Customer Reviews

Scandalon: Running From Shame and Finding God's Scandalous Love

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If any life experience has left you desperate, helpless, broken, or searching, Scandalon is a must read. From the first to the last page, Susan's insightful journey from shame and betrayal to her rediscovery of God's love, kept me curious and captivated. I couldn't put it down. It's a book that I'll long remember as one that impacted me at the core of my soul.

Have you thought what it would like to get to know, work with the people in China, and live with them? Have you wondered what it would be like to grow up in a minister's family? Susan Elaine Jenkins paints an insightful and sobering picture that answers these questions in her masterful memoir, "Scandalon: Running From Shame and Finding God's Scandalous Love."

As I read the book her narrative format had me feeling like I was sitting in a recliner with a cup of coffee and she was sitting across the room telling me her story of how not just one, but a series of scandals hit her life. Some of events were self-inflicted. Other events were of someone else's making. I found a bit of myself and my struggles as I read her story. Her writing and story were so interesting I didn't want to put the book down! Yet, I feared I would read it too fast. I love the way her personality permeates the book.

In 1980, after three years of teaching in the USA in a private school (and saving her money) Susan made a trip to China. It was part of a gift she gave herself - a trip around the world. It was a prelude. In 1997 Susan accepted a two year teaching position in Tianjin, China. She would remain in China.

Susan employs a wonderful method of telling of her adventures in China with reflections on what took place in her earlier life in the USA. The transition between the USA story and the China story is via a short statement of spiritual truth or insight. It is these earlier events in the USA that lead to her seeking refuge half way around the world. We see God's handiwork in her life. We see her improving her language skills, her understanding of the Chinese culture, and how her American culture sometimes exasperated her Chinese friends, especially Ouyang. We reflect back on her life adventure that includes how she was used and mistreated by those in positions of authority over her and learned he had previously mistreated others. We also see how she survived!

Susan stories range from hilarious to tear inducing. I have two favorites. First, the story about her being invited back stage in Hawaii to meet Don Ho. Her parents encourage her to go. Don Ho wanted to do more than meet her. I could feel the confusion she felt from her parents encouraging her into such a situation. I wanted to take her dad aside and say you are supposed to protect your daughter! Second is the story at the Friendship Store of the two broken vases and how Susan came to the rescue of the Chinese couple. She demanded they not have to pay for the broken vase since she didn't have to pay for one she broke a week earlier. We learn how the Chinese have two sets of rules - one for foreigners and one for other Chinese. I could feel the compassion and empathy Susan has for others.

The book is a good read and would be a valuable addition to all community and church libraries. It would also be a good study book for women's group and even for counseling. It gives a realistic insight into the struggles we all face. The book gives answers about Chinese culture, running and finding God and finding one's self.

Susan Elaine Jenkins has a special sparkling style of writing. She unfolds her personal story clearly and with a simple honesty that is hard for most authors to achieve. Scandalon is not just a flushing of memories onto the page, but a private catharsis that can be felt emotionally as her account is revealed.

She uses a series of juxtapositions of Eastern to Western cultures, individualistic weaknesses and spiritual strengths, and even humanity's idealizations with our commonly held conceptions about reality as tools to help express her journey while adding tangible meaning and a truly fresh perspective.

This is Susan's record of realizations as well as a story of personal healing, positive spiritual growth, and renewed hope.

Review by Curt Grayson, Ph.D., author of "Healing the Hurts that Sabotage the Soul" and "Creating A Safe Place"

In this exciting book, Susan brings her story of hope and courage to others who experience difficult life circumstances and people. She discovers through her own journey that God's plan for our lives may not be what we envisioned in our perfect worlds, but it is what He knew we needed to grow and mature in our faith. This is a compelling read that is hard to put down once you start as she takes us through the chapters in her life combining her time in China as a teacher, intertwined with her life back in America. Susan sums up her experience living in China by saying that "living abroad, allowed one's mind to stretch beyond what seemed possible". She also learned that sometimes God heals when you least expect it, from unexpected people! The biblically inspired messages of truth and encouragement through out the book will instill hope and give you courage to continue down the road of life even if you may not know what lies ahead. This book will encourage anyone that has experienced disappointment with people whom you may have trusted to take care of you, but took advantage of their position and power. You will learn that deep pain and disappointment can change to a life of even deeper meaning and joy!

You'll be pulled right along, holding your breath to find out what happens next. Susan Elaine Jenkins' compelling memoir reads like a well-plotted novel, but unfortunately, it's all too true. You'll be dismayed at the injustices of life, yet delighted to discover a gracious woman, willing to bear her soul. Instead of breaking the tempo with chapters, Jenkins simply sets off anecdotes by inserting what I'll call whispers from God that point to truths she learned at that time, such as: "Do you like China, My child? You don't know yet about their suffering, their pain. But I do. I know them, and I love them."

Jenkins alternates writing about her life in the United States and her life in China. She experienced the scandals of her life in America, but she experienced the scandalous love of God and His healing during her time in China, where she teaches performing arts at international schools. Her ability to show instead of tell transports you to another culture, where she once found eight bank tellers snoozing on counters and learned that no matter how she ordered her eggs, they arrived sunnyside up. She takes harrowing bike rides and meets people that allow her to interpret and understand the Chinese people. Her friend Ouyang taught her of class distinctions and related protocols.

