Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt by Christi Paul

Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt by Christi Paul ISBN-13: 9781414374130 ebook: 200 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Released: May 18, 2012

Source: A free eBook offer.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Like millions of other women, Christi Paul blamed herself for the emotional abuse heaped on her by her first husband, whose violent, profanity-laced tirades left her feeling as though she had no value, no self-worth, and nowhere to turn for help. Then one day, when Christi was taking refuge in a church parking lot, the verse “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” popped into her head. In that moment she realized she did have someplace to turn after all. Holding fast to her faith, Christi began the arduous process of rebuilding her self-image and regaining control of her life.


My Review:
Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt is a memoir about (primarily) verbal abuse. I appreciate that the author wrote this book. A teenage girl that I care about seems remarkably willing to date boys that treat her poorly, and this book helped me understand better where she might be coming from emotionally. The author explained how she meet and married a man who was verbally abusive, what it took for her to leave the situation, and how she healed afterward. She includes some questions in the back that she found helpful to think through.

The author was very clear that verbal abuse is wrong and no one deserves this abuse. However, one of the author's counselors apparently wanted her to discover so many positive outcomes from surviving the experience that she'd be willing to thank her husband for the abuse. Huh?! That's sick! As a Christian, she should be thanking God for bringing positive lessons and growth from the experience, not thanking the person who did the abuse. Anyway, it's worth reading despite this.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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