Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Jericho Books. I received a product sample to facilitate my review.

In the dictionary, next to the definition of The Golden Rule there is a picture of Sarah Thebarge.
Well, there really isn’t.
But there should be.

Sarah Thebarge could have been excused for ignoring the tired mom and the two kids on the bus.  Most anyone else would have not noticed the small family, except to scoot farther away from them so they wouldn’t touch the children’s dirty clothing.  Sarah answered the nudge of the Holy Spirit by befriending this family.  She became a lifeline for them in a world that buzzed right on by.  Sarah could have been excused for ignoring that family because she was going through her own struggles.  After several bouts of cancer, an unexpected breakup, and a pretty crappy year, no one would have blamed her for just closing her eyes to the pain she saw.  Instead, Sarah reached within herself to find generosity, empathy, and compassion that surpassed possibly even her greatest pain.  Because as much as the cancer cost her, it seemed like her lonely heart was killing her.

I really didn’t intend to read The Invisible Girls in one sitting.  After all, the cover proclaims that this is A Memoir.  Boring, right?  I can assure you that The Invisible Girls is anything but boring.  This book reminded me that I, too, was once an Invisible Girl.  My earliest memory of going to the doctor involves me getting shots outside in the parking lot because we didn’t have the money for a doctor’s visit. The nurses took pity on my terrible case of poison ivy and met my mom each morning before the office opened, giving me steroid shots until the rash cleared.  We walked to the doctor’s office, which was almost a mile away.  For the longest time, I thought I had imagined that memory.  When I asked my mom about it a few years ago, she got tears in her eyes and I could tell she was ashamed of what we had gone through in those impoverished years.  But you know what?  There’s nothing to be ashamed of.  I’m proud of the strength my mom demonstrated to raise her two children.   She struggled and went without, probably much more often than I realized.  In those days there wasn’t a lot of public assistance available.  The schools didn’t help with food or clothing or even school supplies.  It’s because of kind, generous people like Sarah that I was able to break that cycle of poverty for my own family.  Now, I’m not filthy rich or anything, but the Lord has blessed me in many ways.  I don’t have to worry about taking my children to the doctor if needed.  We can afford meals every day.  Our car is dependable.  Those things may seem small to some people but to me they are golden reminders of the abundance God has given me.

This story is a deeply moving message of faith, too.  Sarah grew up as a P.K. (Preacher’s Kid) and was taught to believe certain codes about her femininity, role as a woman, and Christianity.  I was appalled by some of the experiences she shared, such as her math teacher showing her pictures of his wife giving birth.  Despite all that she went through during her cancer, though, Sarah grew up to be the kind of girl I could be friends with.  She seems so real.  The book does have a few curse words in it — and mainly the f word several times — although somehow they seem in context with the general description of the character using the words.  Still, I wish the book had omitted such language.   The Invisible Girls also struck a cord with me because I wonder if I notice Invisible Girls around me.  Do I reach out to others?  Do I take the opportunities to give a pair of $1 mittens to someone who has cold hands?  Would I stop to pick up a pizza for a family who might be struggling with food?  Sadly, I know the answer is No.  Not as often as I could.  Or should.  The Invisible Girls is a compelling call to all women to join as a sisterhood.  Let’s find that starfish that can be saved.   Whether the issue at hand is domestic abuse, or illness, or just loneliness, make the move to reach out to someone today.  Send a card or make a phone call to tell someone you’re thinking of her.  You never know if that girl might feel Invisible.