Bringing Elizabeth Home : A Journey of Faith and Hope

Rating:
Summary: Left me with a bad feeling
Review: This is one of the few times when I've read a book and found myself unable to complete it. The ghost writer did a fine job with what she had. The book is literate, the grammar is correct. Many of the passages about Faith are actually moving but this thing is so distasteful that I don't want to say anything good about it. A young girl is kidnapped, molested, held hostage and her dad writes a book about it so the "true" story can be told. Ick. The whole thing left me with a very bad feeling. I'm sorry I read it.

Rating:
Summary: Something is NOT very wrong here!
Review: In response to the previous review, there are not inconsistencies in the story. First, The name of the actual kidnapper was identified to police months before she was found, but was not fully acted upon until John Walsh announced it on TV. Second, like I said before, it was not "magically" 9 months later that they gave the police the kidnapper's name, and the kidnapper did not associate with the family and was only working on the roof of the Smart home for a few hours on one occasion. Last, I believe she did not cry out to anyone around her because she was doing all she could to survive. The kidnapper had a terrible hold on her through verbal abuse and threatened her constantly. Pregnant? She is 14 years old - I don't see why people think the Smarts sent their daughter away because she was pregnant. The main point of the book is to show everyone that miracles do happen through faith. They are not using their daughter's story as a ploy to make money. It is one thing to have faith and another thing to be kind and generous to those less fortunate in our communities. The Smarts through the goodness of their hearts helped many people through odd jobs they needed done, only to be backstabbed by a criminal. Get the story right. Also, in response to another previous review, the point of this book was not about Elizabeth's ordeal, which should be kept private for her sake. The book is about the faith the Smarts held on to and the journey they went through for those nine months, hence the title of the book "Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope." Let's hope others who read this book will see the good in the Smart family and realize the message they are trying to send, rather than be like those who get pleasure out of criticizing and accusing others. The Smart family and Elizabeth are an example to us all.

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking and heartwarming
Review: This book was very powerful. I read all of it in one sitting. I just could not put it down. The whole tale of Elizabeth Smart is inspiring and a true miracle. Her family, her parents especially, are very strong people that I admire. It is wrong for people to assume they wrote this book for money. You do not know if that is true and how can you have so little compassion that you would actually insult a family that went through something so terrible. I truly respect Ed and Lois smart and I thank them for sharing Elizabeth's incredible journey with us.

Rating:
Summary: Something is very wrong here!
Review: Ok so here is the book we have all been waiting for detailing the kidnapping and rescue of Elizabeth smart. Except its not.
Here is the book by the parents who invited strange men into their house as handymen, virtually ensuring their daughter would be kidnapped and then they went on to write a book so they could make a pot full of money. The book itself lacks information and is basically a big piece of propaganda about faith. Faith is great but its one thing to have faith and its another to hire handymen with criminal backgrounds and let them hang out alone with your teenage daughters. Did the bible command the smarts to allow strangers into their house???
A few other problems are presented by this book, beyond the mere profit taking of it all. The Smarts don't clarify a number of inconsistencies in their story. First, why did it take so long for them to give the police the name of the fellow who actually kidnapped the girl, he had worked for them but somehow they just forgot to mention him, fishy! Second the book doesn't resolve how it is that magically after 9 months(the term of a pregnancy) the Smarts suddenly remembered this odd and terrifying character who they had knowingly let their daughter associate with. Lastly the book doesn't explain how the daughter suffered from the so-called 'Stockholm' syndrome. This is totally ridiculous. If the daughter, as we are told, was shown the posters asking for her return then she knew her parents wanted her back, so then why when she was at a party dressed in a burkha did she not cry out? Totally fishy! The burkha would have disguised a woman who was pregnant, oddly enough.
This book is a waste of time, it doesn't answer many of the questions about the Smart family and in the end reads like a wet tortoise, slow and not easy to get a handle on.

