Book Review: Wilderness Woman: A Triumphant Spirit

Diane Young’s recent memoir, Wilderness Woman, has a very apt subtitle: “A Triumphant Spirit.” In this brief, but compelling account, Ms. Young tells a sobering, but ultimately redeeming tale of the lingering effects of childhood abuse, neglect, and indifference. This is a tale of one woman’s triumphant spirit as she refuses to let her wounded past define her.

Diane Young.

Avoiding unnecessary details, Ms. Young recounts a horrific upbringing at the hands of a mother who was at best indifferent and, at worst, complicit in Ms. Young’s physical and sexual abuse at a young age. She embarks on a healing path early in life as she discovers a deep and abiding love for animals and nature, finding the fingerprints of the Creator God all over the beauty of creation.

Falling into marriage at a young age, she struggles to find her voice. The straightjacketed, confining stereotyped roll definitions of a 1950s stay-at-home Mom are gradually overcome as she asserts her identity and discovers her artistic gifts. Nature photography becomes more than a hobby. It becomes a channel of healing and liberation.

Ms. Young is wise enough to know that her liberation can only take place with the help of others and she is quick to utilize therapists, friends, and her faith community as resources to overcome the pain of a crumbling marriage and subsequent divorce and a deep loneliness that weighs heavily on her.

But that weight is lifted as she discovers who she is. Her art and her passion for nature combine and become a liberating channel of deep inner healing and a source of recognition and satisfaction.

At the heart of her story is faith. She is not “preachy,” but she has learned well that when we are weak, then, in the Lord, we can discover that we are strong.

I recommend this volume to all who struggle with the wounds of the past and desire to, like Ms. Young, become a triumphant spirit.

Young’s book is available at Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  and Google Play e-book.

–Randy Horn | Guest Reviewer | Randy is a retired pastor in the Lee’s Summit area.