Reviews for The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine by Shirley Cheng
Genre: Nonfiction: autobiography, inspirational/motivational, spiritual, humanity, social issues, disabilities, health/medical, education system, American government
ISBN: 1-4116-1860-2
Trade paperback
700 pages, 6"x9"
50 black and white photographs
Available through Ingram and from Amazon.com (and their international sites) and BN.com
About the Author: Shirley Cheng, daughter of Juliet Cheng, was born in 1983, in Albany, New York. Shirley's birth was the beginning of a new world for both mother and daughter. Shirley was diagnosed with severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at only eleven months old. Shirley Cheng's life consisted of many years of hospitalization which caused her ability to receive an education a major delay. Shirley did not start her schooling until she was eleven years old. It took her only 180 days to master grade levels in all areas, and was then transferred to a sixth grade class room. When Shirley was seventeen, she lost her eyesight due to the intake of digestive enzymes, even more reason for her to feel like giving up, but it only challenged her to strive higher and higher.
Through Shirley's own words, she inspires many saying, "Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope haul you high!" Shirley Cheng's self-esteem is truly glowing through her continuous smiles and words as you read her story. Shirley wrote three books at the age of 20 years old.
Here are just a few more achievements that Shirley has managed to earn:
- co-authored a self-improvement book with Jack Canfield & John Gray, Bob Proctor, Alan Cohen and Richard Carlson, entitled "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2"; Author of "The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine"; Author of the book, "Dance with Your Heart", and also Author of the book "Daring Quests of Mystics".
-is an advocate of parental rights in children's medical care, aide/caregiver monitoring and screening for students with special needs and people with disabilities, and world peace.
- tied for 1st place in the second Annual Be the Star You Are!™ national Writing Contest, garnering her a third live appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program, "Be the Star You Are"!
- Plans to attending college at Harvard University, where she plans to earn doctorates in microbiology, zoology, astronomy, physiology, and pathology after a successful eye surgery.
Shirley's story is not only about her challenges and misfortunes, but she also shares with us the love and respect that her mother showed over and over again. It is clear where Shirley has gained most of her positive attributes. Her mother's never-ending energy to keep moving forward reaches out and touches you throughout Shirley's story.
Here is another quote from Shirley that will bring you to another sweet side of Shirley Cheng's personality: "I've made it one of my life's missions to touch as many people as I possibly can to bring humor, hope, and healing," says Shirley, whose personal motto is "A dancing heart teaches true."
Shirley is an excellent writer and poet with a charm and intelligence that would make anyone envious. Her age and illness has never stood in her way of succeeding and embracing everything that life has to offer. Shirley, it was a true pleasure reading your book. Womensselfesteem.com thanks you for sharing a part of your life.
About the Book: "The Revelation of a Stars Endless Shine" is a true story about a Mother and daughters struggle to survive the daughters health problems which consisted of severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, blindness not forgetting to mention pure neglect and ignorance of the medical world. This story will take its readers into a world that neither mother nor daughter was prepared for; it was a world of frustration, pain, false accusations, misleading information from medical experts, and possibly the worst experiences of loss that a mother and daughter would ever have to deal with. "The revelation of a Star's Endless Shine", is a work of art. Shirley Cheng`s writing is absolutely flawless and her ability to bring her reader into the heart of not only herself but also her mother through her words is truly amazing and magical. While reading this book, be prepared to feel every emotion capable to a human being such as: pain, frustration, fear, horror, love, happiness, determination, commitment, passion, and best of all, winning. This book will teach you the meaning of dedication and pure love of a mother for her daughter. It will also teach you about perseverance and strength to never give up in life.
Shirley writes of her struggles that the world has challenged her with from birth. This story is not only about Shirley, it is also about her mother's determination to see that her daughter live a normal life.
Recommendation: Womenssselfesteem.com Highly Recommends the book "The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine" to every person from every walk of life.
Shirley Cheng is a young but very remarkable author. Not only is she blind, physically disabled and suffers from severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; she shows us with her book that it is possible to live life to the fullest. Even though so many hardships came over her, she just doesn’t give in and never gives up.
