My new book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints got some nice nods on blogs yesterday, plus I had the exciting news that Library Journal's reviewer gave it a thumbs-up.
On the blogs, first there's Lindsay Wilcox, Catholic campus minister at the University of Texas, who writes on the Austin Catholic New Media site:
This was not the book I expected it to be. It was better. I was worried that Eden would let me too much into her life, that I would feel uncomfortable as an observer on her road to healing. She approaches this highly difficult subject with grace, however, presenting a valuable resource for victims of sexual abuse and those who care for them.Read Lindsay's full review here. (Note: The review, titled "Jesus Had Battle Scars, Too," includes a photograph of a person's scarred wrist. I do not find it too graphic, but I mention this in case you are sensitive to such images.)
On First Things' blog First Thoughts, in a post titled "Healing the Mind and Soul," Mark Misulia links to my Fox News Live interview. He says of My Peace I Give You, "The book explores the effectiveness of grace and prayer to heal deep emotional wounds caused by sexual abuse, reminding that 'the kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power.'"
Last, there is the Library Journal review by University of Hartford writing instructor Graham Christian, which I'll quote in its entirety, since it isn't available online:
This new volume is one of those hybrids of spiritual writing--at once a memoir, a study in spirituality, and a guide for the lost and perplexed. Eden (The Thrill of the Chaste), a convert from Judaism to Roman Catholicism, recalls her past sexual abuse with candor and shows how the lives and spiritualities of Sebastian, Aquinas, Gemma Galgani, and others shed light on her journey. VERDICT: A touching self-help memoir, with interesting insights into the lessons of the saints; best for Catholic readers and parishes.Photo: Father Scott Hurd, author of Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach, and I each hold up the other's book at Guadalupe Radio Network last month.
