Miss New York Has Everything

Lori Jakiela
Warner Books (2006)
ISBN 044669553X
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/06)

Lori Jakiela has written a great novel about her life.  Her upbeat attitude is what gives her story so much character.  She doesn’t have everything going her way, but she manages to keep her sense of humor about the less than perfect events that she experiences.  She also maintains a sense of hope that things will get better.

Her life story starts with her upbringing in Pennsylvania where her father was a steel worker.  He is quite a character - referring to people as cockroaches.  Yet, his attitude towards his dogs endeared him to me.  Then there is her aunt - a nun with substance abuse problems. 

As you travel with Jakiela through her life, she decides to become a stewardess, aka flight attendant.  A “stewardess” with a Master’s degree in poetry!  She thinks that this job and the opportunity to live in New York City will be a great adventure.  It was an adventure alright, but it brought many lessons with it.  Lessons that made me laugh out loud.

I really enjoyed this book because while it was very humorous, it also carried a great deal of depth.  She makes many statements that really made me think about my own life.  For example, “Maybe loss, as the Buddhists say, teaches us how to live in this world.

Maybe it changes us for the better, teaches us how to love with our hands open and know that everything is a process of letting go.”  Through her writing, you can see that she believes this philosophy and practices it.  Life becomes a lot easier if you can incorporate her attitude into your own experiences.

Another idea that really hit home for me was when she wrote, “We all have moments where we reevaluate our lives, when we wonder just how far we’ve veered off course, when we make deals with the universe that, should we live through this, we will be better people, more focused, grateful.”  I make these promises to myself all the time, and then I forget them, until the next great catastrophic event happens and I remember to start making promises to myself again.

I recommend this book to everyone.  Husbands and wives should both read it.  They will have some lively dinner discussions.  Readers groups will love it.  If you know anyone that is about to take a flight, get this book for her or him.  They will gain a different perspective about what it is like to be a stewardess.  Actually, everyone on the flight should have it!  We all need a good laugh, especially after having to pass through so many stressful security screenings.

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