The Wounded Spirit

Frank Peretti's fame as a Christian horror writer can easily be understood once you read this soul-baring, heart-rendering account of his early life. Focusing somewhat on the tragedy at Columbine, Peretti tells us of his own wounded spirit at the hands of bullies and insensitive people during his school days. Peretti relates the story of the night of his birth, when his father had to replace a tire in a raging snowstorm. The faith his parents have in God is awesome and he uses a quite unusual object to aid in his repair of the wheel.Peretti is never self-pitying, and he offers some really wonderful insight into the reason bullying is such a devastating occurrence to a withdrawn, self-conscious young male. I'm sure many male readers can share in the terrors that awaited the "different" in phys ed class and the showers.Peretti then goes on to suggest ways we can heal our wounded spirits, and stand up for what we believe in. He also tells us that when we wound, we too should ask for forgiveness.This is not a preachy book, it is well written, and it can be read easily in one or two sittings. It's a joy to read someone who has such faith in his Lord, and is willing to share his past with those who have also been there.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My wife found this book and read it. She then asked me to read Chapter 9 and tell her what I thought. Well, I didn't have to think for long. We ended up reading the book cover to cover, aloud, as a family, one chapter per night with discussion afterward. The first few chapters set the stage for the source of his (Peretti's) wounding - physical deformity and being physically smaller than his peers. But with each page, the list of examples of how a spirit can be wounded grows. Do you have a wounded spirit? Can you remember who wounded you? Can you remember whom you have wounded? The answer is yes to all of the questions.There can be a happy ending, and that is the good news. The cure exists for bullies. All it takes is those who have witnessed bullying day after day, year after year, and accepted it as a fact of life, to stand up and say NO. I refuse to accept this behavior. There is no place here for bullies. The few who bully others only survive and flourish because the rest of us stand meekly by and let it happen. With a united front it can end just that quickly. But make no mistake about it, Mr. Peritti accurately points out the fact that quite a number of the bullies are that way themselves (bullies), because they too have had their spirit wounded. This is a must read for anyone who deals with people of all ages on a daily basis: especially school administrators, teachers and classroom aides in the public and private school systems - no school year should begin without a day devoted to this book. But it does not end there. It is an equally important read for administrators and supervisors in the work place, parents with children; the clergy of all faiths; and counselors - individual, group and family. I plan to share this work with the middle school and high school administration, and the county school board. It is that good.

This book is a MUST for anyone who is involved in any kind of parenting or leadership of children and teen-agers. Mr. Peretti has bared his soul in order to help prevent another incident such as the Columbine High School massacre. It is also literary balm for victims of bullying or abuse, young and old. There is already a strong following as can be seen by going to the Wounded Spirit web site. I encourage everyone to read this book and pass it on; it is time for a change in how we view and treat other people.

As an extremely overweight child (and adult) I suffered through more than my fair share of teasing, taunting, and bullying. When I, with my somewhat volatile temperment, would make some weak attempt at retaliation, I found that I would usually be the one to get punished for it by the "authorities". That was rather confusing to me. Something about that did not seem right. Finally, here is someone with similar experiences with the courage to write about it. Here is someone who agrees with what I knew deep down inside all along, that something is terribly wrong with a society that refuses to take a stand against bullying and abuse, and even implicitly encourages it. Peretti writes this book for the wounded, for those who wound, and for those who have found themselves on both sides of that fence. He writes about the way things could be if society is bold enough to change its mindset and take action. If things don't change, more Columbine-type incidents are inevitable. I hope and pray that this small book inspires more writings on this subject, and more importantly, the healing of thousands of wounded spirits.

Frank Peretti is well-known for novels about spiritual warfare. This is the first non-fiction book he has written and it will impact your life dramatically!!Peretti tells his own story (which he hasn't told openly until only recently) of growing up with a medical condition that left him disfigured and also small and underdeveloped for his age. The first chapter "A Boy's Hell" describes the scene in the boys' locker room when Peretti was in junior high. His story is powerful - you will never forget it! It is brutally honest and it is also hard to read. Your heart goes out to this young boy who has had to endure so much torment at the hands of his peers. The horrific treatment followed him into high school, until finally someone showed an interest in him and in so doing, helped stop the chain of abuse in Peretti's life. The Wounded Spirit is not about only kids being mean and abusive to other kids. This is about our society and how we treat each other. He points out how these problems are also present in adult relationships. He calls the strong people (who might perhaps be the ones being mean) to be the protector of the less strong. Instead of merely telling a moving story and outlining the problem, Peretti has good constructive things that can be done about it. He has advice for the wounded and for the wounders! He has advice for teachers and other adults in charge in those situations where kids are being wounded by other kids. Ultimately, healing can only come through Jesus Christ - through Him, we can break this cycle of victimization and abuse.