When a Woman Finds Her Voice by Jo Ann Fore

Each one of us has wounds and scars. We've lived life and had our dreams shattered, our hearts broken. We feel misunderstood, disrespected. So we fall silent.

Jo Ann wants us to get our voice back and gives us the necessary tools in this book. It will take time and courage to go through the steps of identifying the lies and then replacing them with truth. It will take trusting God that He will provide the safe person, the safe community. It will take courage to admit the pain, give forgiveness, and wait to hear God. But at the end we will be strong enough to overcome our hurts, to make life changing choices, and to break our silence.

Jo Ann knows what she is writing about. She experienced childhood sexual abuse, a twenty year struggle with bulimia, and an emotional and physically abusive “Christian” marriage. She shares her story and the stories of others because she knows it helps us make sense of the pain and realize that we are not alone.

She reminds us that we were born with a voice. But somewhere along the way we were shamed, intimidated, or bullied into silence. We adopt a false voice: “I'm fine.” But remaining silent is at great risk, Jo Ann writes. It prevents us from knowing the depth of God's love and the width of His plans.

Jo Ann offers life skills and practical resources to bring healing. But it will take work. She offers plenty of exercises with questions to answer, advising a time of reflection and application. She suggests using a journal to record our journey. I have barely started the exercises and have already identified areas where I am benefiting from this book.

If you are a woman in need of emotional healing or want to help others in need, this is a great book for you. Even if you are emotionally healthy yet want to understand those who are not, this book would be very helpful.

Food for thought:
“It's something we all long for, especially when we're hurting inside. Acceptance. Approval. Confirmation that we somehow matter.” (51)

Jo Ann Fore is a popular blogger and certified Life Coach. She is passionate about leading women into full, free lives. She is the founder of the virtual community, Write Where it Hurts, where she and her team inspire women daily. She and her husband live in southeastern Tennessee. Find out more and follow her blog at http://joannfore.com/ and 
http://www.writewhereithurts.org/.

Leafwood Publishers, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.