament: Mary, Mary, Margaret, and the plethora of unnamed women who are integral to the story of Jesus and his disciples.

OK. Apparently somewhere along the way, I found the words for this one. But still, just read it.

Remember a few weeks ago when I listed this book in my "Judge A Book By Its Cover" article? Well, it's official. I’m a genius. Because this book was even better than I prejudged it would be. The Galvin family is huge. Like twelve kids huge. But six out of twelve of them are diagnosed with schizophrenia. See! I told y’all that the family photo on the cover held a lot of interesting stories. This book tells the story of the Galvin children, sick and not sick, while also sharing the meticulously researched history of schizophrenia research, awareness and treatment. This book was insanely interesting and deeply human. I was particularly fascinated by the passion shown by scientists and doctors throughout the book as they debate the cause of the disease. Just read it.

If you haven’t already read or, at the very least, heard of this book…THAT IS OK! I could make a joke here that you might live under a rock but frankly that is a tired joke and my humor is way more sophisticated than that. I have ranted and raved to everyone I know about this book and every single time I can say no more than, “Just read it.” This one leaves me figuratively AND literally speechless. So, really, just read it.