I've already seen the below video three times and I've cried each time. And as you'll see from the video and the description, Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected is a book that will have people talking, especially book clubs. Because no matter if you have a child with the challenges of Downs Syndrome, or something else, every parent, indeed every mother, will at one time find herself facing a life that is not what she expected, and loving it all the more for that. Watch, read on, and check out author Kelle Hampton's preorder offer for book clubs (and others) below. Also be sure to check out her Facebook page as well as her website Enjoying the Small Things, to see her amazing photography and read more of her story.
From the outside looking in, Kelle Hampton had the perfect life: a beautiful two-year-old daughter, a loving husband, a thriving photography career, and great friends. When she learned she was pregnant with her second child, she and her husband, Brett, were ecstatic. Her pregnancy went smoothly and the ultrasounds showed a beautiful, healthy, high-kicking baby girl.
But when her new daughter was placed in her arms in the delivery room, Kelle knew instantly that something was wrong. Nella looked different than her two-year-old sister, Lainey, had at birth. As she watched friends and family celebrate with champagne toasts and endless photographs, a terrified Kelle was certain that Nella had Down syndrome—a fear her pediatrician soon confirmed. Yet gradually Kelle's fear and pain were vanquished by joy, as she embraced the realization that she had been chosen to experience an extraordinary and special gift.
Bloom takes readers on a wondrous journey through Nella's first year of life—a gripping, hilarious, and intensely poignant trip of transformation in which a mother learns that perfection comes in all different shapes. It is a story about embracing life and really living it, of being fearless and accepting difference, of going beyond constricting definitions of beauty, and of the awesome power of perspective. As Kelle writes, "There is us. Our Family. We will embrace this beauty and make something of it. We will hold our precious gift and know that we are lucky."
Bloom Preorder Offers - Bloom goes on sale on April 3rd.
Wow. That book trailer video was powerful! I also caught myself tearing up. I will most certainly be picking this book up to read! Thanks bookclubgirl for once again exposing me to something that I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own!
Posted by: Melissa C. | February 28, 2012 at 12:52 AM
I cried watching that trailer too. Bloom sounds like a beautiful book.
Posted by: bermudaonion (Kathy) | February 28, 2012 at 08:01 AM
How lucky you and your new baby daughter are to have been chosen for one another. God knew that you would be the perfect mother for her and she the perfect daughter for you. How blessed you are. I'm so looking forward to reading BLOOM and thank you for writing what I know will be a very moving story.
Posted by: Connie Fischer | February 28, 2012 at 11:43 AM
OMG...I am bawling and I am at work! LOL. Sounds wonderful. Such a tough story to tell, I'm sure.
Posted by: Ti | February 29, 2012 at 01:39 PM