Book Review | A Fraction Stronger by Mark Berridge

Reading Mark Berridge’s A Fraction Stronger the precariousness of our existence is brought into stark relief. Writing about that fateful Sunday morning, cycling and chatting about the quotidian details of life, such as his son’s cricketing prowess, he has little inkling about how his life is about to irrevocably change.

Berridge has had great success in corporate life. Climbed the ranks and made a name for himself. Following his cycling accident, with his sense of identity stripped away, he is left wondering what remains. We all have many facets to who we are as a person. And we tend to over associate with the roles we play at work. In a sense, we become the role. When we don’t have this it takes a lot of deep soul searching to make sense of our new world.

Mark Berridge did this in fractions. Every day, getting a fraction stronger. Drawing on inspiration from others who had suffered trauma in life, and gaining a perspective that was maybe new to him, he leaned on the words of Pema Chodron, “the future is completely open and we are writing it moment to moment”.

Another phrase Berridge internalised was, “never die wondering”, and he was determined not to. Setting himself goals, however ambitious, had him making the progress he desired, fraction by fraction. And as with “taking a village to raise a child”, Berridge fell back on a huge support network, with “angels” providing the love he needed as he fought with his “demons”.

Reading this book, you can’t help but be inspired by how Berridge navigates this terrible time in his life, and you come away with a great sense of hope that anything is possible, if you approach it in fractions.

Review by Fran Cormack, Agile Coach & Organisational Coach

A Fraction Stronger: Finding belief and possibility in life's impossible moments by Mark Berridge is available now.