Sometimes silence isn’t an option.

At eighteen, Mel steps into flame-lit spears on her front lawn—her first mission to Papua New Guinea and the start of her life on the frontline. Travelling riot-torn streets abroad and tending to trauma debrief rooms back home, she collaborates with aid workers and law enforcement, strengthening her resolve to help others even as these experiences awaken buried memories.

A lone conversation with her brother yanks her back to a childhood shaped by abuse and family secrets. Armed with fierce determination, Mel refuses to merely remember; she vows to expose the hidden truths. Can she be heard before her family silences her?

Building the Bridge stands as a testament to compassion over revenge, sharing over silence, and the hope that emerges when we dare to break the cycles that bind us.

Some bridges crack. Others save lives.

Building the Bridge is an incredible and uniquely written memoir written by the wonderful author Melissa Baker and wow, what a story she shares with us readers! Melissa Baker will take us readers on a journey to Papua New Guinea and all that occurred during this time as well as after, and what is learned is incredibly moving and powerful.

Building the Bridge is an incredible tale that follows Mel, who embarks on a journey like no other at a young age that will forever shape her life. The reader will follow Mel to Papua New Guinea, where she faces challenges, both home and abroad, and works alongside aid workers and police to support those affected by trauma. It makes for a powerful tale which gets even more powerful when a conversation with her brother forces her to confront her family history. What follows is a poignant tale in which Mel strives to reveal the truth and break destructive cycles at the same time and this book lovers is the short premise of the incredible and impactful Building the Bridge!

I adore memoirs because they give the reader insight into a person’s fascinating life, but I love memoirs with travel and healing themes because the reader is whisked away on a journey and if the author of such a memoir is brilliantly descriptive about the places she visits, the reader will feel as if they are right there experiencing every moment the author is. Building the Bridge, written by the extraordinary Melissa Baker is just this type of read, as it is an incredibly powerful memoir that whisks the reader away to Papua New Guinea and leaves you impacted long after.

The reader, thanks to the author’s impeccable descriptions, will feel as if they are right there, and that is rare for an author to accomplish, so the fact that Melissa has shows us, readers, that she is an incredibly talented author who knows how to transfix her readers with ease.

The profoundness in Melissa’s story is sensational and many readers will feel a host of different emotions while reading this book because of how emotive Melissa’s journey was. I found myself reading Building the Bridge at an alarming rate because it was captivating as well as engrossing; Melissa’s remarkable literature will have you turning the pages at an alarming rate, and I adored how she was able to do this.

As well as Melissa writing her story in an extremely compelling way, she is also excellent at describing the settings and places in this book. Melissa’s beautifully descriptive writing and her honesty will make the reader feel as if they are right there; this is how I felt and because I did I felt as if I was with Melissa on her journey and that for me was incredibly beautiful as well as transformative and insightful.

To conclude my thoughts, Building the Bridge is a remarkable, memorable and informative story that readers are going to love and feel moved by so I, of course, have to award this superb book five stars! So please, if you love memoirs that leave a lasting impression then the incredible Building the Bridge is for you!

Thank you so much for reading book lovers! I appreciate it so much.

Goodbye for now book lovers,

P.S. Below I have attached some links about the author and this wonderful book so if you would like to learn more about the author and the book then please have a browse. Thank you so much again for reading book lovers!

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

Author: Barnes & Noble – Booktopia – Waterstones – Facebook – Instagram – LinkedIn