What begins as a young girl aspiring to be like stars such as Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Shore and Greta Garbo, soon turns into an adventurous life in showbiz when a faulty reel-to-reel tape gives her the opportunity to showcase her musical prowess.
Author Debra Lee Fader recalls a life full of adventure, perseverance, and dependence on God’s guidance in her memoir Walk by Faith: With God as Your Compass. Beginning dance classes at age three filled her with joy and a sense of purpose and eventually became the foundation for her life in showbiz, along with her musical talent. The book follows her journey from starring as the lead in plays at school in Minnesota to her rise in the glamorous and gritty world of Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, and Los Angeles. She also had a remarkable career as the principal singer in the famed Lido de Paris show at the Stardust Hotel.
I learned many lessons from the detailed stories she shared about her experiences behind the scenes and how she managed relationships with people from diverse backgrounds. Such lessons as not being too quick to dismiss offers and not giving up when faced with rejections. In one instance, she recalled how she declined an offer to play a call girl because she felt it wasn’t suitable for her, but she later learned that it was a comedy and regretted rejecting the offer, remarking, “This could have been a great break for me, but I missed it! I could have been featured in one of the classic movies of all time!” Another time, she had to boldly insist on auditioning after initially being denied a chance because she didn’t fit the advertised criteria. However, after summoning courage as her friends’ names were read from the callback list, she declared, “Well, you’ll need to see me too, because I’m their ride home.”
By the second half of the book, we’re drawn into the medical ordeal she boldly faced with support from family, friends, and her faith in God. In 2006, she woke up one morning and tried to get out of bed as usual, but found herself almost completely paralyzed, collapsing on the floor. Fader’s prose is heartfelt and compelling, vividly pulling readers into the agony of medical gaslighting and misdiagnosis, which she had to endure for seven years before finally being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the Mayo Clinic. Fader balances and contrasts the lightheartedness of the book’s first half with the seriousness of its second half expertly.
I especially enjoyed looking at the pictures from the different events mentioned, along with the newspaper clippings, some in black and white and others colored. There are also uplifting portions of scripture and encouraging quotes throughout the book, as well as thought-provoking questions aimed at self-reflection, such as “Am I willing to sacrificially practice developing my passion?” In addition, the “10 Laws of Change” and the appendix by Dr. Keefauver offer actionable, biblically based steps for readers facing their own adversity.
Overall, Walk by Faith: With God as Your Compass by Debra Lee Fader is a powerful story of resilience that will resonate with readers interested in behind-the-scenes stories of showbiz, Christians and people of faith looking for real-world testimonies of perseverance through hardship, people who have been misdiagnosed and endured medical gaslighting, and anyone who enjoys inspirational stories.
