A Place Called Blessing by John Trent with Annette Smith

A Place Called Blessing by John Trent with Annette Smith tells the story about a child who grew up in the foster care system, after the unexpected death of his parents.  As a young man, he had paid his entire young life for a horrendous, yet accidental death of a playmate, he caused when he was six years old playing with matches in the basement of his foster parents.    His emotional story is told in such a way that he honestly accesses the gravity of his actions without excusing it away.  He takes emotionaly responsability for his actions. The irony of the story is the fact that though the main character wanted to keep his shameful secret hidden from those around him, those he lived with and those who showed him love and kindness, those same very individuals which he learned to call his family, would have or should have, by the worlds standards, have been those most angered seeking revenge rather than to offer forgiveness.  The story almost seems unbelievable- it is difficult to comprehend how a mother can forgive someone who was responsible for the death of her child, and furthermore, to accept him into her home as if he was her own son. As a blogger for booksneeze, I recieved a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson publishers for the purpose of writing this review.