The Book That Wasn’t Supposed to Exist: Because We Must

Although she is a writer, Tracy Youngblom never expected—or wanted—to write this story. And who would? Because We Must: A Memoir by Tracy Youngblom follows Youngblom’s perspective from the night her youngest son, Elias, is in a terrible car accident that leaves both his and his family’s lives forever changed. Youngblom uses voice, structure, and the undying fierceness of a mother's love to tell this unforgettable story of strength and resilience.

Youngblom’s narrative voice is deeply honest. She does not paint herself as a perfect person, nor as someone who has easily or fully conquered her struggles. Although Elias is the one physically injured, Youngblom and the rest of the family are faced with many challenges as well. Youngblom struggles with the loss of the hobbies, career, and future Elias had been nearly guaranteed, in her mind, before the accident. She struggles, also, with the fact that her highly independent son has suddenly been forced into dependency again, as well as grappling with both her faith and a total loss of control.

Youngblom’s love for her son is a big part of this book. After the accident, her sense of grief, guilt, and helplessness for him is tangible. She portrays her feelings in a manner that leaves no choice but to experience every thought, every emotion, and every high and low right alongside her. She holds it all together and keeps going forward only because she must be strong for Elias. In the book, she describes it as assuming a role, that of “calm, decisive mother”(Youngblom 15). Through Elias’s slow journey of recovery, Youngblom never lets herself waver. She fears that, if she does, her son could die.

Along with her sense of honesty and relatability, Youngblom plays with structure to further engage the reader. Her use of flashbacks and flashforwards keep the narrative compelling. She also includes a chapter during Elias’s stay in the hospital where the story is told as if it were a play. Initially, the juxtaposition of the prose to play switch may feel slightly jarring, but upon reading further, it becomes clear that Youngblom uses this switch to intentionally pass the more repetitive parts of Elias’s long recovery in the hospital in an attention-getting, humorous way.

Overall, this book is a moving and inspirational story, relatable to anyone who has been involved or has had a loved one involved in a life-altering accident. Written in an authentically honest, relatable voice, and packed with unique structure choices and the unwavering devotion of a mother’s love, Youngblom shows how life keeps going, even after unimaginable tragedy and setback. People manage to find a way onward, Because We Must.

Aurora Monthony is a student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, where she is earning an AFA in Creative Writing.