Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope [Hardcover]

Ed Smart (Author), Lois Smart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2003

At 3:58 in the morning of June 5, 2002, Ed and Lois Smart awoke to the sound of their nine-year-old daughter Mary Katherine’s frightened voice. “She’s gone. Elizabeth is gone.” At first they thought she was having a bad dream about her older sister, but Mary Katherine’s seeming bad dream would quickly become their worst nightmare. Their daughter Elizabeth was gone.

They were not sure why the media picked up on Elizabeth’s story, but after their daughter was kidnapped she became the whole world’s daughter. After nine months of a strange, hard, sometimes rewarding, but mostly painful journey, Elizabeth was miraculously returned to them. Just as millions throughout the world had grieved for her loss, now they celebrated her safe return.

In Bringing Elizabeth Home, Ed and Lois share the pain of every parent’s worst fear: “What would I do if my child was taken from me?” They also share a story of great hope, strong faith, and trust in God. The Smart family had always been devoted to their Mormon faith, but through their terribly painful experience they gained a tremendous inner strength, which became the key to their survival. They write, “Having our daughter back home, in our arms, is nothing short of a miracle. It is the ultimate proof that God answers prayers. Granted, sometimes the answer is not the one we pray for, but still it remains an answer. We feel truly blessed that He answered our prayers the way we had hoped for, although we realize, regretfully, that this is not always the outcome in kidnapping cases. We have met so many families with missing children and we’ve seen how deep their pain goes . . . But what we hope to convey through our journey of faith and hope is that with a strong belief in God, all things are possible. Miracles do happen.”

In the end, the Smarts’ story brings one point poignantly home--nothing is more important in this world than family. Not money. Not work. Not a fancy new car or an expensive, big house. Family, the prayers of so many friends and strangers, and trust in God are what got them through this experience--and having survived, they have no doubt that they can persevere in any situation as long as those three things are in their lives. Though their story is filled with many incredible twists and turns, they never lost focus on what was important: bringing Elizabeth home.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

At 3:58 in the morning of June 5, 2002, Ed and Lois Smart awoke to the sound of their nine-year-old daughter Mary Katherine?s frightened voice. ?She?s gone. Elizabeth is gone.? At first they thought she was having a bad dream about her older sister, but Mary Katherine?s seeming bad dream would quickly become their worst nightmare. Their daughter Elizabeth was gone.

They were not sure why the media picked up on Elizabeth?s story, but after their daughter was kidnapped she became the whole world?s daughter. After nine months of a strange, hard, sometimes rewarding, but mostly painful journey, Elizabeth was miraculously returned to them. Just as millions throughout the world had grieved for her loss, now they celebrated her safe return.

In Bringing Elizabeth Home, Ed and Lois share the pain of every parent?s worst fear: ?What would I do if my child was taken from me?? They also share a story of great hope, strong faith, and trust in God. The Smart family had always been devoted to their Mormon faith, but through their terribly painful experience they gained a tremendous inner strength, which became the key to their survival. They write, ?Having our daughter back home, in our arms, is nothing short of a miracle. It is the ultimate proof that God answers prayers. Granted, sometimes the answer is not the one we pray for, but still it remains an answer. We feel truly blessed that He answered our prayers the way we had hoped for, although we realize, regretfully, that this is not always the outcome in kidnapping cases. We have met so many families with missing children and we?ve seen how deep their pain goes . . . But what we hope to convey through our journey of faith and hope is that with a strong belief in God, all things are possible. Miracles do happen.?

In the end, the Smarts? story brings one point poignantly home--nothing is more important in this world than family. Not money. Not work. Not a fancy new car or an expensive, big house. Family, the prayers of so many friends and strangers, and trust in God are what got them through this experience--and having survived, they have no doubt that they can persevere in any situation as long as those three things are in their lives. Though their story is filled with many incredible twists and turns, they never lost focus on what was important: bringing Elizabeth home.

About the Author

ED AND LOIS SMART live with their six children--Charles, Elizabeth, Andrew, Mary Katherine, Edward, and William--in Salt Lake City, Utah.

LAURA MORTON is the author of eighteen books and has written six New York Times Bestsellers. She lives in New York.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (October 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385512147
• ISBN-13: 978-0385512145
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #419,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give them a break, October 28, 2003

By 

Dakota (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope (Hardcover)

After all is said and done I fail to see why some people are so venomous towards Mr. and Mrs. Smart. I received a copy of this book as a gift the other day and I must admit I was skeptical about the parent's motive for writing it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how understandble and sympathetic they come across. It is impossible for me to understand what they went through, the pain of losing their daughter, the insane, callous, and stupid accusations against them that have gotten hurled around. Having just finished the book I understand where they are coming from in wanting to have their version of their story out there for the public. I encourage you to read and decide for yourself.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Every Parent, October 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope (Hardcover)

The family amakes it clear that they chose to write this book so that all of the misinformation about the kidnapping can be cleared up once and for all. Further, it is a testament to thier strong faith and belief that God lives and Miricales do happen. It appears that ELizabeth is doing very well and the family has moved on together to live a happy life--especially now that they have thier daughter back. This book will enlighted, inspire and bring you closer to the ones you love.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and very real, October 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope (Hardcover)

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Not only does it faithfully tell the painful story of Elizabeth's disappearance and the family's efforts to cope with such an event, it also succeeds in portraying the parents as real individuals forced to deal with a horrific trial. I also respect the fact that the book respects and protects Elizabeth's privacy - the poor girl has been through enough already without us knowing every detail of what happened to her during those 9 months! Overall, a very touching, heartfelt book with rays of hope throughout.