Praying for My Life

The story begins in 2003 when West's 35-year-old son, Jeremy, crashes his car and is rushed to the E.R. A day later, his twin brother, Jon, is hospitalized with a potentially fatal case of flesh-eating bacteria. Jeremy, it turns out, is bipolar and often refuses to take his meds; this is his fourth accident in just a few weeks. Jon is addicted to drugs and has been kicked out of rehab. As she sits by her sons' hospital beds, West flashes back to their hyperactive childhood, their father's death at 47 of a malignant brain tumor, their grandfather's breakdown and her regrets over how she handled her sons' turbulent adolescence. It sounds like material for a country-western song, but West, a long-time contributing editor to Guideposts magazine, turns family crises into a heartwarming and even (sometimes) funny collection of stories about trusting God no matter what happens. For her, God is a personal friend who speaks up whenever she needs encouragement: "I am going to use all of this. Nothing will be wasted." Lightening the mood with folksy tales about her late mother, eccentric neighbors and middle-aged romance, West dishes up inspiration with a warmhearted honesty that will appeal to a wide range of Christian women. (Oct.)