THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW/BETHANY’S BOOKSHELF

The Fourth Moment
Volume 19, Number 1,  January 2019

Synopsis: A child of humble beginnings, Garrison paved the way for herself to accomplish great things, but for her, the journey was far from your typical “rags to riches” tale. Through a series of tragedies and triumphs, blunders and epiphanies, Garrison’s life has been filled with a number of unusual detours from being a suburban housewife in Miami, to becoming a single mom and police officer in Atlanta, to returning to school to become a seasoned ethics and women studies professor in Ohio and Kentucky, to working in Cambodia as it emerged from decades of civil strife, all the while growing into the passionate humanitarian she is today.

The Fourth Moment is a simply remarkable series of recollections from a woman whose experiences cover an extraordinary range of places, people, and interests. Eschewing the formulaic conventions of autobiography, The Fourth Moment consists of short stories (vignettes) that move back and forth across time and space to describe in vivid detail events and observations from a fascinating life.

These stories from Carole’s life reflect the acute perceptions of a woman for whom every day is a new adventure and a fresh opportunity to learn. In The Fourth Moment, Carole reveals truths not always within everyday reach, but certainly within everyday aspirations, something that readers will be able to connect to.

Critique: An inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, The Fourth Moment: Journeys from the Known to the Unknown is a candidly personal and deftly crafted memoir by Carole J. Garrison that is certain to be an enduringly valued addition to community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that The Fourth Moment is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).