Review by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers’ Favorite
A Fraction Stronger: Finding Belief and Possibility in Life’s Impossible Moments is a memoir by Mark Berridge. After sustaining devastating back and bone injuries during a bicycling accident, Mark faced a lengthy hospital stay and nine months in physical rehabilitation. While regaining some of his mobility and navigating through the effects of this sudden disruption to his life, he developed a strategy and philosophy for moving forward in a new direction: “Because it is not about the fall – it is about how we choose to get up.” This well-paced, engagingly written narrative is divided into three topics: Lanterns (seeing possibilities), Angels (moving forward), and Demons (things that could derail us unless we reframe them). Questions after each chapter help the reader focus on a path to recovery.
In A Fraction Stronger, Mark Berridge gives us an inspirational, insightful, and motivational account of his struggle to rebuild not only his physical strength but also his sense of identity and self-worth following a traumatic disruption to the successful career and life path he was on. His advice is phrased in deceptively simple terms: Start by getting through today. Put your heart and soul into the journey. Keep your pathways open. Reach out and in. Face fear. Find moments to help others and yourself. Nurture the “embers” that light your life and give it purpose. Love is a powerful force. I especially liked the definition of bravery: “whatever you need it to be to help you believe.”
This is an utterly wonderful read.
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