4-Star Review of "Forgiven"

Review of Forgiven

by Terri Roberts with Jeanette Windle

After a son does the unthinkable, how can a mother go on?

On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting ten girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother's story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that none should ever have to face.

But the biggest headlines came when her Amish neighbors did the unimaginable, reaching out to the family of the shooter with comfort and forgiveness. Today Terri lives in harmony with the Amish and has built lasting relationships beyond what anyone could have thought possible. From the grace that the Amish showed Terri's family from day one, to the visits and ongoing care Terri has given to the victims and their families, no one could have foreseen the love and friendship that have been forged from the fires of tragedy.

MY REVIEW:   This is truly an unbelievable story of forgiveness and grace.  To think the Amish families who had lost their children at Charlie Roberts' hands could go to the parents, wife, and children of this man and offer comfort and forgiveness is truly remarkable.   If our own child had been killed by someone, could we forgive them?  Could we help them and socialize with them?  Would we block the media from seeing and filming his funeral?  And as Terri Roberts and her husband, Chuck, felt guilt and pain as they wondered how on earth their precious oldest son could perpetrate such evil on these innocent children, how could they also visit the homes of the Amish and offer love and help to them?   What an unlikely combination of grace and hope!   But the Amish did just that and the Roberts family did just that!   They all reached through their own pain and used it to help others and bless others and most importantly, offer forgiveness.    Terri and Chuck Roberts and their sons and family members also had to work at forgiving their own son, brother, husband, father.   Was that easy?  Did it happen immediately?  No and no.   It took their dependence on God and that is what this story is about.    I did feel at times that detailes could have been left out.   I loved reading about the picnics and teas the Roberts hosted for the Amish families of the school though.   That touched my heart in a big way. 

           I rate this book 4 stars and I highly recommend it to readers. 

           I received a free ebook of this book in exchange for my honest review.   

About the Authors:

Terri Roberts has lived just south of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, for nearly three decades.  She and her husband, Chuck, are approaching the half-century mark in their marriage.  She is a mother of four sons, a grandmother of eleven, including two stepgrandchildren.  They are members of Living Faith Christian Church of God.   She has survived illness and adheres, as a result, to an admirably rigorous diet.   She travels around the world speaking about the Nickel Mines Amish school shooting, forgiveness, and hope.   A documentary is being made of her life story.  For more information, contact Terri, visit her website:   www.JoyThroughAdversity.com or send mail to P O Box 102, Strasburg, PA  17579.  


As child of missionary parents, award-winning author and journalist Jeanette Windle grew up in the rural villages, jungles, and mountains of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. Her detailed research and writing is so realistic that it has prompted government agencies to question her to determine if she has received classified information. Currently based in Lancaster, PA, Jeanette has lived in six countries and traveled in more than thirty on five continents. Those experiences have birthed 16 international intrigue titles, including bestselling Tyndale House Publishers release Veiled Freedom, a 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award and Christy Award finalist and sequel Freedom's Stand, a 2012 ECPA Christian Book Award and Carol Award finalist and 2011 Golden Scroll Novel of the Year finalist. Check out author interviews, reviews, and more at Jeanette's website: www.jeanettewindle.com