cover image I GREW UP LITTLE: Finding Hope in a Big God

I GREW UP LITTLE: Finding Hope in a Big God

Patsy Clairmont, . . W Publishing Group, $14.99 (168pp) ISBN 978-0-8499-1810-0

Best-selling author and Women of Faith speaker Clairmont (God Uses Cracked Pots ; Normal Is Just a Setting on Your Dryer ), once had little hope for her future. As a sufferer of agoraphobia (fear of open or public places), the five-foot Clairmont found herself a prisoner in her own home as a young adult. A high school dropout who married at 17 and was a mother by 20, her sanity was slowly unraveling despite her faith in Christ. After her physician threw up his hands in despair, having already prescribed Clairmont with enough tranquilizers to knock out a horse, he recommended a mental health group called Recovery Inc. It was within the confines of this sensitive accountability group that the author began her journey toward mental and spiritual well-being. As Clairmont learned to focus on healthy thinking patterns and to develop days governed by discipline, she started to stabilize. She expounds upon her painful personal history by lacing this memoir of her early years with humor and optimism. Each chapter highlights an important person in her life and describes how this person influenced her fledgling faith. While countless attendees of the Women of Faith conferences will be thrilled to hear more of Clairmont's life story, some readers may find the text a bit lacking in depth; also, at times the emotional momentum falls flat. Still, Clairmont's candor and hope for a brighter future will win over the hearts of her fans. (Mar.)