Review by Jessica Barbosa for Readers’ Favorite
A Fraction Stronger: Finding Belief and Possibility in Life’s Impossible Moments is a memoir written by Mark Berridge. It started out as a typical Sunday for Mark. Never could he imagine that one bike ride with his friends, the Coorparoo Older Guys, would result in such a devastating accident. His crash accident compressed two of his vertebrae and a large fragment of that vertebra had burst into his spinal cord, causing nerve damage and compressing the space available for the spinal cord to function. Adding fractures to his left shoulder and wrist, and three ribs, Mark’s life from then on is changed forever.
A Fraction Stronger is an inspiring memoir that details Mark Berridge’s journey to recovery and the difficulties he faced through his grueling ordeal. It is an inspirational tale that tackled self-doubt, pain, and hope, and provided valuable insight into a person’s mind when they have gone through such a life-changing accident. Mark experienced self-understanding throughout this unprecedented incident. He experienced both mental and physical pain that moved my heart and taught me about perseverance, the power of resolution, and self-love. During his trying times, he learned about how precious and fragile life was, gaining a new perspective along the way.
A Fraction Stronger is made up of more than just Mark’s story but other people’s too. An example was the story of their family friend Tom and how he faced his traumatic event and there was also Alex McKinnon’s story which allowed Mark to have a tighter grasp on the importance of life. Overall, I could say that this story was eye-opening and encouraging. His struggles and persistence touched me and taught me a lot. It showed me that there can be light even during difficult times and that there is still so much left for me to learn about life and its challenges. This is a truly moving and uplifting tale by Mark Berridge. Great work!
