The Invisible Girls: A Memoir

This is a wonderful story of how a cancer survivor who had suffered much in her ordeal found healing in an unexpected friendship that began when a little girl on a commuter bus poked her head around a book the author was reading and pulled it back and then poked her head around the book until the cancer surviving lady understood the little girl was playing peekaboo. As she played along she soon discovered her mother a Somali immigrant with her five daughters were to the world like invisible girls. The title is a description of what the author felt like in her later months struggling against cancer when the first many supporters in her struggle had dwindled in number until she felt like an invisible girl unnoticed by the whole world. This is a beautifully written story of the young woman's memoirs who grew up within American fundamentalism with supportive parents and who eventually made it to Princeton and ready to meet the world until at 27 she was diagnosed with cancer and her world turned upside down. Her struggle left her emotionally wounded and scarred much like a soldier returning victorious in battle but traumatized in spirit. That is when a little girl playing peekaboo drew her into the lives of some invisible girls so different and so much like herself and what develops is a beautiful human love story. This is a book which will make you weep and smile and rejoice, and like a few people I know who read this book you just might read it cover to cover in one evening because it is really that compelling. You will at the same time believe this author must be a wonderful person and realize also that she is telling a story of healing that she can't help but believe she was drawn into that was far bigger than herself. This book was precious manna for my soul.

I really enjoyed this book. I wished it was able to relate more about the fate of the Invisible Girls. I hope they are all still doing well. Sarah is a remarkable person, turning her own horrendous medical problems into a triumph of the human spirit. I really admire her for getting through her own ordeals, working in the medical filed helping others, and then taking on the huge task of acclimatizing the Somali family to the US. She gave of her time, money and love.The fact that the profits from this book will go towards the girls' college funds is amazing. Sarah Thebarge is a true modern-day heroine PS Her former boyfriend is a loser

I finished The Invisible Girls last night and was very moved by the story and impressed by the courage of the author. I'm grateful she was willing to candidly share details of suffering, frustration and spiritual confusion. I lost my mom recently to cancer and Sarah's memoir provided encouragement. Her story was inspiring as well because she chose to care for others when it wasn't convenient or easy. Sure, some people fly to Africa and work in refugee camps and dodge bullets and typhoid fever along the way. But for those of us who are living in the U.S. or other wealthy, stable democracies, we still have the opportunity to help suffering people in our midst. We could help in some way, but most of us don't. I commend Sarah for actually taking action and inspiring others to do something as well. Also - her writing was excellent: genuine craftsmanship and a pleasure to read.

I went to my first book reading at Powells and heard the author read some chapters from this book. Yesterday, I cracked open the book, and ended up reading late into the night. It's a captivating story about lives intertwining in the most unusual way. I really appreciated Sarah's honesty at her own story, and her own barriers she encountered creating relationship between cultures. It's a quick read. Honest. Raw. It's inspiring, and challenges the rest of us to open our eyes to the invisible girls around us.

This well-written book is made up of three intertwining themes: 1) Escaping fundamentalism, 2) Fighting breast cancer, 3) The Invisible Girls from Somalia. The second and third themes are compelling and powerful. The first theme comes off petulant. Her parents are painted as narrow minded bigots. Sarah works diligently to escape them and their bad beliefs. She sums up this theme with this pithy quote: "The first two letters of Fundamentalist are F-U." However, these are the parents who drop everything to spend weeks caring for her when she is near death and all the friends from her newly emancipated life are missing in action.

This is am amazing book - two stories about a courageous women intertwine that tell the story of unconditional love and undying hope. It's a book about the human spirit and the Holy Spirit that "will always love us and will find us wherever we are." :) The author's writing is succinct, direct, and rings with the truth. It's a beautiful book. And while I would not compare her 'characters' to Vonnegut as another reviewer did, (Ironic and downright weird), she writes about these real life girls and women with honesty through the eyes of love. I know that others that have written reviews talk about the author's incredible charity - and that is true. But to me, those invisible girls gave an even greater gift back to the author. I needed to read a story about courage, love and hope, and love undying. Thank you Ms. Thebarge for this book. I will pray for your invisible girls, and all invisible people, young and old. Thank you for reminding me that even when we feel invisible that there is always someone who sees us - and loves us - always.

As a lover of memoir and an advocate for refugee ministry, Sarah Thebarge's "The Invisible Girls" quickly stole my heart. In this book, Sarah weaves together her battle with breast cancer (which she was diagnosed with at the age of 27) with a chance encounter with a Somalian refugee family that changes her life. With brutal honesty, Sarah openly discusses the sadness and hopelessness inherent in both of these journeys as well as the surprising moments of joy she finds along the way. She eloquently describes how both her cancer and her experience with the refugee family impacts her faith. Yet she does so without hyperspiritualizing either. In her words, "Unlike what some people from my church tried to tell me, cancer was not a gift from God; it was more like a demon that escaped from hell." Because of the honesty with which she shares her journey through both cancer and refugee ministry, the pages of this book are also filled with several profound insights regarding refugee ministry. At one point, Sarah describes how difficult it was for her to decide to ask the Somalian mom she'd befriended to share her story knowing her daughter would have to hear and translate it. She quickly realizes, however, that "she wasn't just translating words for me. She'd lived their story and nothing I could ask her to translate could be as bad as what they must have gone through already." Sadly, this is a truth that all who work with refugees must eventually confront. No matter how much we might want to, there is nothing we can do to shelter these families (even their children) from the horrors they've already experienced. Later on in the book, Sarah describes the daunting task of helping her Somalian friends navigate social services so they can stay in their apartment. As she does, she concludes, "In spite of everything I'd try to do for them, they were still on the brink of disaster. They were still about to slip through the cracks and the safety net I'd tried to construct for them could not hold their weight." As is often true for those who dare to do refugee ministry, befriending those from another culture and faith also gave Sarah a new lens through which to view and wrestle with her own faith. In her words, "For all the differences between evangelical Christian and fundamental Muslim religions, the culture these extreme groups created for women was very similar. I know from experience what it was like to be shrouded under yards of ill-fitting fabric. To fear your sexuality... To live with the assumption that you are not complete and cannot fulfill your purpose in life without a man to impregnate and provide for you." In the end, though, what I most appreciated about this book is the hope found within its pages. Despite her refusal to sugarcoat cancer as a gift from God, ultimately Sarah discovers God's presence throughout her journey; Despite the frustrations that so often accompany refugee ministry, ultimately what Sarah discovers is it's healing power - not just for the Somalian family she befriends but for herself as well.

Told from the perspective of a religious Christian woman - whether that's a pro or a con for another reader will be up to them. For me, it was simply the narrator's sharing of who she is, and didn't come across as preachy; I didn't mind it at all. I'd love to hear more of the story of the other family in the book, the Somali mother and daughters. But, that's not my story to know; it's theirs, and they didn't share more detail of it here. The story resonated with me on multiple levels, and much of my life follows much of this. And at the end of the day, I was glad I went ahead and picked this as a place to immerse myself today.

Ce livre est excellent! Ayant connu l'auteur, Sarah Thebarge, je peux dire qu'elle écrit dans une transparence exemplaire, sans pour autant du "voyeurism". Histoire très touchante et poignante.

Took a while to arrive, but came in great condition, and was within the time frame promised. Had read it and given it away, so wanted a second copy for myself. It's a great book!

Touching, enjoyable. Real life that sometimes we ignore and really shouldn't.

Great book, loved it, beautiful story, beautiful heart, well done!