When was the last time you were sucked into a book after having read only the first two pages? It doesn’t happen to me often, but when it does I am unable to put the book down until I read the last word the author has written. Sarah Thebarge grabbed my attention and held it until the end. Her latest book, The Invisible Girls: A Memoir, was released earlier this year, and tells her part of her life’s story.
Everything seemed perfect for Sarah. Ivy League educated, seemingly attractive boyfriend, kicking career. And breast cancer. Diagnosed at the age of 27. Can you even imagine? After making it through the treatments, losing the boyfriend and her job, she packs up and moves west. All the way to Portland, Oregon. It’s in Portland that Sarah meets a Somali refuge named Hadhi who is dealing with her own struggles – an abusive spouse who leaves her and their five children, a language barrier, close to starving in their own home, lack of clothing, and basic self-care skills.
Sarah makes it her mission to ensure these girls – these Invisible Girls – are not left behind. She wants to ensure they won’t be invisible girls forever. Through patience and kindness, Sarah teaches the family how to do simple things – like turn on the stove and the heat and the importance of personal hygiene. The family, particularly the children, teaches Sarah that there is good in the world. That she can make a difference.
The memoir does switch back and forth between Sarah’s time on the East Coast dealing with cancer treatments, the boyfriend, her very religious parents; and life on the West Coast. While I didn’t find it confusing, I would have preferred that it be divided into sections keeping the stories that should be together. I feel as if I’d read the book in multiple sittings, I may have been confused by the switching.
What resonated with me was the chance meeting of that brought them together. Sitting on a train, Sarah glances across and makes eye contact with the girls. She could have ignored them, as many people would have, but she made a choice. A choice to engage. Another choice to look for the family. Another choice to help them, when others would have turned their heads.
Sarah was at one of her lowest points, yet choice to do for others in a way that helped them – and brought herself out of darkness. She made hard choices, like not to pay their bills but to teach Hadhi to manage money. Through her interaction with them she felt a level of love she never thought possible. Feeling invisible herself, she needed them as much as they needed her.
She was the change she wished to see in the world.
The legacy you leave transfers to those you touched along the way. What will your legacy be?
This book sounds really good! I have a long plane flight coming up, I might pick this up to read while I’m traveling.
It was so good! I didn’t want to put it down!