Title: Life, in Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice
Authors: Kristen Jane Anderson & Tricia Goyer
Released: May 4, 2010
Publisher: WaterBrook Multnomah
Pages/format: 224 (Hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction, Christian Memoir
Source: Blogging for Books
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.
Instead of peace, she found herself immersed in a whole new nightmare. Before the engineer could bring the train to a stop, thirty-three freight cars passed over her at forty-five miles per hour. After the train stopped and Kristen realized she was still alive, she looked around–and saw her legs ten feet away.
But in the midst of her darkest days, Kristen discovered the way to real life and a purpose for living.
Composed with linguistic clarity, Kristen Anderson’s miraculous tale of loss, survival, and hope demonstrates the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in a truly profound way. Her story takes the reader from the trauma of death to the depths of despair, to the point of no hope, to the phenomenon of an impossible survival, to the pain of recovery, and ends with a resounding victory that could only be won by the love of Christ. Kristen reveals with courageous honesty the events and thoughts that led to her failed suicide attempt and recounts in detail the long and agonizing road that ultimately led to a second chance at life and faith.
The inspiration of Kristen’s story and the talent of Tricia Goyer combine to create a readable, fluid account that you won’t want to miss out on.
About Kristen Jane Anderson:
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.
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This book was very moving and inspirational; it is full of insight into Kristen’s thoughts and experiences. It’s an easy read; I read it in about 3 nights. The book is well written, conversations are written in present tense, not just a recollection of events. Kristen is very encouraging and stresses the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Some chapters end with notes to the reader about how to deal with issues such as suicidal thoughts, rape, etc. For a girl who has been through so much, Kristen’s personality seems to shine in this book without feeling fake or holding anything back.
POWERFUL interview; love your style of writing & how you share a video with your review – ties it ‘all’ together. Hear your heart & the author’s heart ALL at once.
I need to order several copies of this book for Christmas; our family experienced a suicide about 2 weeks b4 Christmas last year. Please pray for my family during the upcoming Christmas season; praying God will reveal Himself to them in a way that can not be denied. I want my family members to find LIFE in Christ like I have!!!
5 STARS!!!
Thanks, Karla! = )
I certainly will add your family to my prayer list!
Sounds like a good book. I never heard of this one before.
We tagged you for a meme at http://ourstack.blogspot.com/2010/10/were-it-been-tagged-by-coffee-n.html
Wow! What a powerful testimony Kristen gives in this video!