Joni: An Unforgettable Story [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

Joni Eareckson Tada (Author), Billy Graham (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

The award-winning story of a young woman who triumphed over devastating odds to touch countless lives the world over with the healing message of Christ. Includes photos and illustrations by Joni. In a split second on a hot July afternoon, a diving accident transformed the life of Joni Eareckson Tada forever. She went from being an active young woman to facing every day in a wheelchair. In this unforgettable autobiography, Joni reveals each step of her struggle to accept her disability and discover the meaning of her life. The hard-earned truths she discovers and the special ways God reveals his love are testimonies to faith's triumph over hardship and suffering. The new 25th Anniversary edition of this award-winning story--which has more than 3,000,000 copies in print in over 40 languages--will introduce a new generation of readers to the incredible greatness of God's power and mercy at work in those who fully give their hearts and lives to him. Joni has written an afterword in which she describes the events that have occurred in her life since the book's publication in 1976, including her marriage to Ken Tada and the expansion of her worldwide ministry to families affected by disability. Joni is now available for the first time in an unabridged audio version read by the author.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A story that has encouraged and inspired millions of readers, now available in a special softcover anniversary edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author

Joni Eareckson Tada is an accomplished artist, speaker, and founder of her own ministry to the disabled, Joni and Friends. Her many books include the best-selling Heaven, The Life and Death Dilemma, and Diamonds in the Dust. She lives with her husband in Calabasas, California --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 25th Anniversary edition (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310240018
• ISBN-13: 978-0310240013
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book you'll never put down - ever, June 15, 2006

By 

Shelley Gammon "Geek" (Kaufman, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Joni: An Unforgettable Story (Paperback)

This is one of those few stories that never leave you. Even after you have read the book, closed it and put it on the shelf, the story remains and you can't get it out of your head. A bright, energetic, full-of-life girl goes diving into the shallow water - an act that will forever change her life and ultimately change the lives of millions of others.

Suddenly, this athletic, independent young girl is trapped in a body that will not move. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, she finds herself no longer independent, but fully dependent on the care of others for the simplest of tasks. Things we take for granted like wiping away tears, blowing your own nose or brushing your hair - now on someone else's time table, not your own.

Understandably, this turn of events shakes her faith as she shakes her mental fists at God for dashing all her hopes and dreams for the future. Failed romances, rocky friendships, family heartaches - Joni holds nothing back in this insightful view into her world.

Through her emotional and spiritual failings, the author shares her growth and understanding of God's plan for her life and the lives of others. Using her mouth to draw and paint, the author became an established artist long before people realized that the artist whose work they were admiring was completely paralyzed and unable to use her hands. This revelation thrust her into celebrity where she has been able to make more of an impact on the lives of others than she would have ever been able to have accomplished prior to her injury.

Through her charity, Joni & Friends, the author has provided for wheelchairs for the disabled around the world and opened the doors of opportunity to wheelchair bound people everywhere.

I've seen the author on Larry King a few times and always wondered, "how does that woman keep smiling and keep such an upbeat attitude?" It is hard to imagine a worse fate than what she has endured since her accident, yet after reading her personal account of her life since that fateful summer in 1967, the reader understands exactly why she smiles and truly has joy in her life. I picked up this book thinking it would be 'interesting' and nothing more - I was delightfully surprised to find this to be a page-turner I could not put down. Even though I've finished reading this autobiography, I doubt I will ever truly put this book down. This is a story that sticks with you long after you've closed the back cover.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT AN AMAZING WOMAN!, May 3, 2004

By 

Julie-Anne Dentici "Jewels" (Mountain Brook, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Joni: An Unforgettable Story (Paperback)

I WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO THIS BOOK AS A YOUNG CHILD. JONI HAS TRULY BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO ME. I AM NOW A 22 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO HAS LIVED WITH CEREBRAL PALSY SINCE BIRTH. LIKE JONI, I TOO AM A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN AND I TRULY CANNOT IMAGINE (MY) LIFE WITHOUT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN IT. IN THIS MEMOIR, ONE TRULY SEES THE STRUGGLES, THE HEARTBREAKS, AND THE JOYS AND TRIUMPHS THAT THE LORD BRINGS THIS YOUNG LADY THROUGH. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE-IN A CHAIR OR NOT, AND I TOO CAN SAY THAT I WOULD MUCH RATHER BE IN A CHAIR WITH THE LORD, THAN ON MY FEET WITHOUT HIM.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an honest confession, October 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Joni: An Unforgettable Story (Paperback)

I read this book a few months a go. I haven't read many of christian writer's story about their lives, but some that i have read never really touched me the way Joni did. I was impressed and blessed from her honesty in pouring out her thoughts and feelings, even the bad ones. It did not discourage me, but instead it made me realise that we need to deal with ourselves to be able to see the real us and to be able to see what God wants to do in our lives.