Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived

by Maria Housden

Book Overview

Every once in a while a book comes along that can change your life-a book so special, it is destined not just to be read but to be cherished, to be passed from one reader to another as a precious gift. Filled with wisdom and grace, tears and laughter, Hannah's Gift is one such book. Within these pages Maria Housden shares the transformative lessons in living she received from her three-year-old daughter Hannah, who brought courage, honesty, and joy...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553381229
• ISBN13: 9780553381221
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

"Red Shoes"

One wonders if there has been an increase in the sale of red shoes...in all sizes...following the publication of this book...? Red shoes exemplify Hannah's zest for life. As adults, Hannah's story reawakens our own desire for zestful living, our own need for "red shoes."Even though my son Jim died at the age of 23 rather than 3, Hannah's joyous spirit reminded me very much of my son as well as of the many children whose parents I've been honored to meet (following the death of their children).Maria Housden's gentle prose distinguishes this book from many books written by bereaved parents. Hannah's life, rather than her family's grief, is the primary focus of the book. Hannah taught her family great lessons on "how to live life more fully." Hannah's legacy continues as readers learn much about life, death, and grief through Hannah's example. This book should be on the bookshelves of bereaved parents, nurses, physicians, and all caregivers.

An Incredible, Beautiful, Sad Journey

Beginning with John Gunther's DEATH BE NOT PROUD, there have been many poignant and touching books written, tragically, by parents who have lost beloved children. Hannah's Gift is different than all becuse it is the story of a very young girl who died at the age of four of cancer, but whose lasting legacy was to change the lives of all who loved her -- and, at the same time, live the end of her much too short life with dignity, grace and joy. It is also beautifully written in very surprising ways that come right off the page and grab a reader who will never forget many of the moments of this amazing book. I am the mother of a seven year old girl, and for me, one of the most astonishing moments in any book I have ever read comes near the end of Hannah's Gift. At Hannah's burial, her mother writes that the family decided to bury Hannah instead of cremate her because "I wanted to be able to come to her grave and know that the little hands I held and the form I had loved were there." Need I say more? The book is a must read for...everyone.

Hannah's Gift: A Lesson in Both Grief & Joy

Hannah's Gift belongs right alongside Michael J. Fox's Lucky Man on every bookshelf in the world. Nearly everyone will brush up against cancer at some point in their lives, but most of us are totally unequipped in terms of squeezing the very last drops from an ebbing life. Hannah's Gift does just that. Maria Housden addresses grief without sugarcoating its fabric and its entity. In a hospital scene, she captures the crunch of fear with a poet's quill: "There was no room in that tiny space for anything but two chairs and the truth." Housden also captures the joy, the impulsiveness, the treasure and lesson of a life that teaches us how to address the rest of ours. Hannah's red shoes, the symbol of her rich vision and carefree embracement of a moment, enrich the canvas of ours. I have loaned out this book so often that the binding is broken -- but I firmly believe it is a story that must be shared. Housden is self-effacing in her treatment of her own poignant courage, but you will see it there between the lines you absolutely can't forget.

A wonderful book

Once you pick this book up you can't put it down. I laughed and cried through this poignant story that teaches us about life's important lessons. As a father and person trying to live life the best way possible this book is a guide and window into your soul.In the same way "Tuesdays with Morrie" touched us, "Hannah's Gift" lifts us all while speaking life's truth from the perspective of a beautiful child and courageous mother. Don't miss this treasure.