Repairing Rainbows: A True Story of Family, Tragedy and Choices

Lynda Fishman
Self Published (2010)
ISBN 9780986607400
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (12/10)

There were very few books which left me practically speechless. “Repairing Rainbows” certainly is one of them. It is a true story of incomprehensible loss, one which could have so easily descended into boundless self-pity, loathing and outbursts of anger. Instead it is a story of victory, of rebuilding and of the immense power of love, even if one is forced to look for it in rather unconventional ways.

When Lynda Fishman went to bed on July 4th, 1970, she was a happy teenager, the oldest of the three daughters of loving parents Rita and Shloime Weinberg. When she awoke on July 5th, her life changed forever. She lost her mother and both of her siblings, who were among the passengers on Air Canada’s flight 621. There were no survivors. 

Even writing this review, I had to pause and try to absorb the enormity of that event again. I was hardly older than Lynda when a horrific plane crash involving a plane from my tiny home country, which only has a population of 2 million, happened during the holidays - 180 people died in it. Most everybody knew somebody aboard. That flight gave me nightmares for years. But losing my siblings and my mom? Truly, I do not want to even think of it.

As if that would not be enough, Lynda’s father Shloime never recovered from the loss, and eventually ended up marrying a controlling woman who had no love for Lynda. So for all practical purposes Lynda lost her entire family on that fateful morning. Luckily for her, there were members of her extended family who offered her love and support. She also met and fell in love with a wonderful young man, Barry, who was an orphan and no stranger to tragedy himself. Together they built a family and are to this day dedicated to helping others.

“Repairing Rainbows” was a unique and very insightful book, one that will definitely resonate with readers everywhere. Whether those readers have faced horrible tragedies or just everyday nuisances that sometimes make one want to give up, I am certain they will find guidance and solace in “Repairing Rainbows.” I feel that the life lessons Lynda was taught early by her mother, her grandmother’s “Saychology 101,” the daily decisions Lynda made to keep on living and not simply existing, the realization that we all have choices - all of those will make the reader stop and reassess both their current situation and the path they wish to follow in life. And regardless of how one feels about mediums, the final part of the book, which deals with Lynda’s visits to one, will at least warm your heart if not wish that you could find a gifted medium yourself. 

Never maudlin or saccharine, and at the same time honest, brave and inspiring, “Repairing Rainbows” is truly special. Do not miss it.

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