Courage of the Soul Book Review

Personal stories reflect the various and unique ways we have of individualizing universal themes (motifs). Those that show us how others have travelled along the path of the hero's or heroine's journey are particularly meaningful because can be guide posts for the rest of us.  Courage of the Soul is such an anthology, capturing the wisdom and skills that we must both learn and apply in order to live through and beyond the obstacles we face.

Karen Pierce Gonzalez  

Reviewed by Danielle Flores

One definition of courage is, “Strength in the face of pain or grief,” and in this book, Courage of the Soul, the reader is given many personal examples of human courage as a stronger force than fear, grief or pain.

This book is divided into 7 sections. The first is dedicated to Hope and Inspiration, and these stories hold instances of hardships in family life as well as outreach in different areas of the world. The story, “Keeping the Faith,” written by Catalina Sepulveda Diaz, not only shares the experience of how the effects of drugs and alcohol abuse can affect a family, but also she provides personal advice on how to handle being a parent dealing with a child who has addictions in early stages of life. In the second section about courage and bravery, the short story titled, “Turning a Blind Eye,” written by Marion Witte, is endearing and heart felt. This story expresses the way that an individual can go through life without feeling limited due to physical impairment, Witte says, “…he used his heart and soul to see the world in a way that most sighted people can only dream about”. The section based on the idea of goals and ambition is introduced with a quote by Walt Disney, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” This quote is the essence of the stories that follow.

Other quotes from inspirational people are placed in between sections, and a quote that struck as a heart beat in this book was, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”- Dr. Wayne Dyer.

I would highly recommend this book to any one who has gone through something that has caused them fear or pain in their lifetime, which may very well include the whole population. This book reveals that one can work through tough times and be able to come through it all.

The inspirational stories almost brought me to tears several times. Each moment in our existence is precious and this book shares stories about individuals who have realized this notion and put courage into practice.

This 70+ page book ($15.95 Wise Owl Publishing), available on Amazon/Barnes & Noble is part of the Wise Women Collection, a series of books focused on sharing wisdom through stories and experiences. Editors  Marion Elizabeth Witte and Melissa J. Murphy also contribute to the book. Witte is Editor in Chief of the Wise Women Community.org, and Next Generation Parenting.org, and Brave New Leaders.org. Her books include Little Madhouse on the Prairie, The No-Regrets Bucket List, and Simple Treasures. Murphy is a freelance writer and editor specializing in psychology, health, and parenting. She is the Senior Contributing Writer for NextGenerationParenting.org. Her books include The Enlightened Parent.  

Danielle Flores is a communications major at Sonoma State University (California) and is currently at work on her first e-book.