Book Review: Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is always so lovely to return to literature for young people after slogging through philosophical tomes aimed at adults.  Invariably, I learn more from kid lit fiction than I do from adult self-help books.  Makes me want to go to the self-help section of the bookstore and reorganize a bit.

I'd put this book in the section about how to deal with grief.  But also in the section about how to create meaning in life.  And in the gardening how-to section.

"It has been my experience that rewarding and heartbreaking often go hand in hand."

"I have seen trees that survive fire.  Their bark is burned and their limbs are dead branches.  But hidden under that skeleton is a force that sends a single shoot of green out into the world.  Maybe if I'm lucky, that will one day happen to me.  But right now, I can't see it."

"...almost everything I pursue is for my own understanding or amusement.  I believe having an audience naturally corrupts the performance."

"I realize now that I'm worrying about all of them.  It's better than worrying about myself.  This is one of the secrets that I have learned in the last few months.  When you care about other people, it takes the spotlight off your own drama."


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