An encouraging account about fighting catastrophe and despair with resilience, faith, and gratitude.
A hardship need not afflict the whole world to affect your entire world. For Ann Campanella, a single accident kicks off a torrent of trials that reshapes her life. Fresh off an invigorating conference, Campanella is a ball of energy with a typical mile-long to-do list. Her morning begins with planning out the day, checking off a few quick tasks, and then quietly racing downstairs to get an early start on breakfast. Rushing through a darkened house wouldn’t usually be a problem, but this early August morning finds an ailing family pet asleep on the kitchen floor. A misstep into the dog leads to an unfortunate tumble and blinding pain radiating from her shoulder. Sensing this is no minor injury, Campanella calls out for help. Every moment, every movement, every breath is excruciating while she swallows the pain wracking her body. A grueling drive to the ER results in a serious surgery to repair what turns out to be a fractured shoulder. Convalescence isn’t confined to a single operation or a bearable level of discomfort, but is an arduous affair that heralds two years of profound and humbling change.
If you’ve ever felt helpless, like everything was spinning out of your control, then you get a sense of Ann Campanella’s frame of mind in her soul-baring memoir, The Shoulder Season. If breaking a shoulder isn’t dramatic enough, this book spans COVID challenges, the loss of loved ones, and other seismic shifts in the author’s life. Campanella’s realistic recall of events, her knack for dramatic timing, and her crystal-clear voice hit with all the emotional impact of an action-packed fiction novel, even tracking the days and hours to increase suspense. So many moments will strike a familiar chord with those grasping to make sense of chaos while in the throes of agony or distress. One of those revealing instances of fear, pain, and confusion happens before the author’s initial visit to the hospital. In a display of sheer will, Campanella grits her teeth and bears the pain, delaying her care until the horses are tended to. This speaks to her selfless nature and tenacity while demonstrating the natural urge to remain in control of anything when almost nothing is. Though she’s quick to see the hand of God in her life, the pages reveal genuine vulnerability as Campanella momentarily questions divine support in her most desperate moments. Life rarely goes according to even the most carefully laid plans, but The Shoulder Season is an encouraging account about fighting catastrophe and despair with resilience, faith, and gratitude.
