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Rating: 
Summary: Powerful and Gripping
Review:
I would have to say without a doubt this is one of the most powerful and gripping memoirs I have ever read. So much turmoil and tribulation for this woman and her family and yet through her undaunted courage she survives to tell this remarkable story we all need to hear!
Another good read: Nightmares Echo by Katlyn Stewart and Lucky by Alice Seabold
Rating:
Summary: A compelling story but not for the unemotional
Review: Amazing story of a woman and her families brave journey through sexual assault, forgiveness and the brave choice to life over an easy way out.... there are several ignorant reviews from people who have not read the book - this book is not about race - this book is about having the courage and faith to overcome hardships in life - this is not a sympathy plea book - for the millions of women who have encountered sexual assault this is a journal of comfort and hope. From the opening chapter when Heather gives birth to a still born baby you realize this woman has more strength than you could ever imagine... God can use any situation for good -if we let Him lead.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling story but not for the unemotional
Review: Heather Gemmen and her family attended a church whose mission was to achieve racial reconciliation among the predominantly Caucasian congregation and the predominantly African American neighborhood. Often times this seemed like an impossible mission as Heather and her family struggle to cope under dismal living conditions. Heather herself feels self-conscious about the way she truly feels about her neighbors. Instead of reaching out, she wishes for alternative circumstances that would move her family away from it all. One night Heather wakes to find an African American man in her bedroom. He ultimately rapes her, while her children lay asleep in their bedrooms. Despite her devastation, Heather becomes convicted in her heart about the morning after pill that is prescribed to her. "Wasn't this abortion?" was the question that plaqued her mind. After seeking the prayers and guidance from trusted church members and friends, Heather takes the pill. Unjustly Heather finds out she is pregnant - no doubt the baby in her womb - the result of her rape. Ironically, prior to the rape, the Gemmens wanted a third child, hopefully a girl. With stark honesty and a poetic voice, Heather shares her story of restoration. After struggling and pondering over options, the Gemmen's decide to keep their biracial child - a beautiful brown baby girl. Heather's experience is a testament to the awesome power of forgiveness and love that can only be found through faith in God. -- reviewed by Tyora Moody for Christian Bookshelf
Rating:
Summary: Reads like moving fiction
Review: Heather Gemmen delivers the honest account of her journey from rape to restoration in Startling Beauty. Heather and her husband, a young white couple, were living out their convictions about racial reconciliation in a tough, predominately black, inner city neighborhood when their faith and marriage were tested beyond unbelievable limits. The author, who had also faced the stillborn birth of her third child and infertility in the year before being raped, details her raw struggle with racism, fear, marriage, loss, abortion, and faith. She trumpets the message that only God could turn a woman's worst nightmare into something beautiful. The opening chapters of the book provide the backdrop for Heather's moving story. She retraces the steps that led her family into the inner city neighborhood where they lived and eventually caused them to question their wisdom and safety in such a move. During this unsettling time, Heather and her husband buried one newborn and tried to become pregnant again. Their local church, which was also committed to racial reconciliation, provided invaluable support in their struggles. Eventually, the Gemmens find peace in their circumstances and decide to stay in the neighborhood. But their peace is intruded upon one night while Heather's husband is away when a black man enters their home and rapes her. The author portrays each of these events with an honest admission of her feelings. The reader is given a rare and privileged glimpse into the window of another person's soul and the wrestling with thoughts that goes on in that private place. Heather headlines each chapter with her private thoughts and battles. These thoughts are directed at her attacker, revealing what she would say to him if given the opportunity. In the prologue, the author describes her lack of courage to share her story: 'Do you see? Your few minutes of ecstasy haunt my entirety. Because of you, even words turn against me. How else will you rape my life?' Chapter seven walks the reader through the reality of abortion and the choices left to a rape victim. In the wake of such brutalizing, Heather must decide what to do about a potential pregnancy. She begins this chapter with the words, 'Do you have a conscience? Do you ever wake up in a cold sweat at night and wonder what you have done? I do. You have raped, but I attempted murder. In the final analysis, Startling Beauty is real and unbelievable at the same time. Heather's account reads more like a moving work of fiction, though the reader is always keenly aware of the raw emotions that surround this very real story. At times the writing is flowery with overdone descriptions, but the story itself is riveting. Women will enjoy the author's straightforward treatment of such personal issues as intimacy, rape, loss, and birth. Men may find valuable insights into their role as protector and spiritual leader. Ultimately, Startling Beauty is an incredible story that champions God's ability to bring something beautiful out of the ashes of sin and destruction.
-- Jayne Walters, Christian Book Previews.com
Rating:
Summary: A true story of rape and restoration
Review: This is a beautifully written story of rape and redemption. As I read Heather Gemmen's account of the night of terror and the subsequent results of a pregnancy by the rapist, I was compelled to close the book and reflect on Heather's feelings when she learned she was pregnant by the rapist.With dignity she tells her story and through it all God's grace shines through. I appaud Heather and her husband for putting their faith into action. They are an example of courage, faith and overcoming love. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: great story
Review: what an excellent message this book sends. all we need to do is rape white america and racism will finally end. thank you heather!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful web of lies
Review: What is the guarantee that Heather Gemmen was not having an illicit relationship with that Black man. And then when she got pregnant, she constructed these wonderful lies to fool her husband and the rest of the world and make profits from her lies.
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