Customer Reviews

Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book's very title is one I had never thought the public would see, since Elizabeth Smart was missing for so long...but she's home! It was wonderful to see this book on the shelves and it's a terrific read besides. It also made me curious about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, since the faith of Elizabeth's parents, who are members, is so strong and inspirational. Welcome Home, Elizabeth, and thanks, Lois and Ed, for writing your story!

I'm amazed at all the swirling of opinion about this book--It's really not that complicated. The Smarts went through one of the worst possible things that can happen to a parent but they were miraculously spared the ultimate tragedy. This is the story of their ordeal. They come across as very normal, caring parents, and they seem to really have their hearts in the right place when it comes to the well-being of all their children, and for the missing children (and their parents) who have not yet or will never be found. It's really a tear jerker. I think they couldn't have put presented their story any more tastefully.

The Smart family has been through so much although I don't think I realized just how much until I read this book (Yes, I actually READ the book!). It's a quick read but it is still such a powerful story. As many parents did (I'm the mother of three) I followed Elizabeth's case closely--my heart really went out to the Smarts. But through all the news reports I didn't get as much of their very human story and I've come away from this book with a better feeling for the awful circumstances they and Elizabeth came through. It's a very spiritual book and they're very open about their faith, but that didn't come off as obnoxiously as I feared it may. They seem very sincere. I found Lois's story of having to accept the possibility of Elizabeth's death particularly powerful.

No, this book is not a feeding frenzy for those looking for gruesome details of Elizabeth Smart's 9-month ordeal. As her parents point out in this book, it will be her decision whether or not to ever make those private details public. Rather it is just what the title and subtitle of the book imply: her parent's story of the toll the ordeal took on them & their family and how they held everything together through faith and prayer until Elizabeth was brought home. Encouraging scripture and relevant explanations of their LDS faith are interspersed with chronological details of the investigative process. Ed and Lois Smart, I am rejoicing with you in God for this miracle! The importance of family and faith jumps off every page here. Read it and be inspired!

This book was very powerful. I read all of it in one sitting. I just could not put it down. The whole tale of Elizabeth Smart is inspiring and a true miracle. Her family, her parents especially, are very strong people that I admire. It is wrong for people to assume they wrote this book for money. You do not know if that is true and how can you have so little compassion that you would actually insult a family that went through something so terrible. I truly respect Ed and Lois smart and I thank them for sharing Elizabeth's incredible journey with us.

In response to the previous review, there are not inconsistencies in the story. First, The name of the actual kidnapper was identified to police months before she was found, but was not fully acted upon until John Walsh announced it on TV. Second, like I said before, it was not "magically" 9 months later that they gave the police the kidnapper's name, and the kidnapper did not associate with the family and was only working on the roof of the Smart home for a few hours on one occasion. Last, I believe she did not cry out to anyone around her because she was doing all she could to survive. The kidnapper had a terrible hold on her through verbal abuse and threatened her constantly. Pregnant? She is 14 years old - I don't see why people think the Smarts sent their daughter away because she was pregnant. The main point of the book is to show everyone that miracles do happen through faith. They are not using their daughter's story as a ploy to make money. It is one thing to have faith and another thing to be kind and generous to those less fortunate in our communities. The Smarts through the goodness of their hearts helped many people through odd jobs they needed done, only to be backstabbed by a criminal. Get the story right. Also, in response to another previous review, the point of this book was not about Elizabeth's ordeal, which should be kept private for her sake. The book is about the faith the Smarts held on to and the journey they went through for those nine months, hence the title of the book "Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope." Let's hope others who read this book will see the good in the Smart family and realize the message they are trying to send, rather than be like those who get pleasure out of criticizing and accusing others. The Smart family and Elizabeth are an example to us all.

These critcal reviewers bought the book and now they accuse the Smarts of being exploitive for writing it. If something is wrong here it is that kind of cynical hypocritcal schitzophrenic reasoning. Why don't they write their own book? Go ahead just make up your own story since you all seem to know more about what happened than the people who lived it.

This is the Smart's story. They are the best qualified to tell it and they have done a very nice job of it here. I admire their faith, courage and tenacity. I wish all of them love and healing.