The author is very good at capturing happiness without it feeling oppressive, partly because she doesn't minimize the existence of pain and suffering. And “in” is where you hear stories ranging from parenting young children, to letting go of older ones from learning what romantic love is, to learning what it isn’t from imagining the perspective of an autistic person, to sharing the day-to-day challenges of life with autistic brothers as a teenager and with autistic sons as a mother from learning the lessons that writing teaches, to adapting the dream of writing to a life filled to the brim with other loves.
Her honesty and empathy, patience and optimism seem to extend from those around her to her reader. She seems, even from childhood, to have been uniquely gifted at loving others, seeing past outward appearances and personalities into the inner selves of people. Tsara Shelton’s book of essays and stories, Spinning in Circles and Learning from Myself, is a lovely elaboration on the author’s lifelong pursuit of learning to know and love herself. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” These ancient words of wisdom kept entering my mind as I read. Shelton reveals how she dealt with being a pregnant teenager and how her beliefs help guide her parenting.Īs Shelton progresses through life's stages of growing up, she shares the importance and validity of each stage, always with an eye for answers and an infectious joy in the never ending journey that is growing up. As the oldest of eight children, she discusses in detail her childhood in Toronto, Ontario, and how she learned to live thanks to her brothers and her mother-all on the autism spectrum. Shelton-a mother of four-opens up about the difficult elements in her past, but offers a positive, realistic perspective on those events and more. She shares writings on a range of subjects spanning several stages of her life with topics including women's issues, marriage, prejudice, abuse, mixed-race relationships, equality, culture, and more.
Written from a life lived on the edge of society, Spinning in Circles and Learning from Myself, by author Tsara Shelton, offers an insightful and powerfully uplifting collection of ideas and stories.
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