Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home (Focus on the Family Books) [Paperback]

R. B. Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2007 | Series: Focus on the Family Books

Rob Mitchell is one of the last “lifers” raised in an American orphanage. Left by a dysfunctional family in an Illinois children's home, he grew up with kids who were not friends but rather “co-survivors.” After becoming a Christian as a teenager, Rob found what he was looking for, home and family, in a relationship with God. Rob was able to overcome his past, forgiving his relatives and forging healthy family relationships of his own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mitchell is a respected financial consultant and a dedicated youth advocate, but what's not well known is that he had a tumultuous childhood. His memoir reveals his life in an orphanage after his mother abandoned him at age 3, as well as his struggle to find love and acceptance and learn to trust. Mitchell knew his mentally ill mother, who once kidnapped him from the orphanage, but had no real memories of his father, who attempted suicide but ended up brain damaged. His maternal grandmother was the boy's anchor, but she couldn't raise him, which only added to his confusion. He teetered on the edge of disaster as he matured, but at age 17 he prayed, "Jesus, if You are real, come into my nightmare. Forgive me of my sins and change me." Mitchell's story is inspiring both for its spiritual dimension and its conventional Horatio Alger narrative. The facts of his case are also verifiably true, which Mitchell and the publisher take pains to ensure in part through the Web site www.amillionlittleproofs.com, which offers .pdf versions of documents from Mitchell's past. His memoir will appeal to adults with difficult pasts, those who work with troubled kids and anyone who revels in seeing God change a life. (June)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (May 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589974344
• ISBN-13: 978-1589974340
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > Midwest

More About the Author

R. B. Mitchell is a financial consultant, trust specialist, and vice president of investments for a major national brokerage firm. In May of 2002, he was recognized by the leading magazine of his industry as one of America's top-ten financial consultants. Married faithfully since 1980, he and his wife, Susan, have two great kids: Luke, 20, and Alicia, 23, plus her neat husband, Chad. Rob has been active in working with youth from all walks of life since 1975, Christian Business Men's Committee since 1985, and French-African immigrant assistance since 1999. He is also active in church and in his children's lives, and his favorite sports include weight lifting, basketball, and white-water rafting. With a heart for the forgotten and unloved children of the world, Rob Mitchell is what Paul Harvey would definitely have called ". . . the rest of the story."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hope for the wounded of heart, June 9, 2007

By 

Samuel D. Ravenel (High Point, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home (Focus on the Family Books) (Paperback)

Once beginning to read this book, I could not put it down. The author shares his deep pain and rejection at multiple times in his young life in a powerful and poignant manner, yet within the context of ultimate resolution to fulfillment and joy in his life throught the power of forgiveness. He paints a picture as though in living color of the difficulty in arriving at that position, but the power of the process of doing so to release one from the bondage of woundedness. This is one of the most compelling and inspiring books I have been privileged to read. I intend to order copies to be able to give to hurting individuals who have suffered the pain of rejection. A blessing to anyone who can appreciate a Godly perspective on life.
A pediatrician in private practice

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The plain truth, simple, direct, and deep., June 21, 2007

By 

Alan MacDermut (Columbia SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home (Focus on the Family Books) (Paperback)

Mitchell's life story is written in a way that draws you in and makes you want to go ahead and read the next chapter each time you finish one. Yet
it does not feel as if it is embroidered one bit. He simply tells you the
plain truth of what happened in his life in a very direct way. We are allowed time to linger with the feelings he experienced, the good and the bad, but mostly the mixed and confused. We feel the bewilderment that he
felt as he tried to understand things that just did not make sense. The story is unbelievable at times, although we don't doubt for a second that it indeed happened just as written. Many who have felt pain in their formative years will relate very well to this story, even if it was not the same kind of pain. Mitchell then takes us through his spiritual evolution, once again, in a very straightforward way. There is nothing sappy about it. He finds the only kind of faith that will help a troubled
adolescent. The real kind. In a few very short and simple episodes he asks the biggest questions that can be asked, and finds the kind of answers that an angry kid, (or angry adult), can sink his teeth into.
Ultimately the author finds reconciliation and peace, and the reader will too.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page Turner, May 19, 2007

By 

WordPro (Chicopee, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home (Focus on the Family Books) (Paperback)

This true story reads like a fast-paced novel. Little Robby not only grabs your heart on page one he continues to tug on it as you wallk with him through abandonment,loneliness, confusion, dashed hopes, and betrayal. These universal emotions have been felt at one time or another by all, regardless of childhood background, so we truly cheer when Rob finally finds what he has been searching for. Good book for vacation reading.