Jantsen's Gift: A True Story of Grief, Rescue, and Grace [Hardcover]

Pam Cope (Author), Aimee Molloy (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2009

Nine years ago, Pam Cope owned a cozy hair salon in the tiny town of Neosho, Missouri, and her life revolved around her son's baseball games, her daughter's dance lessons, and family trips to places like Disney World. She had never been out of the country, nor had she any desire to travel far from home.

Then, on June 16th, 1999, her life changed forever with the death of her 15-year-old son from an undiagnosed heart ailment.

Needing to get as far away as possible from everything that reminded her of her loss, she accepted a friend's invitation to travel to Vietnam, and, from the moment she stepped off the plane, everything she had been feeling since her son's death began to shift. By the time she returned home, she had a new mission: to use her pain to change the world, one small step at a time, one child at a time. Today, she is the mother of two children adopted from Vietnam. More than that, she and her husband have created a foundation called "Touch A Life," dedicated to helping desperate children in countries as far-flung as Vietnam, Cambodia and Ghana.

Pam Cope's story is on one level a moving, personal account of loss and recovery, but on a deeper level, it offers inspiration to anyone who has ever suffered great personal tragedy or those of us who dream about making a difference in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For Cope, life in her small Missouri town seemed perfect; she ran a hair salon, enjoyed a happy family life and lived in a beautiful home. Yet, she explains, I have to say, I put on a hell of a performance. For a long time, I even had myself convinced of how good and right everything was in my life. Her ideal was shattered in 1999 when Jantsen, her 15-year-old son, died suddenly from a heart ailment; this moving memoir recounts Cope's transformation and growth after her world collapsed. Her metamorphosis began after she accepted an invitation from a friend to visit Vietnam. Though Cope was wrapped in personal grief following the death of her son, the trip illuminated for her the superficial environment she inhabited. After visiting a local orphanage, Cope found for the first time in her life a sense of wholeness and purpose. Soon she stepped outside her own circumscribed world and began creating better lives for the abused, neglected and at-risk children she encountered, first in Vietnam then in Cambodia and Ghana. This is a wonderful story of a woman whose personal tragedy gave birth to a gift and how she fulfilled that legacy to make the world a better place. (Apr.)
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Review

"This is a wonderful story of a woman whose personal tragedy gave birth to a gift and how she fulfilled that legacy to make the world a better place." (Publisher's Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (April 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446199699
• ISBN-13: 978-0446199698
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #558,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing memoir! April 21, 2009

By Nelaine Sanchez VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

What an amazing memoir!

When Pam Cope loses her 15 year-old son, Jansten, due to an unknown heart condition, she falls into a very severe depression. Upon invitation from a friend, Pam and her husband Randy, travel to Vietnam to visit an orphanage that this friend has built, and to find a way of coping with her loss/grief. There they fall in love with a Vietnamese child and decide to adopt him. Eventually they adopt another Vietnamese girl - but not before they fall in love with these children and realize that they can use the money that was donated in Jantsen's name after his death for such a worthy cause.

This memoir chronicles Pam and Randy's journey to providing children with food, shelter, education and medical care in Vietnam and Cambodia. And eventually to their work in Ghana where children are sold into slavery or prostitution by their families at a very young age. It details the struggles they go through to obtain these children from their "masters" and their work in building the The Village of Hope Orphanage.

I cried (a lot)... I laughed... I was truly moved and inspired. This is the type of book that makes you rethink your life. It is heart-wrenching to read some snippets of the letters that Pam writes to Jantsen and this book is a touching tribute to him.

To find out more about their foundation - Touch a Life, or to make a donation (I already did), please visit their website at http://www.touchalifekids.org/. You can also visit their blog at: http://touchalifekids.blogspot.com/.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars totally inspiring April 4, 2009

By Anne Rosow

Format:Hardcover

I was completely moved by this book. It was a joy to read -- entertaining and funny, thought provoking and poignant. It makes you think differently about everything -- what's important in life and what isn't. And it makes you realize just how much one person can do to affect change. I was enthralled from page one and found myself loving and rooting for Pam Cope all the way through. Most importantly, though, it made me notice my privilege even more clearly and want to help people in need. This is the most powerful byproduct of such a great read!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and invigorating! April 16, 2009

By Julie Mazur Tribe

Format:Hardcover

This book touches on so many great things -- self-empowerment, transformation, turning tragedy into something beautiful. It also happens to be funny, sad, touching, and you can't put it down! After I finished it, I immediately thought of at least 5 friends to recommend it to -- it's that kind of book. Women (and men) need more of this sort of inspiration! A great read.