FLOURISH BECAUSE

A devout Christian woman navigates tragedy, divorce, love, and loss in Whitaker’s memoir.

The author opens her memoir with a story from 2010, when she received a call about her son, James, who had climbed up a 60-foot billboard in a state of mental distress. As television news cameras, police, and onlookers gathered around the billboard, the author prayed for God to “let your angels fall all around him and lift him up”; shortly thereafter, rainclouds rolled in, and James climbed down to safety. This introductory story sets the tone for the rest of the memoir, which balances painful accounts of divorce and death with an optimistic trust, stemming from Whitaker’s Christian faith, in the power of God. Subsequent chapters walk readers through the major events of the author’s life, beginning with her childhood in the 1950s as the daughter of a geologist who moved their family across the United States and Canada from one oil patch to the next. Her son, James, characterized by his sweet demeanor and later struggles with mental health crises, plays a central role in the book, which culminates in his death via a self-inflicted stabbing; per the author, he was “under the influence of the Destroyer, Satan.” Failed relationships with men make up another major theme, as the 51-year-old author found herself “single again” in 2003 (she found an alternative to meeting single men in bars when she joined the American Singles Golf Association). An outgoing, straight-shooting, fifth-generation Texan, Whitaker is a talented storyteller who blends blunt honesty with heartfelt compassion and an ample assortment of Bible verses. Quintessentially Texan, the author was initially encouraged to write the book after her “gun guru” (a family friend from whom she purchased a pink Glock) was told by “the Lord” that Whitaker needed to tell her story. The book’s distinctly evangelical perspective may not resonate with all readers, but the author’s tribute to her son is profound. Whitaker’s engaging and personal narrative is accompanied by an ample assortment of family photos and snapshots.

A powerful, deeply religious memoir and moving tribute from a mother to her deceased son.