The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan

Having felt quite broken in my own life, the title of this book immediately grabbed my attention. The subtitle, "My Story, and Likely Yours Too," made me laugh. I doubt anyone's story is quite like mine. However,the author picked the best title possible for this book. In her book, Morgan tells of how even when doing everything "right" our children and our families can still break. After all, we come from a long line of broken humanity going all the way back to Adam and Eve. As the former CEO of MOPS you would expect her family to be perfect, but that myth is quickly dispelled by the end of the introduction.

I found this book encouraging. My children are only 7 and 14, but many of the experiences of the author have been played out in the lives of my family members. There is so much pressure within the church community to have it all together and for our children to be clean and shiny examples of perfection. However, as Morgan reminds us in this work, our children reach an age of accountability where they are solely responsible for their choices. At times we are to help bail them out and other times God directs us to practice "tough love." Through it all, our love never changes towards our children. If anything, Morgan shares how that love grows even deeper through the learning of life's lessons.

The only part of the book I found a little difficult was the order in which her story is told. Early life stories are told in the end of the book rather than in the beginning. Some of the information revealed in the end chapters would have been helpful to know when reading the stories of events happening later in her life. I would not let this stop anyone from reading the book. In fact, I already know several people whom I will be passing along my copy for them to read.

I highly recommend this book for all parents!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”