The Wounded Spirit (Hardcover)

by Frank Peretti (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"This is not fiction. This is real." So reads the cover of The Wounded Spirit, the first nonfiction title from bestselling novelist Frank Peretti. In a departure from his usual spiritual thrillers, he's penned his personal journey through pain, disfigurement, and abuse, offering hope for those struggling with emotional wounds.

Peretti vividly chronicles how he became the object of negative attention in a gym class, after a horrific medical condition that he grappled with as a child caused his growth to slow. Winding throughout his personal story is a thoughtful look at how culture shapes our perception of the worth of individuals--and how events from Columbine to the movies reflect this.

Although Peretti has experienced healing, the depth of his wounds are still apparent, poignantly saturating each page. Yet he writes, "A wounded spirit need not be permanent. Throw off those chains of bitterness and resentment that have been constraining you for so long, and get on with your life." He also admits the damage he himself has inflicted, and apologizes, noting "it amazes me how a victim, who knows how it feels, can still be insensitive to the feelings of others."

Despite our wounds, Peretti reminds us, "We all have our difficult seasons--they do have a way of finding their place in the overall scheme of our lives, welcome or not." Adults and older children wrestling with painful emotional wounds will find solace and healing here, through the eyes of one who understands suffering. --Cindy Crosby

From Publishers Weekly
The man who has thrilled Christian readers with novels such as This Present Darkness and The Visitation here describes the childhood trauma that first introduced him to the dark side. Peretti was born with cystic hygroma, which at birth manifested itself as a small lump on his neck. In two months, the lump was baseball-size, and Peretti was enduring the first of seven early surgeries. During childhood, his tongue was so swollen that it lolled out of his mouth, preventing normal speech development. Classmates were repulsed by his tongue and by the bloody trickle constantly dribbling from his mouth. They tormented him about his grotesque appearance, small size and inability to form words normally. Peretti's response was to retreat to his room, where he wrote stories and played with monsters like toy Frankensteins and hunchbacks, who he felt were also misunderstood and abused. Peretti writes here that he survived this difficult period because of the unwavering love and acceptance of his family, and because he had deep faith in the equality of all people in Christ. He expresses grave concern about other "wounded spirits," particularly young people who may eventually snap after withstanding years of bullying by their peers. The book is full of painful stories, but also memorable moments of hope, as Peretti recounts instances when a peer or a teacher stood up for him. This remarkable memoir will inspire readers to undertake similar acts of courageous compassion. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849916739
• ISBN-13: 978-0849916731
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #300,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only book on this topic I've seen - READ THIS BOOK!!, November 20, 2000

By	Soozie4Him (Chicago suburbs) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Frank Peretti is well-known for novels about spiritual warfare. This is the first non-fiction book he has written and it will impact your life dramatically!!

Peretti tells his own story (which he hasn't told openly until only recently) of growing up with a medical condition that left him disfigured and also small and underdeveloped for his age.

The first chapter "A Boy's Hell" describes the scene in the boys' locker room when Peretti was in junior high. His story is powerful - you will never forget it! It is brutally honest and it is also hard to read. Your heart goes out to this young boy who has had to endure so much torment at the hands of his peers.

The horrific treatment followed him into high school, until finally someone showed an interest in him and in so doing, helped stop the chain of abuse in Peretti's life.

The Wounded Spirit is not about only kids being mean and abusive to other kids. This is about our society and how we treat each other. He points out how these problems are also present in adult relationships. He calls the strong people (who might perhaps be the ones being mean) to be the protector of the less strong.

Instead of merely telling a moving story and outlining the problem, Peretti has good constructive things that can be done about it. He has advice for the wounded and for the wounders! He has advice for teachers and other adults in charge in those situations where kids are being wounded by other kids.

Ultimately, healing can only come through Jesus Christ - through Him, we can break this cycle of victimization and abuse.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Transformation of pain to gain, March 7, 2001

By	Michael Erisman (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I read this book expecting a somewhat dry and mostly academic approach. The book states right off that it is real, not fiction, and since I love his fiction work so much I expected something very different. But I was mistaken; the book grabs you from the first sentence.

His autobiographical tales of school age terror were depicted with harsh reality and deep sadness. I found myself emotionally caught up in the feelings I think almost everyone can relate to: feeling rejected and hurt by others. In this case, physical abnormalities led to some cruel treatment, the feelings to which were depicted with stark reality. This is really three books in one. The first section is the autobiography. The second topic is the subject of WHY people treat others in such a cruel manner, including some compelling arguments against moral relativism highlighted by correlations to the Columbine incident. According to the author (and myself) it is strange that moral relativism is becoming more and more accepted as a valid philosophy, yet these same people who believe there is no moral truth, since all truth is relative, are shocked by what happened at Columbine. The author asks: Isn't Columbine a natural result of that philosophy? Was what happened there"wrong"? Since everyone agrees that it was "wrong" then why was it wrong? Wouldn't there have to be a moral code by which to even judge the tragedy as "wrong"?

He closes the book with some excellent thoughts on how teachers, parents, and all of us can support each other. He illustrates in some powerful ways how the spirit, once wounded, stays wounded for a long time! The arrows of hurt, the taunts, the words of ridicule, wound our spirit and those wounds continue to hurt us indefinitely unless we turn them into something positive through forgiveness. He uses the movie "A Few Good Men" as an example of what we are supposed to do morally. When the soldier at the end answers the statement by his fellow soldier of "we did nothing wrong" he says "yes we did, we were supposed to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves, we were supposed to fight for Willie". If you have not seen the film, please do so. A great illustration of his point that we need to stand up for those who are being hurt and protect them, as even small gestures of humanity can enable change.

Overall, a very powerful message of hope and redemption, well written and supported.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Literary Balm for a Hurting Soul, January 26, 2001

By	Wilma E. Woodford "Wilma" (Tollesboro, KY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a MUST for anyone who is involved in any kind of parenting or leadership of children and teen-agers. Mr. Peretti has bared his soul in order to help prevent another incident such as the Columbine High School massacre. It is also literary balm for victims of bullying or abuse, young and old. There is already a strong following as can be seen by going to the Wounded Spirit web site. I encourage everyone to read this book and pass it on; it is time for a change in how we view and treat other people.