Reviews | Arlene Faulk

Walking on Pins and Needles: A Memoir of Chronic Resilience in the Face of Multiple Sclerosis

by Arlene Faulk

Published by River Grove Books.
Available in print or e-book.

BOOK REVIEW: Walking on Pins and Needles: A Memoir of Chronic Resilience in the Face of Multiple Sclerosis
Reviewed by Lisa Lickel, Windy City Reviews

I just finished reading your book. It’s an amazing, life-affirming story. Well written and well lived!

I could not put it down. Your story is so inspiring and remarkable. It will be part of my collection of books that have inspired, edified, enlightened and offered me another way of looking at my self, the world and life itself.

When a friend heard that I have MS she said I had to read your book. I am so glad I did! It is beautifully written and boy did it resonate with me. We have much in common with our “MS journeys” although mine is much milder than yours. Long story short, I’ve enrolled in a Tai Chi class and start in a week. Thank you so much for your inspiration!!!

Everyone will enjoy this interesting and well-written memoir, but anyone who has struggled with chronic illness will be particularly captivated by this very personal account of the author’s path. She went from being a high-level executive for a major airline while dealing with the difficult challenges of MS to finally healing with Traditional Chinese Medicine and becoming a Tai Chi instructor. Highly recommend this inspiring read!

Arlene's story serves as a portal to hope and healing, a new lens through which you can see the body's innate ability to heal itself. All the wisdom she acquired on her challenging journey to learn to walk again is offered as a gift for all readers. Even if you are not struggling with an enormous health challenge, but just looking for an oasis from the stress, the clamor of your mind, and the insanity of the world, you will discover how Tai Chi can help.

So Grateful for This Book! I learned so much about life with MS and am so grateful to Arlene for sharing her journey. Can’t wait to begin my Tai Chi journey as well … and would never have known the benefits it offers those with MS till this book.

Arlene has shared a beautifully written portrayal of her journey — from the early indications that her physical health was at risk, to the resiliency she showed as she tackled the physical and emotional struggles she met at each step of her journey. While very personal and heart-felt, her story is one that can resonate with anyone who has faced personal trauma. Through her memoir, Arlene not only shares her journey, but she creates a framework for the reader to reflect and explore their own personal journey as well.

Your story is so interesting and your writing brings it to life!

The healing she achieved through alternative methods is a remarkable story. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has had to deal with long-term, debilitating circumstances. It is a story of faith, grace and spirit. In a word — uplifting.

What can be said having finished your book? It is a beauty. It needed to be written; it needed to be told. How fortunate we are in the world to read your telling as it is written in a relentlessly interesting manner. Thank you. Lovely, lovely work of art.

Thank you Arlene for sharing your amazing story of personal perseverance and healing. I am inspired to try Tai Chi.

I was so inspired by Arlene‘s self healing story. What a remarkable woman and remarkable book. I am so grateful for people like Arlene who share their story to help us continue our own personal journey especially when faced with overwhelming odds. An excellent read and well written book. I highly recommend!

An inspiring, hopeful story about perseverance and resilience. But two other timely reminders stood out for me: the possibility of profound growth when we risk vulnerability, and the gift we receive when we hear someone’s “back story.” The author took us on a journey through her significant challenges and glimmers of welcome surprise. And although progress was not linear, it was attainable through faith, persistence, and a community of loving personal and professional support. I appreciated the author’s candor and was relieved to learn of her eventual success in addressing her MS through bodywork and Tai Chi.

Awesome read for anyone struggling to know what is real and what is illusion, whether healthy or ill. Arlene reveals what it’s like to face your fears, head-on, no excuses. Energy never goes away; it just changes form when you go with the flow.

I just finished your book. Wow. You are an inspiration! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.... You’ve given me courage to get up off the couch so I can be a work in progress toward health. I appreciate you. Thank you for sharing your journey.

Arlene Faulk has written an extraordinarily readable book. Her gift is to capture the reader with a story that is both unique to her experience and relevant to anyone who has faced challenges, physical and otherwise. That is pretty much all of us. Arlene's MS put her in an extreme work/life balance which she faced realistically and courageously and creatively. That's the lesson to be gleaned in this wonderful memoir, narrated in the language and style of a friend in conversation sharing a journey that celebrates achievement despite the roadblocks of illness. What an inspiration.

The details of the author's journey are important for everyone who has ever faced a life changing diagnosis. Helpful and encouraging.

[An] encouraging and hopeful story of a woman who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in her 30's. This is her memoir of her life before and during the early years. And then her story of healing through Chinese medicine and regular practice of Tai Chi. I read this book because of the interest in how Tai Chi helped her. This is a great healing story that I hope to share some in my Tai Chi classes.

What a great motivational and inspiring story. I was so enthralled and I couldn’t put it down. Thank you for sharing,

I read this book in 3 days! It was so compelling. "Walking on Pins and Needles: A Memoir of Chronic Resilience in the Face of Multiple Sclerosis" covers over 50 years of dealing with a chronic disease. We get to cheer her successes and hold our breath with every new challenge. Arlene's writing style included short sentences in italics that clued us what she was thinking as she bravely pressed on. I could really identify with that. I try to make light of my setbacks, but I keep my misgivings to myself!

I sat down with ‘Walking on Pins and Needles’ this morning and have not stopped reading. I find your memoir so compelling that I can’t put it down. I want to find out what happens next. I’m not a writer but I find your style to be descriptive, emotional and very personal. You have had and are having a very interesting full life – who knew one could have a debilitating disease and yet rise above it through focus and hard work. But those two words, focus and hard work, speak to your personality and ALL that you have accomplished in life.

This story was intense interesting story. It was not what I thought it would be, but it grabbed my attention quick.

Amazing! Highly recommend!

Her inspiring story demonstrates how a chronic and debilitating health condition lacks the power to control our lives and stop us from moving in the direction of possibility. I give Walking on Pins and Needles five out of five stars. A definite recommend read in my opinion.

Wonderful book. Written so well and so honestly.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This was quite the journey. I liked this book.

Stayed up way too late last night reading it! Enjoying every page.