Rating:
Summary: Not Impressed
Review: I was not impressed...I guess I would have been if I wanted to join the LDS church, but this book lacked detail and seemed to be Ed and Lois' attempt to make money off of thier kidnapped daughter. This book left a bad taste in my mouth.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! I laughed and cried!
Review: I read this book in one sitting and I found it to be fair, warm and filled with interesting details and an overpowering feel of love. The glimpse into their religious beliefs was interesting and I appreciated it.
I held my breath waiting for news of Elizabeth the entire time she was gone and this book made me feel like a part of her extended family -- as were more people during that time.
This book is honest and true. It is not a publicity ploy. It was interesting to read how Ed and Lois fought off the personal attacks that arose during this hard time. I often wondered about that.
Great book. Well written. Interesting. Heartfelt.

Rating:
Summary: Bringing Elizabeth Home - Interesting but lacking in Info
Review: While I found this book interesting in understanding the daily on-goings of the Smart family and it did shed a new light on them as a morman family, I was quite disappointed that there were not more graphic details of Elizabeth's daily life with her abductors. I understand however that they want to protect her privacy and the criminal investigation which will eventually lead to Mitchell and Barzee's trial. I found it fascinating that the local police that were handling the kidnapping case did not want to reveal the lead of "Immanuel" to the public sooner, and that if it weren't for John Walsh leaking it on his show, who knows how this would've all ended up. No doubt an interesting book but lacking specific details of Elizabeth's daily struggle as a kidnapped victim, and on her whereabouts and daily routine during her captivity.

Rating:
Summary: Very Well Written, and educational
Review: This book did straighten out a lot of things that were in the news. There were a lot of conflicting stories floating through the media and this book tells what was true and what was false. Yeah they were telling how the police messed up but if you think about it police are human beings just like us they make mistakes but when it is your child who is missing those mistakes or overlooks can and will mean everything to you because in your mind all of those mistakes and overlooks could very well make it so it either takes longer to find your child or it could mean your child may never be found because they are looking at a suspect and ignoring you when you believe that suspect does not have your child. I also liked the scriptures the Ed and Lois have included in the book, I am also LDS and for those of you who are not LDS (mormon) and you are interested in the church I would encourage you to attend their services and do your own investigation and when in doubt pray and ask the lord for guidance and he will direct you.

Rating:
Summary: A Book That's Evidence of Miracles
Review: This book's very title is one I had never thought the public would see, since Elizabeth Smart was missing for so long...but she's home! It was wonderful to see this book on the shelves and it's a terrific read besides. It also made me curious about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, since the faith of Elizabeth's parents, who are members, is so strong and inspirational. Welcome Home, Elizabeth, and thanks, Lois and Ed, for writing your story!

Rating:
Summary: Heartfelt, but empty
Review: First of all, I'm only halfway through the book, but I came here to read other's opinions of it to see if everyone was having the problem I am. Unfortunately, it seems to be true. I did not purchase this book as a means to read salacious details of Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping, which, coming from her religious parents, would have just been downright creepy; or details that may jeopardize the case. I did come here because I am fascinated by the LDS religion and, in particular, the lifestyle. I have friends who are LDS and have spent time among them. This book reaffirms my point of view that they are as optimistic, generous, and loving a society as I have ever encountered. The book is littered with references and expressions of gratitudes to those who helped the Smart family in their time of need. But, so far, that's all there is. The minute details that I have gleaned are lost in the litany of "thank yous" that interrupt the narrative. These could have been saved for an epilogue. I do think the book provides an insight, however unintentional, into the mentality and culture of an LDS family. The numerous references to faith and God, and the vignettes of community and the importance of the role of family and the Smart's local ward, give nuggets of a life a Gentile like myself have never experienced. What is lacking and, ultimately, hampers the book, is the Smart's refusal to deal in any detail with their emotions. All I've gleaned was that the days were awful and they leaned on each other for strength. Well, at one point, the book points out that their personalities had never been tested because their life had been so perfect; but with this trauma, it brought out the unknown differences in each of them, sides they had never seen. What were these sides? As quickly as it was brought up, the subject was dropped. I hope it's an issue that's revisted later in the book, but nothing gives me any hope for it. Even in a nonfiction book, the reader wants not only incidents and a recalling of events, but insight into the players. If not Elizabeth, then the parents. It would make their "journey of faith" even more compelling. I give their life, their strength and courage, FIVE STARS, but their book, due to its vagueness, three. Personally, the details of LDS life were enough for me. I just there was more I could know about these people so I could have more empathy than just simple curiosity. Then again, just having their daughter home probably means more than my opinion. As it should.