The Unburdened Heart: 5 Keys to Forgiveness and Freedom

Having written thoughtfully and persuasively on women, competition and American sports culture, Nelson now detours out of sports writing; yet her latest book emerges from her previous writing as well. The lengthy process of coming to terms with having been sexually abused as a teenager by a coach and the larger phenomenon of coach/athlete abuse that she discussed in The Stronger Women Get, The More Men Love Football have led her to write this accomplished and engaging book about forgiving others. The book is constructed around what Nelson calls the ""five keys"" of forgiveness: awareness, validation, compassion, humility and self-forgiveness. Woven into Nelson's own story and her cultural and intellectual analysis of forgiveness are the often inspiring stories of people who have forgiven (or sought to forgive) both unimaginable crimes and everyday betrayals--such as rape, torture, the murder of children, adultery and the abuse of authority--and the peace and strength they seem to find. Whether it is entirely in everyone's interest to become a forgiving person is a question Nelson acknowledges, if gingerly and without resolution. She also acknowledges that forgiveness is a complicated, messy, never-ending business, and that victims do not always shine with innocence. Yet in seeking to apply her simple rules of forgiveness to all things significant and insignificant, Nelson sometimes minimizes her message. As with so many self-help books, while the person who is most completely served by the book is probably the writer, most people will recognize at least a little of themselves in this considered and eloquent volume. (June)