Book Review: Moving Forward Looking Back

Title: Moving Forward Looking Back
Author: Beth Ann Blackwood
Genre: Nonfiction; Memoir
Year Published: March 10, 2023

Date Started: March 29 ,2023
Date finished: March 30, 2023

This is the story about the author, Beth, and how she is learning to deal with the loss of her husband,Tom. The story goes back and forth between present and past and details how she met her husband to when he became ill and passed.

Losing a loved one is difficult to deal with. Everyone handles illness and death differently and Beth’s situation is no different. On the inside, she appeared to be struggling with Tom’s illness. It seemed to have crept up on her way too quickly. However, on the outside (to her friends and family) she appeared to be strong and to handle the situation as though she had everything together.  

What I enjoyed about this story is how everything unfolded from when Beth met Tom to his last few days. They both had very busy lives and enjoyed their careers. There were moments when I felt Beth wanted affirmation or attention from Tom but because of their schedules I could see how it would be difficult for him to really spend time focusing on her needs and wants. I don’t think she saw that, but she handled those moments well and justified it with her own understanding of it. I think sometimes that’s the best way to handle confusion, frustration, or the feeling of someone not giving you what you want or expected if you find it too difficult or uncomfortable to be upfront about it, or if you’ve learned that some people will misunderstand you.

Overall, this was a good read and a good learning experience. For some reason, I felt something was missing but I just can’t pinpoint it. I know losing someone you love is already in itself difficult to deal with so maybe that’s just it. I think Beth is still going through the loss and I hope she writes another book further down the road and reflects on it. I’d definitely read it.

Who should read this book: Anyone wanting to understand how illness and death can impact a person.