Emma Jean Reborn, by Dr. Cupid Poe and Kathi Macias~Reviewed

Emma Jean Reborn
by Dr. Cupid Poe and Kathi Macias
Published by Authorhouse
ISBN 142084816X

Back in Crooked River, Emma Jean takes refuge with her former classmate Sadie and, eventually, in an African-American church, where she begins to learn the secret to overcoming her past and establishing her own identity for a positive future.

This story captivated me from page one. Gut-wrenching and powerful, I found it very much worth reading. I worked for Child Protective Services for 15 years and believe me, there wasn't anything I hadn't seen during that time. Emma Jean's story is just as tragic, however, it provides insight like few other novels do. Many women are are suffering in dysfunctional relationships, one after the other, and haven't a clue why they repeat the same pattern. This novel helps explain some of that. People often say, "I don't understand why she keeps marrying men that abuse her." This story also answers that question. Most importantly, this novel shows healing can occur in even the most damaged heart. Emma Jean had every reason in the world to hate God and everything He represented, yet the hole in her heart that we all possess, still steered her toward God, and she wanted so much to believe in Him. She just couldn't trust, and who could blame her for being skittish? What had happened to Emma Jean was worse than what Dave Peltzer suffered in his biography "A Child Called It." The most impressive aspect of this story-to me-was that the abuse cited happened to an actual person as described. Unfortunately, true life is often much more disturbing than we'd like to think, but if as Christians we reach out to the hurting around us, like the African-American church did to Emma Jean, we can make an impact on people who need Christ. In my opinion, this novel is the perfect outreach tool to minister to abused women searching for hope and healing. This novel was very well-written. I commend the authors for being brave enough to write such an emotionally intense book, and I hope this story really takes off.

Reviewed by Michelle Therese
Writing truth into fiction...digging deeper, soaring higher
Great Beginnings finalist 2005
http://michelletheresewrites.blogspot.com
Writer/fiction reviewer