What's On My Bookshelf- "The Necklace"

This week I decided to peruse the book section at Ollie's to see what I might find!  Normally, I ordered my books online (unless I'm near Borders or Barnes & Noble) due to the book reviews I find there.  Now I don't necessarily buy or not buy a book based on reviews but I do read them to give me an idea of what other people gleaned from the book!! 

Now Ollie's is by no means comparable to Borders or Barnes&Noble however; they do have a fairly nice section devoted to books.  As I moved from shelf to shelf, I found a book title that intrigued me The Necklace Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives by Cheryl Jarvis.  I checked out the back cover (as I always do), looked at the Table of Contents and with interest peaked decided to purchase the book.  The thing I love about Ollie's...the book prices ($3.99 due to the fact the book was in large print... LOL)!!

I found the writer's style to be okay, nothing fancy by any means (she's a journalist and former newspaper editor).  However; the story itself was intriguing not because it was about a necklace but because it was a true story about a group of women who came together to experiment with an idea/concept involving a necklace!  It revealed how different women are/yet how alike they can be, how friendships emerge, the importance of community, how ideas can become reality and what a diverse group can accomplish.  As I began reading this book, I wasn't sure I would finish it but I did!!  It's not my typical choice of books but I found the story to be interesting and thought provoking.

Upon finishing the book, I read book reviews all showing a mix of reactions to the book.  Some readers felt it showcased "entitled" women yet others found it inspiring.  Mainly, I found myself curious as to what was going on now with this group of women (the actual events began in 2004) so I did a little research.  My research led me to their web page which recounts all the many charities they have contributed to, presentations they've made, interviews they've done and more.  So I've added a few links, should you be interested in reading more about their story:
http://www.womenofjewelia.com/our_start.html
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5787385, http://www.exceptionalwisdomradio.com/shows/fmim/jonell_mclain_patti_channer.html

By no means am I saying this is a must read; instead I just wanted an opportunity to share what I read and how that reading led me to investigate a tad further!!  As always... if you have a book recommendation, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Reading,