Review: Life, In Spite of Me

Author: Kristen Jane Anderson

Genre: Memoir (2010)

About: At age 17, depressed and hopeless after the death of three friends and her grandmother, Kristen lay down on railroad tracks near her home and an oncoming train severed her legs.

Descriptive Words: "She wanted to die. God had other plans." "Extraordinary hope after a fatal choice."

Thoughts: I can't imagine feeling desperate enough to lie down on railroad tracks and wait to be run over by a train. So many people, though, deal with depression, and it takes over their ability to think rationally.

I enjoyed Life, In Spite of Me. It's religious based, and the author tells of her strong belief that God saved her for a purpose. Someone familiar with trains told Kristen that she should have been sucked up into the train and that it was a miracle she survived. After healing from her injuries, Kristen attended Moody Bible Institute and now gives talks to young people about depression and suicide.

Is it possible for a book to be too positive to fit the tragedy? I felt like she didn't reveal her true emotions. I mean the girl lost both of her legs, and she wrote about it like, "Oh, it was a little tough, especially when I went somewhere and wondered how I was going to get up a flight of stairs" or "when I woke up in the hospital it was hard to look down and see that my legs were gone" (I'm paraphrasing there). A little too jovial for what she had to have gone through, but otherwise an inspiring story and a quick read.

I'm giving this 3.5 stars - which is between "it was okay" and "I enjoyed it."

Source: Staci from Life in the Thumb was kind enough to send this to me.

Why I Chose: I saw it on a few other blogs and it looked interesting. And it's a memoir, so of course I wanted to read it :)

Recommend? Yes, to my mom and sister and anyone who likes tragic but inspiring memoirs.

Rating: 3.5/5

Other Reviews:

Five Minutes for Books
Book Journey
Life in the Thumb
A Peek at My Bookshelf