Friday, May 21, 2010

Blog Tour & Book Review: "Life In Spite of Me" by Kristen Jane Anderson


Life, In Spite of Me:Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice
Written by: Kristen Jane Anderson
As told to: Tricia Goyer
Publisher: Multnomah
ISBN: 9781601422521
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian, inspirational

About This Book

"She wanted to die. God had other plans.

Why does my life have to be so painful?
What’s wrong with me?
It’s not going to get better.
It could all be over soon, and then I won’t hurt anymore.

Kristen Anderson thought she had the picture-perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook: three friends and her grandmother died within two years. Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust. She soon spiraled into a seemingly bottomless depression.

One January night, the seventeen-year-old decided she no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her. She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited for a freight train to send her to heaven…and peace.

But Kristen's story doesn’t end there.

In Life, In Spite of Me this remarkably joyful young woman shares the miracle of her survival, the agonizing aftermath of her failed suicide attempt, and the hope that has completely transformed her life, giving her a powerful purpose for living.

Her gripping story of finding joy against all odds provides a vivid and unforgettable reminder that life is a gift to be treasured.

Includes notes of encouragement Kristen wishes she had received when she was struggling most."

Want a Sneak Peek? Read Chapter 1 here.






My Thoughts:

An amazingly powerful yet heartbreaking story of a failed teen suicide. Straight from Kristen's point of view, she tells what drove her to finally decide to kill herself and how it failed. She tells how she had to learn with her one bad choice and how that choice changed her life.

From the moment I opened this book, I was held captivated by Kirsten's story. As a mother, my heart ached for her inability to communicate with her family. As a person, I understood the place where she was at to make her very painful mistake - or decision. There was no way I could put the book down until the end. I needed to know how she got from such a "bad place" to a healing point in her life.

This is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. It is one I think everyone NEEDS to read, and am requiring it to be read by both of my teens. I'm sure after they finish it, it will be passed on to their friends. It is an amazing, amazing story!!

About the Authors:

Kristen Jane Anderson has been featured on Oprah and is a popular speaker at colleges, women’s and youth events, churches, and suicide prevention outreaches. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute and the founder of Reaching You Ministries, Kristen seeks to help those who are hurting, hopeless, lost, suicidal and depressed.

Tricia Goyer is the author of three hundred articles for national periodicals, as well as fourteen novels and six nonfiction books, including Blue Like Play Dough.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

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