One Woman’s Miracle by Sylvia Martin is a memoir of Martin's fascinating life, which frequently transitions into something of a self-help and inspirational guide. A daughter of the Depression and war, Sylvia Martin has had the endowment of premonition, clairvoyance, and other-worldly, spiritual connection since she was a small child in Australia. This extrasensory gift manifests in several different ways, with sight, vision, dreams, and vibrations chief among them. There are also extraterrestrial encounters, a near death, and out of body experiences, and surgeries in which her survival was considered a miracle. "An illusion is something that appears real in a point in time and we are all in that point in time in this dimension." This is easily one of the more poignant revelations Martin makes.

One Woman’s Miracle by Sylvia Martin will be difficult to grasp for readers who are not open to the idea of the spiritual, supernatural, extraterrestrial, psychic, or anything outside what is considered the normal, worldly realm. That said, readers who are receptive and interested in such concepts will find significant gratification from Martin's many experiences, encounters, and ordeals. She holds nothing back in her memoir, offering an in-depth look at subjects that few have reported experiencing, or at least that those who have experienced them might not possess the same fortitude to discuss as candidly as Martin does. Overall (as an open-minded reader), I found One Woman’s Miracle to be intriguing.

When Sylvia L. Martin goes in for a relatively routine surgery, her life is altered in a rare way. The surgeon accidentally “nips” her bowel, causing seemingly irreparable damage that leads to multiple subsequent surgeries and the constant fear of approaching death. With each medical emergency, Sylvia receives solace from the voice in her inner ear. A “presence” shares Sylvia’s space on her Earth plane, allowing her many more years of life than predicted by medical science. In the author’s words, “I realized I couldn’t change what had happened, but I could certainly change the way I felt about it.”

One Woman’s Miracle: Everyone’s Journey - My Amazing Journey from Death Back to Life by Sylvia L. Martin is an atypical view of life’s purpose and the underlying motivators that interfere with the more expected outcome of a medical travesty. Martin’s emphasis on knowing who we really are is the foundation of this amazing story and her passion is evident on every page of the text. The genre seems to fluctuate in a variety of areas, making it difficult to pinpoint an accurate label, but makes this piece attractive to all age groups. The glossary of terms at the conclusion of the work is a necessary element that is much appreciated. I believe One Woman’s Miracle is a valuable addition to inspirational nonfiction and would be enjoyable to many different types of readers.

I am suspicious about anything to do with life after death or any experience that you might label as “psychic” or “supernatural.” Having said that, I must admit that I want to believe there is something more than this physical world that surrounds us. I would like to think there is a higher purpose for us as a species and that we are slowly moving towards it. I picked up One Woman’s Miracle by Sylvia L. Martin because I thought it would be an account of a near death experience and how it changed her life. It is that and so much more. The subtitle of this book is My Amazing Journey From Death Back To Life, but actually it is a kind of memoir of Sylvia’s life with the near death experience being perhaps the defining moment.

One Woman’s Miracle is well written. One might even say it is beautifully written, with plenty of life experiences to emphasize her message that there is more to life than what we experience with our five senses, and we have a higher purpose that we often ignore or sometimes simply don’t or can’t see. This is a recounting of Sylvia’s life so there is no plot per se, but the story is told in an organized manner that is easy to read and it has many very interesting characters. I found One Woman’s Miracle to be interesting and inspirational. If she can inspire a skeptic like me, then I think a lot of others will be inspired too.

One Woman’s Miracle by Sylvia L. Martin is an account of the author’s journey back to life from death, a book that is symbolic of the spiritual journey that everyone is called to undergo. Life had never been easy for Sylvia Martin, but things got worse when she had a Near Death Experience, a mistake in an operation that almost ended her life definitively. But then, life is be filled with unexpected surprises and what might seem like death can actually become a door that leads to the fullness of life. In this book, the author recounts her story and the spiritual and human transformation that took place within her during the long period of time in the hospital. Martin’s story has a very powerful theme: giving life purpose. And in this slim, inspiring autobiography of her spiritual journey, she shows the place that suffering has in the human economy of growth.

This book is filled with wisdom that can only be gained after going through the crucible of suffering. There are many eye-opening passages and insights to help anyone see light through their darkness. I was most thrilled with two chapters: Have You Ever Asked Yourself, ‘What is my Purpose in Life’? and Love Is Like the Wind, You Cannot See it, But You Know That it’s There. The language is very powerful, evocative and symbolic, capable of immersing readers in a metaphysical climate. By sharing her experience, Sylvia L. Martin offers readers the key to unlock their own power, to discover their own truth, and to embrace it. One Woman’s Miracle is courageously told and it comes across as a powerful companion for anyone undergoing any form of suffering and those seeking to live fully. A very inspiring story.