The Girl with the Crooked Smile...

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

I recently read a great book that I want to share with you. It is called Girl with the Crooked Smile: Stuck In A Moment ... and the Pearls of Wisdom that pulled her through it by Darah Zeledon.


This  is a memoir by a fellow South Florida Mom. Zeledon has five gorgeous little kids and a doting husband.   If that is not enough to keep her busy, she has bounced back from some huge kicks in the stomach including a brain tumor while pregnant with her the fourth child and other tragedies including a family member's suicide, a home invasion robbery, financial troubles and more.  

Sounds like a downer right? The crazy thing is, it is not. I could not put the book down and when I was done, I felt inspired. Zeledon did not take any one of the horrible situations that she was confronted with by curling up in a ball under the covers. She chose  love over fear and fought hard to not only stay alive, but to live a full, happy life. 

Instead of just telling you her tale of woe,  she explains how she was able to cope with the cards that she was dealt and give tips on how to deal with adversity when you are faced with it in your own life.


While taking you on her journey, she also gives amazing descriptions of living a privileged life as a foreigner in Latin America. I personally know lots and lots Latin Americans but never really thought about how life differs for upper class citizens in those countries and I found these portions of book fascinating.  Later in the book, Zeledon moves back to home to the U.S. and finds herself much worse off financially and the juxtaposition between her two lifestyles is also fascinating.

I'm keeping this one on my (virtual kindle) bookshelf for future reference but I also highly recommended it to a friend who is going through some really scary medical stuff right now and will recommend it in the future to others. 

Zeledon's website is here. You can order or download her book from there or from amazon 

6 comments:

Susie said...

Thank you Japolina. It is nice to read where people pull through some of the roughest spots in life. I hope you friend will be able to do it too. Blessings honey. Look at the sun for me today..please. xoxo,Susie

Kathy said...

This sounds like a really good book. Thanks for recommending it. I'm going to look it up.

vivian said...

sounds like a good book. I have to remember next time i want something to read.
thanks for sharing!
have a great day down there in the sunshine state... we're getting yet another snow storm today....
ho hum ho hum ho hum... cant wait til spring!!!
xoxo
vivian

Kelly said...

I love inspiring stories like this. It's so easy to get down on life and feel hopeless at times. This book sounds like a great one that we could all learn something from and find comfort in knowing we're not alone.

Jan said...

What an indomitable spirit. I'm definitely going to check out her site. Stories about strong women are so inspiring and I need one right now. Have a great weekend.

This is Belgium said...

how fantastic that through you, the world learns about Zeledon and her inspiring story

 
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