Postcards from Within is the recipient of the 2023-2024 Reader Views Literary Awards.
Testimonials
By Leslie Anne Smith for Reader
“Postcards from Within: Random Ramblings of an Ordinary Human” is the debut work of Savita Harjani, a now-retired lawyer. “Postcards from Within” explains the author’s decision to pause her personal life and details her experience as a full-time caretaker for her mother in the final years of her life. The result is an emotional, touching memoir that explores our relationships with our parents, mortality, religion, and the stress of caregiving. Harjani has an honest, uplifting voice as she explores her memories and struggles.
Harjani explores this part of her life through letters and diary-like entries. She communicates mostly with the universe and tries to make sense of her emotions and experiences as best as any ordinary human can. It’s an emotional ride, but Harjani’s natural wit and outlook on her situation remain a constant comfort throughout.
The book is divided into four sections, each covering a period during the author’s time as a caretaker. Each section is divided into short bursts of chapters. These bite-sized, diary-style entries make it easy to pause when you start feeling it a bit too much. Harjani talks about all the difficult parts of caregiving, and the happy moments as well, even when those seemed to taper off. Her relationship with her mother is quite touching. We spend the course of the book watching the author struggle with becoming her mother’s mother, while also desperately wanting her own mother. This dimension of the parent-child relationship is something universal, and difficult to capture. But capture it Harjani does!
As someone who is currently supporting my mother through some less serious health issues, this memoir came to me at a vulnerable time. I found the writing to be accessible and vulnerable. It almost feels like you’re reading letters from a friend. The inclusion of line drawings periodically was a lovely touch. This book felt like an intimate look into someone’s journal, which is a privilege to have. One of my favorite reads!
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In "Postcards From Within" by Savita Harjani, readers are invited into a world where love, loss, and grief intertwine to shape the memoir of an introspective life as a caregiver. Through the lens of a mother-daughter relationship, the author delves deep into the challenges of navigating personal growth amidst the responsibilities of providing care.
Harjani's candid and heartfelt exploration of the intimate journey she embarked upon as a caregiver is commendable. The raw emotions she conveys throughout the book make it a poignant read, evoking empathy and understanding for her experiences. The strength of her prose lies in the authentic portrayal of her emotions, allowing readers to connect with her and relate to their own lives.
One of the book's most notable aspects is the theme of introspection. Harjani's ability to reflect on her experiences and express her vulnerability speaks to her self-awareness and emotional depth. Through her introspective narrative, she delves into the challenges faced by caregivers, providing readers with a poignant portrayal of the emotional roller coaster that accompanies the role.
One of the notable strengths of Harjani's book is her ability to reflect on her experiences with a deep sense of self-awareness. Through her candid exploration of her own vulnerability, she humanizes the caregiving experience, allowing readers to empathize with the emotional complexities that arise from such a role. Harjani's willingness to expose her raw emotions demonstrates her ability to connect with readers on a profound level, fostering a sense of authenticity throughout the memoir.
The best lines of your 'Introduction' are as under:
1. 'My husband's role in supporting a physically emotionally and financially in this endeavor was even more unreasonable and irrational and worth of my undying attitude and awe.'
2. 'She put her hand over my head and said - Tu Likh. These were her last words to me, these were her last words on earth. One moment she was there in the next she was not.'
3. 'Life was teaching and I was learning.'
One line I couldn't digest:
'I do not excel in the art and craft of communication through efficient use of language.'
About your communication skills I would like to say that your pen dances with poetic grace. Your prose is a symphony of language and emotions, leaving readers in an eternal pleasure.”
By Dr. Shamim Sharma, Principal, Maharani Lakshmi Bai College, Hisar, India
“I recently had the honor to read an advance copy of Savita Harjani’s "Postcards from Within.” Savita is a dear friend and, some time ago, she had shared with us one of the short reflections that eventually became her amazing book. And, as it turns out, Savita and her husband Ramesh were going be visiting D.C. We planned to catch up over dinner. My goal was to finish “Postcards from Within” before we met so I could offer feedback. I failed miserably. Not because I got too busy but because each time I picked up “Postcards”
I realized that each entry called out to be savored, mulled over, internalized, and reflected upon. Each one touched on our shared experience of life. Themes of love and connection and of loss and discovery. Discovery of self-most of all. I could not charge through the book. It demanded that I pause — that I read and reread Savita’s entries and allow them to echo deep in the core of my being. My guess is that all of us “ordinary humans” (as Savita describes herself) will see our own dreams and fears and challenges reflected in her words. Thank you, Savita, for being willing to share yourself with us all. Thank you for “Postcards from Within.”
By Scott DeLisi, US Ambassador (ret.), Executive Director of Engage Nepal
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“Savita I am savoring your book. I read a little each night. I am about half way through it. It is so wonderfully written. Your ‘postcards’ are helping me during my own difficult time. Thank you.”
By Dr. Susan J. Roe, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of North Dakota, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
"Thank you Savita Harjani for presenting your book, "Postcards from Within: Random Ramblings of an Ordinary Human," to the Optimist Club of St. Paul. Sharing your journey was Inspirational, Moving, and Impactful - beautiful messages and prose!"
By Tammie Follett, Esq., Director of Community Relations, Thomson Reuters
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
This is a paragraph. Writing in paragraphs lets visitors find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
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“Have you ever read a book that is so honest and raw that you feel the need to look away from the pages time and again to let the truth wash over you? Savita Harjani’s memoir Postcards from Within is such a book. Her introspective passages written while caring for her ailing mother are both a testament and a guide, poetry and prescription. She shows us that it’s entirely possible to feel love and grief that is simultaneously graceful and gut-wrenching, and her reflections depict a vibrant and profound experience bonding mother and daughter. For those who have experienced the joys and struggles of supporting aging parents, this book serves as a gentle reminder that caretaking, loss, and healing are not on a linear path but are all part of a deeply personal journey where self-compassion and acceptance play vital roles. As the reader, I felt deeply privileged to have been entrusted with such a remarkable and personal narrative.”
By: Lisa Bouwer Hansen, J.D., EHS Editorial Manager, J.J. Keller & Associates
