The Opposite of Certainty

May 26, 2020

What happens when we can no longer pretend that the ground underfoot is bedrock and the sky above predictable?

All Janine Urbaniak Reid ever wanted was for everyone she loved to be okay so she might relax and maybe be happy. Her life strategy was simple: do everything right. This included trying to be the perfect mother to her three kids so they would never experience the kind of pain she pretended not to feel growing up. What she didn’t expect was the chaos of an out-of-control life that begins when her young son’s hand begins to shake.

The Opposite of Certainty is the story of Janine’s reluctant journey beyond easy answers and platitudes. She searches for a source of strength bigger than her circumstances, only to have her circumstances become even thornier with her own crisis. Drawn deeply and against her will into herself, and into the eternal questions we all ask, she discovers hidden reserves of strength, humor, and a no-matter-what faith that looks nothing like she thought it would.

Beautifully written and deeply hopeful, Janine shows us how we can come through impossible times transformed and yet more ourselves than we’ve ever allowed ourselves to be.

My Review

This is one of the most real feeling book that I have read in a long while. the fact that Janine shared her family story was inspiring. I felt for her son, Mason. Yet, the chipper attitude that Mason maintained despite his situation was uplifting.

What I liked about this book was the fact that Janine did not sugarcoat her son's cancer or the feelings that she was experiencing. Janine was not happy or thinking positive thoughts all the time. She was worried, upset, frustrated, and thankful when Mason was given the "all clear" and graduated high school.

I dare you to not feel anything while reading this book. You might even shed a tear or two. God is great. Faith and pray in him can bring miracles.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Janine Urbaniak Reid

Janine Urbaniak Reid was born in Chicago and grew up in California. She graduated from the University of California at San Diego. She was vice president of a San Francisco public relations firm before she began raising a family, and then writing full time.

She has been published in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and 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.

She 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.