Book Review: In Memory Of A SaintTitle: In Memory of A Saint: Lessons from My Mother I Didn’t Pay Attention to Until She Died
Author: Sandra Elaine Scott
Publisher: CreateSpace

Sometimes we don’t realize the lessons we learned from someone until they’re gone. For example, my grandparents passed on many valuable bits of wisdom to me over the years, and while I always appreciated it, I never realized what a massive influence they were on me as a whole until they passed away (leaving a massive gap in my life that I have yet to fill). In Sandra Elaine Scott’s book, In Memory of a Saint: Lessons from My Mother I Didn’t Pay Attention to Until She Died,  she shares dozens of little pieces of wisdom that her mother imparted to her over the years, but only after her mom’s death did she realize just how valuable those lessons were.

The book is divided into several chapters based on the types of lessons learned, such as those about family or charity. Each chapter is broken down into very short stories, some only a page long, relating a little piece of wisdom from Scott’s mom. They’re written in a conversational tone, allowing the reader to catch a true glimpse of the life and words of this amazing woman. Scott’s mother was a kind, charitable woman, but she didn’t take nonsense from anyone and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. At the end of each story, Scott provides a brief sentence about the lesson learned. My absolute favorite has to be “it’s okay to fail, but find something positive to take out of the experience,” which came from Scott’s story about how she thought she failed her college final and didn’t get a single answer correct. Her mom responds with “did you write your name correctly? Well, you got one thing right!”

Although I don’t usually read biographies or memoirs, I made an exception for this one because the title intrigued me.  In Memory of a Saint was written in such an engaging manner that it was an absolute pleasure to read. There were some tear jerker moments, but many of the stories are light hearted and witty.  I would definitely recommend this book to everyone with a mom or mom-like figure in their life, especially if you don’t listen to her yet, because one day you’ll look back and think “wow, maybe she was on to something!”

 

Note- I received a free copy of this book from the author. My opinions are my own.