Necessary Journeys: Letting Ourselves Learn From Life

"I never expected life to be so messy," says Nancy Snyderman, medical news correspondent for Good Morning America, 20/20, and ABC News, in the opening to Necessary Journeys. Here she tells her own story--not a glittery story of a woman's achievements (though she could have written that story instead), but a raw one of "those parts of our lives that have influenced and shaped us without enriching our spirits." We read about Snyderman's rape as a college sophomore by a man wielding a knife at her throat, and how she didn't tell anyone for two years. We read about her depression, weight gain, and fear following that incident. She was also later diagnosed with "a rare form of lymph node cancer, which very few people survive." After 72 hours of tests and expert consultations, she learned that what she actually had was not cancer but a tick-borne virus. Snyderman learned firsthand the panic and isolation of a cancer diagnosis--"the stripping away of self ... the desperate dependence on the intelligence and training of strangers"--and she also experienced a speedy reprieve. The combination of the two made her a better and more compassionate doctor. We also share her experience of marrying a man who spent all her money, led a double life, and put her into devastating debt.

We also hear the happy stories--people who inspired her, her beginnings in television, adopting a baby--but what grip us are the shadow sides of her life. "By telling this story, I make sense of the senseless," writes Snyderman. By juxtaposing her stories with her current understanding, Snyderman passes along worthy advice for others facing similarly overwhelming situations. --Joan Price