Book Review: A Grace Given

As someone who is expecting his first child soon, reading and writing a review on A Grace Given: A Father's Love for a Dying Child was a very tough undertaking. Written by Kent Gilges, this is both an autobiography of Mr. Gilges as well as a biography of his sweet daughter Elie. I must admit that I feel ill-equipped to review a book of this nature, but I will try my best.

Although this is a very sad and heart-wrenching book to read, because one ultimately knows how it is going to end, it is also meant to be heartwarming and a book of hope. I can't think of many books that are able to accomplish all of these things, but A Grace Given does and then some. While reading this book you will run the entire gamut of emotions, and I must admit that I am getting choked up trying to write this review. You will laugh, cry, hope, and fear with Mr. Gilges, his wife, and their family as you read about their daughter Elie and her brain tumor.

I am trying to be objective and fair when writing this review, so I will say that there a few typos in the book, and the timeline jumps a little bit, which can make it a bit hard to follow from time to time. However, I am truly impressed that Mr. Gilges was even able to put pen to paper to write this story, so these minor issues can be ignored. I hope to never experience what he went through, but if I do, I pray I can go through it with half the composure that he did.

I am easily giving this book 5 out of 5 stars, because it is a must-read book. Even though, I have never met the Gilges family, I feel like I know them and went through their painful journey with them. I also feel blessed now, because it reminded me just how beautiful a life with love can be and appreciative of all the blessings in my life. His daughter Elie was a beautiful soul, and her story has touched my life like she did with so many others. This review was written in exchange for a free copy of the book from Scepter Publishers.