After leaving her public relations career, Janine Reid embarks on a new vocation where she tries to meet her children's every need and anticipate those that aren't yet obvious. Her strategy is to control, manage, and do everything right so her kids won't be hurt, scared, or scarred. What she doesn't expect is that she will be entering the chaos of an out-of-control life that begins when her bright, charming, ten-year-old son Mason's hand begins to shake. Mason is diagnosed with a brain tumor, and the day-to-day drama takes her from the pits of despair to wild hope.
But it also draws her deep into herself and the eternal questions we all ask ourselves. Who are we really, way down deep, when everything we thought we knew turns out to have been conditional Where do we land when the lifelong foundations we have lived on seem to crumble beneath our feet Where is faith in darkness and terror And where can joy be found in uncertainty
When Janine is diagnosed with breast cancer, she also must come face to face with the pain of her past. She says, “I wasn't conscious I'd created a formula until I started becoming aware that God was not holding up His end of the bargain.” But God . . . He makes a way out of no way and tragedy is transformed into profound healing that offers us a place where grace is bigger than circumstances, and we can be okay no matter what.
About the Author
Janine Urbaniak Reid was born in Chicago and grew up in California. Before she began raising a family and then writing full time, she was vice president of a San Francisco public relations firm. Janine has been published in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and is widely syndicated. Hoping to bring humanity into the healthcare discussion by sharing her experience as a mother of son with a brain tumor, she penned a piece for the Post which went viral. She has been interviewed on national news networks and continues her work as a spokeswoman for healthcare justice.
Janine writes about her imperfect life, what connects us, and addresses the question of what it means to love fiercely in a sometimes dangerous and always uncertain world. Janine is a graduate of the University of California at San Diego and lives in Northern California with her family and a motley assortment of pets. She attends St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Marin City: all are welcome.
Industry Reviews
'The diagnosis of life-threatening illness is one of the most terrifying challenges any family or individual can face. Anger, resentment, fear, and loneliness rise up ready to do battle with hope, and all are made more powerful by love. The Opposite of Certainty is a deeply personal memoir about such a journey, told with brutal honesty and so much grace it will touch your soul.'
--Jacqueline Winspear, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Journey to Munich, A Dangerous Place, Leaving Everything Most Loved, and nine other novels featuring Maisie Dobbs
'A beautiful sucker punch, like life. When the ground crumbles beneath your hopes, big dreams, and great expectations, what do you stand on and for? Where do you find the strength to keep going? You find it in this gem of a book.'
--Ron Fournier, New York Times bestselling author of Love That Boy
'Somedays it's doughnuts and hot coffee. Other days it's gurneys and scans. That's true of almost every full life. Here's the good news: observant and warm, the writing of Janine Urbaniak Reid is the finest company on both kinds of days.'
--Kelly Corrigan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me More and The Middle Place
'Full of spiritual grace and shining with a kind of rare hope, yes, it brings you to your knees but miraculously shows you that this might actually be the best vantage point to see the stars. Extraordinary.'
--Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World
