One of the joys for me of having My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints featured at the Patheos Book Club is that the club's roundtable discussion of the book includes reviews that show how it reads for people who are not Catholic.
One of the most sensitively written reviews is by Christianity Today freelance contributor Michael Barrick, who writes on his blog:
While Eden examines the consequences of sexual abuse upon her own life—and how she has drawn upon the examples and intercession of various saints of the Catholic Church—her musings offer insight and hope to not just Catholics who are victims of sexual abuse, but to any person of any faith who recognizes the human body, mind and soul as sacred. ...
Without providing needless graphic details, Eden easily provides enough detail from her childhood experiences and memories to serve as an authentic witness to the damage done to one’s psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being when adults fail to keep a youngster from being treated as a junkyard by other adults. She finishes the answer by sharing the stories of saints, encouraging you to quietly lean forward, hand cupped against an ear, to allow their voices to whisper their stories from the past. As you listen closely, you will hear that, though we picture them with halos, they were just as broken and hurt as any human. Perhaps even more so, which is why the reason Eden is able to relate to their life stories and count upon their prayerful intercession. [Read the full review on The Barrick Report.]
Are you in or around New York City or Connecticut? Come hear me speak about My Peace! I'll be in NYC tomorrow and Connecticut next week. See my Author Events page for more news about my speaking tour.