As the book winds down Jenkins shares something she has come to understand: ". . . the brokenness and malfunction that was left in the wake of sin was in itself becoming a way of finding God." That's a lesson that will stay with the reader. I hope Jenkins will continue to write and publish in her fresh style because she will surely touch the lives of many by offering hope to the hurting.

After reading "Scanalon" I must admit it isn't the type of book I would normally read, primarily because I have no religious affiliation whatsoever. However, being a person who believes "there are no accidents," when someone suggested this book I figured it was something I needed to read, or the recommendation never would have happened.

With that said, I must say that "Scandalon" is a very well-written book that definitely kept my interest as I read it. The author artfully narrates parallel story lines about her religious background/relationship challenges, and her experiences while living and teaching in China for more than a decade. Throughout the book she seamlessly switches between these two narratives while easily maintaining the reader's attention. Personally, I was more drawn to the story line about her experiences in China because I'd never read anything about what life is really like there, nor had I any clue as to the perceptions that average Chinese people have of the U.S. and its citizens.

While anyone who enjoys high quality story-telling will find great value in this work, I feel the book will particularly appeal to individuals who have a very strong connection to Christianity and the Bible itself. For reasons that will be abundantly clear to anyone who reads this book, I also feel "Scandalon" should be on the shelf of every Christian church bookstore anywhere in the world.

Susan Jenkin's book Sanndalon is a journey through time, China, and personal healing. Susan weaves this tale with a story tellers vision, and jumps through time so smoothly I was reminded of Billy Pilgrim. But where B.P. was a fictional creation of K. Vonnegutt's wild imagination, Susan's protagonist is none other than herself.

The theme of Susan's story involves the tradegy of sexual abuse, and predatory practices within of some in protestant church ministry. Those of you believing that the Catholic Church holds a monopoly on predation, really do need to take a look inside. The sexual predation uncovered in ALL religious denominations in the last 10 yrs, obliterates that view. The antagonist of this tale, her pastor, was a successful, learned, and elevated individual within his protestant denomination. Very similar to other protestants, evangelical or charismatic, who have taken advantage of some of their congregation in recent years, and been caught.

The Priesthood. The Ministry. Both are equally and egregiously flawed. Because they're made up, of us.

I kept hearing Paul's account to one of the early churches (roughly paraphrased) "... and consider myself when I was among you. I worked the entire time I was there, so that no one among you would be able to complain about my inactivity.....", and how different this vision is, from that of our modern church, where Pastors and Priests are placed on pedastals, and given carte blanche in shepparding their flocks.

Say what you will about the Catholic Church, at least they have a hierarchy in place to deal with accusations like this. Sadly, it's not used openly enough.

Scandalon is not just an indictment of modern church structure, it also is an insightful view into China's past, present, and future. The historical accounts of some of Susan's friends and acauaintances were breathtaking for me. It's a stark contrast to the popular vision portrayed by much of the media "China - Burgeoning Democracy". No, not in our lifetime, and probably not in my children's lifetime either.

And finally, this book fascinated me because Susan Jenkins was so transparent in her telling it. If Eat Pray Love became a mantra for women of a certain age, Scandalon could be the freedom march for women and men who've been trapped in the web of sexual abuse within a powerful structure, like a church. Susan told this story gracefully, and with love. I was moved througout, and absolutely read every minute that I could, until I was finished. I recommend it to every adult in your home; especially if you happen to be someone whose journey was interrupted by someone you trusted, in a position of power.

Stephen D. Bailey, Ed.D.
Licensed Psychologist

Scandalon is one of the better memoirs I have ever read that is written by a person without a widely public life (as in a celebrity). I dare say it is the best Christian memoir I have read that fits that description. Susan Elaine Jenkins has a way with words and book organization that makes it easy to read her book as you would a fictional story.

There are no defined chapters and within her book the sections, divided by inspirational asides, alternate between her time in China and her life growing up near San Francisco as a preacher's child through a troubled marriage and through a dark time in her life and church life.

There are many sad moments in this book when all you will want to do is hold Susan's hand and shudder at the way life treats all of us at times, and there are many more moments when you will rejoice in her moments with Ouyang, a member of her loving Chinese family and a dear friend.

The book ends on a very uplifting note, and you will feel better for having read it. The book is 285 pages long. It wasn't one I read straight through (I do that regularly), rather I read it in large chunks over 5 days and had moments to absorb what I had read and then come back eager to continue the journey.

It is rare for a memoir to be completely absorbing, but this one was. For that reason, I highly recommend it.


Disclosure: I received a review copy of this volume from Cladach Publishing in order to facilitate my review.

I loved the honestly with which this book was written. Susan is totally transparent and vulnerable. I was surprised by how captivated I was and read this book in basically one marathon session. I felt as if I was living through each joy, disappointment, pain, betrayal and then finally healing and hope.

All of us have experienced pain to a greater or lesser degree. This book really spoke to me and reminded me of who our ultimate healer is if we embrace what He has for us.

I also loved the way the book took me back and forth between America and China. I love to travel and fell in love with China through Susan's eyes. I hope to make that trip one day. This book is a must read.

At some point any escape is a good escape. "Scandalon: Running from Shame & Finding God's Scandalous Love" is a unique sort of Christian inspirational memoir telling of Susan and her move from California to China. Her story is one of desperately wanting something new, only to find that being new doesn't protect her from her own emotional turmoil, only temporarily masks. But in China, she finds power in an unlikely source - God. "Scandalon" is an intriguing progression of one woman finding herself alongside her faith.