The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine: A Young Woman’s Autobiography of 20-Year Victories over Victimization

Shirley Cheng
Dance with Your Heart! Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780615150444
Reviewed by Valerie A. Howard for Reader Views (2/09)


We all have moments in our lives in which we feel that things are not going the way that we’d like them to go. Sometimes, we feel sorry for ourselves or believe things couldn’t get much worse. I’ve experienced those feelings. And, I imagine that, being honest, most of us do so. For those moments, I suggest reading Shirley Cheng’s autobiographical work, “The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine.”

Shirley Cheng’s work is wonderfully written and causes the reader to remove the “woe is me” factor in his/her life. While I must admit, the cover did not appeal to me at all, the words inside of the book have probably changed me for the rest of my life.

The book caused me to run the gamut of emotions from sadness to anger to excitement and laughter to pride. I felt like I was a part of Shirley’s family and like she’d shared her life story with me in a one-on-one conversation. Unfortunately, the conversation was too detailed and went on and on. I found the book to be too long with over 600 pages. It can easily be condensed. As stated before, the cover was unappealing to me. It screams self-published and amateur. However, the content of the book was quite inspirational and life-changing. Shirley should be an ambassador for those with low self-esteem with her gift of encouragement to help bring them to a better place in their lives. I was so impressed with her intelligence and attention to detail. She must have a photographic memory.  Such an ability is a true gift from God!

This book is easily one of the most inspirational books that I’ve ever read. It’s also one of the most maddening! I found myself so upset with Shirley’s mother for allowing the mistreatment of her daughter and then not doing anything when she’d discovered how she’d been neglected. I also celebrated with Shirley as she made great strides in her life and accomplished many milestones with the support of her mother, Juliet. She’s accomplished more in her life, with blindness and chronic arthritis, than many people with all their abilities ever have/will.

Shirley Cheng’s writing is poetic and picturesque. I would gladly read another work by her and recommend “The Revelation of a Star’s Endless Shine” to anyone who has stopped counting their blessings or needs a wake-up call in their less-than-perfect lives.

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