Customer Reviews

from ashes to africa

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked it up around 11:30 one night to read a few pages, and I turned the light off at 2:00 am after reading the whole thing. I kept thinking, one more chapter and I will go to bed.

What I appreciated most about the book was the raw honesty. I felt like I was reading my own journal as they detailed their experience while in Ethiopia. I only wish I could have read it before I left, as it would have prepared me for so many life altering experiences.

I had no idea what visiting the orphanages would do to me. I initially thought it would be fun to see the kids and play with them, bringing a smile for the day. I did not expect to see Addis' eyes in theirs, an experience Amy describes in detail.

She writes: "I could see Silas at 10 years old, with holes in his jeans and lice in his hair. I could see him at 18, with no education, no marketable skill, and no job prospects. Through such glimpses I felt more full the gravity of our decision to adopt."

I wish I could have been more prepared...

I had not processed what meeting Addis' birth mother might be like. Ashes to Africa dives into the deep feelings that you don't expect. Feelings of guilt and great sadness as you see the final goodbyes. Then the process your heart and mind go through in the hours after as feelings of gratitude and love flood back in. "Part of me felt the rightness of adoption, the rightness of Hermela's courage and sacrifice. The other part of me felt the the wrongness of adoption, the wrongness of broken families and abject poverty."

I wish I could have been more prepared...

This memoir is so important to both the adoption community and the world of Christians who have no idea what it means to care for "the least of these." If you are alive, you should read it. (I tried to condense this down to certain groups that should read it, but wasn't successful, hence the all inclusive mandate.) Just make sure you start reading in the morning and not at 11:30 at night.

I didn't intend to devour this book, it just kinda happened. I opened the front of the book and started with the reviews, then the dedication, then the acknowledgements, then the table of contents, then the introduction, and before I knew it, I had read 100 pages.

Even though I've never experienced infertility, I could relate to the Bottomly's story. This book isn't a "look how perfect our life is" story - Amy and Josh are real about their marital struggles, hopes, fears, triumphs, failures - and I was right there with them, relating. I was so impressed with their transparency. I found understanding about aspects of my marriage through their understanding of theirs.

I loved reading about the details of their adoption experience, from the "gotcha moment" to meeting Silas' young birth mom. This book was straight from the heart; it made me smile and cry. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, and it's essential reading for those who are adopting internationally.

..."I had this deep down intuitional feeling that our time in Africa would equate to crossing the Rubicon and passing beyond a point of return. Both Amy and I were excited and terrified about this" - Josh

My wife and I are currently in the process of adopting from Ethiopia, and this book resonated with me so much! It was great to hear the honest story of a couple's journey who was so much like our own. I would highly recommend this book for those that have a heart for adoption, or even those who just love to hear stories of how God can work wonders!

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! Love it! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! Couldn't quit reading and had tears in my eyes over and over. If God is tugging at your heart about "the least of these" you will enjoy this book.

It is an authentic and honest look at how God can take us on a journey through pain and make something amazing out of it. I was deeply touched.

YES, it is truly powerful for those who have struggled with infertility. Yet, I also felt it was just as important for me because I have not walked that road. It gave me an important glimpse into the heart of someone who feels that pain.

This book is about so many facets of who we all are. It's about marriage, about selfishness, about infertility, about love, about sacrifice and about joy. We rarely get to peer into someone's life the way that Josh and Amy let us look into theirs. I thank them for giving me that gift.

From Ashes to Africa is truly an inspiring story of authenticity. The authors really bring you into their lives as they share their story of infertility and ultimately adoption. I would highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with infertility or in the adoption process. Truly a wonderful well written book of HOPE!

Danae

The thing I loved about this book is it's honesty. Josh & Amy hold nothing back and that is quite refreshing. It is very difficult to be honest with even friends and family about issues with marriage, and definitely with infertility. The Bottomlys courageously share their struggles, and ultimately their triumphs in a true and honest fashion. I loved reading this book. I would also like to add that this book would be a WONDERFUL thing to pass along to family members if you are struggling with infertility and considering adoption. I remember how hard it was to put into words the dark time of "trying." I really could not figure out a way to make my family understand. I feel that this book could be a great conversation starter between family members - and it can help family that may be resistant to adoption start to understand.

I started reading from Ashes to Africa at 11:00 a.m. this morning, and now it's 6:45 pm. I've almost finished the book; however, I'm not sure I can finish the book. I know that doesn't make sense, but I'm at page 156 and it's about all I can handle without tears.

I'm always asking myself, what does the gospel look like in today's world?

This story may embody the physical redemptive narrative of the gospel better than anything I've read in a very long time. Some may think this book is about their adoption experience, and to some extent they are right. However, in my opinion, what they have found through their experience has transcended into the redemption story of all creation.

What does it mean to enter into the story of redemption and restoration that is the nature of God? I think Josh and Amy Bottomly have a pretty good head start in this journey, and I think we could all benefit greatly to sit and listen to their experience. Frankly, I dare you to read their story because I don't think anyone can return to "life as we know it" afterwards.

Unfortunately, too many times too many people settle for less than the full gospel as proclaimed in the message of Jesus. When someone moves from "believing to belonging" as the Bottomly's state, life takes on a new mission and a new purpose.

I am so encouraged to read their story, and I hope that I have the honor of meeting them someday. I know the gospel story is alive and well in their lives...now I'm going to go finish the book, if I can.

I started reading this book, and couldn't put it down. As someone who had struggled with infertility, I found the Bottomly's honest and often heart-wrenching literary portrayal to be an emotionally charged experience for me. On nearly every page I found myself saying, "That happened to me too!" or "I have felt exactly like that!"

My husband and I wanted to adopt long before we were married (my mother was adopted internationally as was one of my cousins, so it is close to my heart). It was only after we were married that my personal doctor found some issues with myself that lead us to try down the long, frustrating road to having a biological child "just in case" my personal, physical issues ended up making it one day "impossible". As months turned into a year and more, we found ourselves experiencing the "everything turning to ashes" feeling that Amy described so well in this book. As difficult as it must have been for both Josh and Amy to relive and review their feelings during this time in their lives and then write them down in a book to share with strangers, I hope they know how comforting and encouraging their story has been to people like myself. I am so grateful to have honest and open people such as themselves to make me feel like everything truly was going to "be okay" and just as God has planned.

If you are struggling with infertility or are interested in adopting internationally (but specifically from Ethiopia), I would highly recommend purchasing this book! I promise you won't be able to put it down! I personally finished it within hours of opening my Amazon.com box! No joke! :-)

My husband and I are now in the home study stage of our adoption process to bring a baby girl or boy into our family from Ethiopia. While it was not the deciding factor by any means, this book certainly gave us more hope, inspiration, and peace as we started our journey. I hope it will do the same for you!

This was a beautiful story of marriage, faith and adoption. The text is very straightforward and you really feel like you went on the journey with the Bottomly's... It also showed me what to expect from an Ethiopian adoption.

Wow what a great book. I read the whole book in one setting. We are in the process of adopting a child from Ethiopia and have experienced many of the same situations in our married life that this couple had in theirs. I loved how open they were about everything. Highly recommend this book to anyone who is in the adoption process whether international or domestic.