Amazing Grace for Those Who Suffer, is the first title in the new Amazing Grace series, which is called "Catholic 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'" series by Matthew Pinto and Jeff Cavins. These 10 real-life stories are more than powerful. They carry the reader through a dark journey of pain into the light of God's grace. Amazing Grace shows us step by step, how to find God's peace and profound hope and healing for the heart and soul. The stories show us the value of suffering....in some stories their deep faith carried them through their pain; in others, they found Christ in the midst of their suffering.

More than Chicken Soup, you won't put down this riveting saga that will make you laugh and cry. And as you read, you’ll discover the beautiful treasures of faith, like how we can unite our sufferings with Christ and how the God is truly the source of our strength.

The 10 real life stories contained in the book do not make for easy reading. I guarantee that they will have you in tears.

They include:

- The story of Janet Moylan who lost her husband and 10-year-old daughter to a freak drowning accident.

- Debbie Harding, a former cheerleader for the New England Patriots that survived breast cancer and her marriage to a drug addict.

- Peggy Stoks, who was molested by her grandfather.

- Mike and Kathie Clarey, parents whose 11-year-old daughter was murdered while on her newspaper route.

- Grace MacKinnon, who faced and overcame her congenital disability.

- Thomas Howard, a teacher and author that suffered from disabling migraines.

- Dr. Kim Hardey, who suffered the death of his 9-year-old son.

- Debbie, a mother that has suffered eight miscarriages.

- Joan Ulicny, whose life was dramatically altered by an accident with a semi-truck.

- Carl Cleveland, a New Orleans lawyer that faced 10 years in prison for unfounded legal charges.

Even more compelling than the stories, however, are how each individual responds to the cross that they were given. Their responses of healing and hope show how good can come of evil.

"Christ had to suffer and die," says co-editor Jeff Cavins. "Salvation isn't just about Jesus' dying: otherwise he could have been sacrificed as a baby. Suffering - even Christ's own suffering - was part of the Father's plan, and we are called to cooperate with that plan."

Most readers of the book will realize how good their lives currently are. Not only does the book offer insight into suffering, but it prepares readers for potential future suffering, and helps them to know how to respond to others that are suffering.

I wholeheartedly recommend this first book in the Amazing Grace series - a kind of Catholic "Chicken Soup for the Soul". It's unlike anything I've ever seen or read before.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:


This is a very powerful book  Feb 23, 2003 By Paul Iacovitti
This book shows How suffering can bring you closer to God. It is the story of ten people who experience tragedies in their lives,and how they made through with the help of Gods grace. Some of the people knew God before their experiences and they turned to God for strength, others didn't but came to know God through their suffering. This is a powerful book that will touch your heart.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


An Awesome Book  Nov 16, 2002 By S. Wedel
This book is riveting and pierces right to one's heart. In this collection of 10 true stories, written by the very people who suffered severe heartache of one kind or another, everyone should be able to find a situation they can relate to. And they can be greatly helped in finding God in all things, including pain and suffering. It's a long, difficult road from the time a heartache or trauma occurs until our spirits heal. This book would be a great help in sustaining and "walking with" anyone who is making such a journey. I can't recommend it highly enough!

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Amazing book!  Mar 03, 2005 By Marissa "Segovia"
I ordered this book to have some spiritual reading for Lent thinking I could read a story a week. Well, I finished reading it in four days. I cried and I was humbled by the people's sufferings in this book. Very well written and I am going to pass it around. If there is something missing in your life, read this and you will feel so grateful for what you have or if you are suffering a lot, you can identify with these people. My hour of Adoration has so much more meaning now.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:


Incredibly helpful, when you are inconsolable and can't  Aug 16, 2006 By Carrie Sheridan "carrie sheridan"
imagine EVER feeling ok again -

reading Other People's stories of equally badBadBAD pain and the most difficult circumstances... and how these truly FaithFull people went through it with faith ---

these people are NOT "drinking the koolaid" - they're just good people living through their ordeals with a dependence on God and leaning on the same God they realize has given them every good thing in their lives...

sometimes, some things are not about going to therapy, medications...

it's just about the hard-to-take realities of life - tragedies an d hardships that you realize have struck everyone through the ages... but that doesn't seem to help a whit - except in reading the blow-by-blow, play-by-play descriptions in this book ---

i can't say enough about this book - except that It Helped me to grow up, to accept suffering as part of life alongside all the joy and good things, to realize it's just part of being human in the Family of Man and always has been... and so it had to be all right...somehow...

years ago it occurred to me that in life "although things may be going badly, they are never going wrong"...

this book helped me find the peace about that truism... and i have never felt alone in sorrow or suffering since reading it.

thank you, jeff cavins and everyone, for this insight into what it means to be human ~

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