In these inviting and engaging stories, readers will meet people who have had to confront a wide array of harsh psychological and situational realities: heroin addiction, anorexia, suicidal impulses, living in a refugee camp, being homeless as a child, domestic violence, the death of an infant son, being on death row, and many more. Told in their own words, as expertly edited by Cliff Williams, these stories display people who have found meaning in their lives through long and fervent struggles. Empathize with Ellen in "Found Dead" and Sara in "Betrayed by My Husband." Walk alongside Katie in "Finding My Birth Family" and Evelyn in "Burned in a Flash Fire." Be delighted when Lora in "Homeless as a Child" and Stephanie in "A Schizophrenic Mother and an Abusive Father" become something they never thought they would be. These stories are both enlightening and inspiring.