The book started with the story of how her mother gave birth to her. In the beginning, Shirley is a healthy, young baby. Then her mother needs to leave Shirley with a friend of hers (through all kinds of circumstances), and this friend… well, she mistreats her. After a short while, Shirley becomes very sick. Her mom Juliet is so worried for her baby that she runs from doctor to doctor. But there is no doctor that is able to help her child. In despair, she even goes back to China; with the hope that Shirley can be healed there. But even there they cannot help Shirley.
Juliet keeps on searching for a good doctor to help her daughter. Shirley stays in and out of hospitals for several years, and there she becomes the victim of the American medical system: when Juliet wanted to stop the treatment because she saw that Shirley was in more pain as before she got hospitalized, the doctor files a complaint to the very worried mother. The hospital takes Juliet to court, accusing her of not looking after her child like she is supposed to do. Juliet wins, but as the years pass by, it is something that reoccurs: Juliet needs to go to court several times to “prove” that she is a good mother!
At the age of 11, Shirley can finally participate in school. Because of her illness, she was never able to go; so Shirley is extremely excited to start learning. She couldn’t read or write but does well in school. Shirley is a fast learner and astonishes the teachers with her smartness and brightness. The children in her class love Shirley too; she makes a lot of friends there. Shirley seems to be a real talent; she finishes books faster as anybody; she starts writing and seems to have a talent for drawing and art too. But school wasn’t fun all the time. Because of her health problems, a caregiver was assigned to Shirley. In the beginning everything goes well but after a while, the problems start all over again. Shirley sees a lot of caregivers come and go and it worries Juliet very much. She is happy that her daughter loves school, but she is always worried for her; from the moment she goes on the bus, until the moment that Shirley arrives back home.
The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine is a heart-touching, gripping story. After reading this book Shirley has become kind of an example to me: she shows us never to give up, no matter how hard life can be. No matter what kind of nasty tricks life brings to you. She shows us strength and happiness and makes you think about the values and meanings of our lives.
In my opinion, Shirley Cheng is a remarkable woman; an author and poet, a caregiver, an advocate of parental rights in children’s medical care and a motivational speaker. To me, she really is the inspiration for how to live life to the fullest!
This is a complex story written in an easy to read, conversational fashion that is disarming, yet sometimes astounding in its micro-details (ie., telephone conversations you get word-for-word); Shirley Cheng seems to have the memory of a titan. Nevertheless, at times you feel some information is missing--must be missing, because why else the poor treatment by one person after another, one agency after another, one doctor after another, one medical aide after another? But then it hits you--these people, these agencies, these medical "professionals" are really, in many cases, THAT awful! The truth is that American medicine, American government schools and American government agencies all too often think they are GOD. But they're not.
In fact, this book poignantly shows how the enormity of the misuse of power, such as trying to take an ill and hurting child away from its primary source of love and security--its mother--in the name of doing what's "best" for that child, is downright horrifying. And rightly so. The medical establishment is one of the biggest offenders in Shirley's life, and we can probably all relate. (No one is saying, incidentally, that there aren't good people to be found in these arenas of public service, and thankfully, Shirley and her mom find some good people, too.)
If nothing else, Shirley's story is triumphant in that her mother rejects what she knows to be wrong for her child, fights the nightmarish resistance of said "establishment" and wins in the end. But the book is also more than that; it is the tale of a sensitive, intelligent, and observant girl who happens to be painfully disabled; she suffers enormously but has the extraordinary gift of a mother who is sold out for her well-being, hook, line and sinker.
Did the mother make mistakes? Of course. She trusted the wrong people, particularly a relative who was no less than criminal, it seems to me, in her actions. But Juliet Cheng's gift of love to her daughter is something that many able-bodied people never get. She is the epitome of the selfless mother/caretaker extraordinaire, shining the light on the lives of quiet, exhausting devotion that mothers like her live daily.
Overall, the author does an amazing job of keeping the reader's interest; I think the book could be shorter, but I honestly cannot say it was ever boring. When you finish the book you will feel an affinity to this Shirley Cheng and her mother, Juliet. You will admire them both, and hopefully, thank the Lord that your "trials and tribulations" have not been as devastating. If you are interested in a story of hardship and happiness, of personal triumph against horrendous disadvantages, of the experience of being female, Chinese, disabled and blind and yet achieving your dreams in an adopted country--then read this book. The level of success that Shirley achieves is remarkable and inspiring--no less than her achievement in writing this book. Her work and courage alone get five stars in my book.
