Susan Call's A Search for Purple Cows ~ Reviewed

Purple Cows and Other Miracles
Susan Call
Release Date Jul 1, 2013
Publisher Ideals Publications
ISBN 0824934415

Back Cover:

A wife and mother’s amazing journey out of domestic abuse into a life fully restored. A whimsical comment from a kind stranger, “Be sure to search for purple cows,” brings hope to a woman and her children fleeing from a life filled with trouble. Susan Call reveals how painful a relationship can be when love deteriorates into a cycle of abuse and betrayal. Her moving memoir chronicles how she first met her husband, a handsome, stylish, generous man whom she worked with. Their life seemed idyllic—they had a beautiful home and everything a family could desire. But soon, Call was tormented by her husband’s alcoholism, domestic abuse, and infidelity. God found her in the midst of her pain and showed her that a journey toward Him was possible even in the most unthinkable circumstances.

Review:

A Search for Purple Cows follows Susan Call’s journey to a life of freedom in Christ. It relates how her fears and insecurities trapped her in a spiritual and emotional prison and led her into a dysfunctional, abusive marriage. It also details how, through a budding faith in Jesus, she was able to escape her hopeless life and find wholeness in Him. However, the story doesn’t stop there. Purple Cows goes on to tell how Susan struggled to provide for her children and make a new life for them, and how, as a part of that, she found the strength to forgive her ex-husband. Susan’s testimony is as challenging as it is encouraging, and truly points to the incredible power of God to bring freedom and healing.

This book was simply a pleasure to read. I flew through the 228 pages in a matter of hours, and I will definitely re-read it in the future. The mistakes that led Susan to enter into a manipulative, volatile marriage are so relatable. As a reader, I could totally understand her struggle. The lies that kept her trapped in an abusive relationship were the coping mechanism that she used to survive, and any one of us would likely fall into the same deception. Yet, in spite of how common the trap she fell into was, her escape from it was truly remarkable. God pursued her unrelentingly and proved himself so faithful in her life. He protected her, guided her, and even challenged her as she began to trust more deeply in Him. As the story unfolded, I was reminded that God still performs miracles in our lives, if only we will stop and recognize his hand at work. Susan encourages her readers with the metaphor of “searching for purple cows.” She explains how that phrase has come to mean so much more to her than was originally intended, saying that “Too often in life we limit ourselves to what can be seen, and we define what is possible by the limits we have experienced… Choose to believe with childlike wonder in what lies ahead, rather than focusing on what you’ve left behind. Only then can you in earnest being your own search for purple cows.”

Reviewed by: Shea Nolan