29 Gifts

September 29, 2009
Just a month after her wedding, 31-year-old Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; two years later, she was bitter, isolated, and addicted to both pain medication and self-pity. In need of help beyond drug detox, Cami takes the advice of a South African healer: give away something every day, for 29 days. Walker soon learns that being mindful of giving also means being open to gifts from others, and that gratefulness and mutual generosity is the key to a better, more rewarding life. Glimpses into Walker's day-to-day difficulties-work, family life, constant therapeutic treatment and addiction recovery among them-crop up among the stories of her daily gifts, grounding the work (based on Walker's Web site) in personal details. But the meat, an admirable reworking of The Secret (in that it should actually help someone, at least gift recipients), speaks largely to those already initiated into the cult of positivity.

November 15, 2009
Walker presents a story that gets to the core of the emotional pain and loneliness that people feel when suffering from a serious disease like multiple sclerosis (MS), which she was diagnosed with at age 35. Readers will instantly connect with this narrative of her journey to find an alternative to withering away in her apartment. Through the help of a spiritual leader, Walker begins to heal herself emotionally by giving away 29 gifts in 29 days. Her story unfolds nicely, and the reader is left with a good picture of what it's like to live with MS. Walker turns what could have been a book about self-pity into a great read about pain and a creative way to get on with life.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.