I would like to first thank every single person in this book for trusting me with their forgiveness journey. Their stories are raw, vulnerable, emotional, and real, and I am beyond grateful that they shared them with me. This book would not have been possible without the love and support of my amazing team: Nena Madonia Oshman and Jan Miller Rich, who have worked with me on all of my books. They provide me with so much love and guidance, and their friendship means the world to me. I am grateful to my editors, Pam Dorman and Jeramie Orton, who have worked on every detail of this book with me and have been incredibly patient and kind. Thank you also to my manager and dear friend Hilary Williams Dunlap, who supports me and fights for all I do and care about every day. I am thankful for Nayon Cho, who patiently and kindly went back and forth many times with me to get this cover perfect. I’m so grateful to my close friends, my amazing family: my mom, who advised me and was an incredible sounding board every step of the way; my sister, Christina, who had the brilliant idea of adding a self-reflection section to this book; my brothers, Patrick and Christopher, and my dad, all of whom supported my writing process and book idea; and my incredibly supportive husband, Chris, who listened, loved, and offered advice as I navigated my way through this book. And to my stepson, Jack, who keeps me laughing always. All of them have listened to each interview, dealt with realizations and struggles I have had, and stood by me as I have gained a better understanding of forgiveness. I am also deeply grateful to Will Thach. I’ve known Will since I was a kid, and he helped me immensely by pushing me in my writing, my thoughts, and listened to me after each of these interviews and helped me make sense of them.
And finally to all the brave people who gave me their time, who shared with me their wisdom, their pain, their heartbreak, and their hope. This book exists because of you. Thank you.
For more information on forgiveness, look into these organizations doing amazing work in the space:
The Forgiveness Project
Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance
A number of those interviewed here have written their own books. I’ve listed them below, in case you are interested in finding out more about their stories:
ELIZABETH SMART
My Story (with Chris Stewart)
Where There’s Hope: Healing, Moving Forward, and Never Giving Up
CHRIS WILLIAMS
Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness
IMMACULÉE ILIBAGIZA
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide (Left to Tell)
Our Lady of Kibeho: Mary Speaks to the World from the Heart of Africa
Sowing the Seeds of Forgiveness: Sharing Messages of Love and Hope After the Rwandan Genocide
A Visit from Heaven
The Boy Who Met Jesus: Segatashya of Kibeho
The Rosary: The Prayer That Saved My Life
The Story of Jesus and Mary in Kibeho: A Prophecy Fulfilled
RON HALL
Same Kind of Different As Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together (with Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent)
What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing
Workin’ Our Way Home: The Incredible True Story of a Homeless Ex-Con and a Grieving Millionaire Thrown Together to Save Each Other
DEBORAH COPAKEN
Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War
Between Here and April
Hell Is Other Parents: And Other Tales of Maternal Combustion
The Red Book
The ABCs of Adulthood: An Alphabet of Life Lessons
The ABCs of Parenthood: An Alphabet of Parenting Advice
NADIA BOLZ-WEBER
Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television
Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People
Shameless: A Sexual Reformation
LEWIS HOWES
The School of Greatness: A Real-World Guide to Living Bigger, Loving Deeper, and Leaving a Legacy
The Mask of Masculinity: How Men Can Embrace Vulnerability, Create Strong Relationships, and Live Their Fullest Lives
SCARLETT LEWIS
Nurturing Healing Love: A Mother’s Journey of Hope & Forgiveness
DEVON FRANKLIN
The Wait: A Powerful Practice for Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life You Love (with Meagan Good and Tim Vandehey)
Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Losing Your True Self (with Tim Vandehey)
The Truth About Men: What Men and Women Need to Know
The Success Commandments: Master the Ten Spiritual Principles to Achieve Your Destiny (with Tim Vandehey)
MICHELLE LECLAIR
Perfectly Clear: Escaping Scientology and Fighting for the Woman I Love (with Robin Gaby Fisher)
SUE KLEBOLD
A Mother’s Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy (with an Introduction by Andrew Solomon)
MARK KELLY
Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope (with Gabrielle Giffords)
Astrotwins: Project Rescue
Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence (with Gabrielle Giffords)
TANYA BROWN
Finding Peace Amid the Chaos: My Escape from Depression and Suicide (with William Croyle)
CORA JAKES COLEMAN
Faithing It: Bringing Purpose Back to Your Life!
Ferocious Warrior: Dismantle Your Enemy and Rise
Victory: Having the Edge for Success in the Battlegrounds of Life (with T. D. Jakes)
SEBASTIÁN MARROQUÍN
Pablo Escobar: My Father