Shirley Cheng is a talented and bright-hearted young woman who is by no means finished achieving. I look forward to her next accomplishments!
Review by Malcolm R. Campbell, Campbell Editorial Services
Shirley Cheng has an inspiring story to tell in The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine. How can we not be in awe of her? She suffered through the pain and disability of severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and subsequent blindness. She suffered through a senseless custody fight at the hands of meddling social services personnel. She suffered through inconsistent medical care. She remained fearless and positive through it all, going on to maintain a 3.9 grade point average in high school; unable to complete all of her high school courses, she subsequently passed her GED test with an exceptionally high score. Shirley and her tirelessly compassionate mother Juliet Cheng have been miracle workers, and one cannot help but think that has been their calling.
Review by Lynn Colwell, a life and personal coach. She works with clients all over the world by phone. Contact her for a complimentary half hour coaching call or subscribe to her acclaimed newsletter via her website.
As a life and personal coach, I encourage my clients to read about people who face challenges and tragedies and manage not only to survive, but to thrive. Shirley Cheng's biography, The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine, is such a book.
Shirley's life could have turned out very differently had she and her mother been cowed by the appalling behavior of doctors, teachers, landlords, social services employee, lawyers and even friends. Instead, their courage and willingness to confront rather than accept ill treatment, led Shirley, a blind, disabled woman, to create a life filled with meaning and singularly lacking in self-pity or bitterness.
Reading of Shirley's physical pain, her increasingly weakening body, the slipshod way she was handled by school aids who were supposed to be helping her, the legal wranglings over her care, would make anyone scream in frustration. Even worse was the way Shirley was treated by an endless list of so-called professionals. Hardly anyone listened to Shirley or her mother regarding her pain, her intelligence or her thirst for education. The indictment of so many people who should have been on Shirley's side, is a sad commentary on our medical, social service and educational systems. In addition, Shirley's father evidently was a manipulator and a cruel man who refused to use his money for the benefit of his daughter. The hardships she and her mother faced feel unendurable. Yet they were endured. And despite poor medical care, despite teachers who seemed uninterested in helping this talented student, despite unfeeling "friends," in two countries, they endured.
Unlike Shirley, few of us seem to have the innate ability to face every day and everyone with a smile regardless of our own painful circumstances. Yet we can read her story with an open heart and choose to integrate her positive outlook and determination into our own lives in a way that will serve us and those around us. After all, this is the reason Shirley wrote the book. She hoped that her story would inspire others to treat everyone with respect, to stand up for what we believe in and to reach out to those less fortunate.
Review by Rebecca Johnson, The Rebecca Review
Triumph over creativity
"She was running toward a glistening stream with fish of all colors flying out of the water. With laughter escaping her lips, she chased a white butterfly amidst the green field of wildflowers. Her black hair glowed with a halo of brightness, with sunrays dancing about her. The blue sky was accentuated by a shimmering rainbow..." ~pg. 116
Shirley Cheng is the author of Dance with Your Heart: Tales and Poems That the Heart Tells. She is a highly imaginative writer who has access to beautiful inner worlds where she creates mythological tales and beautiful stories.
In "The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine" we are able to access an extremely detailed portrait of 700 pages explaining Shirley Cheng's life and how she became a writer. As if observing her life as an angelic protecting presence, she writes of her life's struggles and challenges she faces due to many people in her life seeming to show a general insensitivity to her condition.
As a child she is diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but this is only the beginning of a long journey filled with therapies and medications, not to mention medical complications due to medication side effects. As Shirley Cheng seeks to make sense of why certain medical problems keep occurring, she faces life with a refreshingly honest and hopeful approach.
"Picking up a book, Shirley began to enter into a different world, a world that she could escape to from her surroundings. After the first quarter, she had begun to increase her reading and writing volume. She read three books a day, averaging five to six hundred pages." ~pg. 375
After spending the entire morning reading Shirley's work out on my deck in the sun, I can recommend anyone to do the same. This is a world where you can not only view the outer struggles of the poet's life, the inner world is also revealed in creative flourishes I started to look forward to finding throughout the writing:
"The strong wind whirled, bringing dancing flakes in its invisible arms, equally distributing a thin layer of snow to other places of the frozen land. Small spheres of shimmering, crystalline flowers alighted upon the earth from their silvery home above, while the sun slept peacefully below the horizon..." ~pg. 6
