This is an autobiography written by Dorothy J. Newton. She has penned down the part of her life in which she was abused and betrayed by the man whom she considered to be her true love. But this book has more to offer than mere details of the pain she endured. All through her life, Dorothy did not quit her faith in God.

From an early age, Dorothy had witnessed domestic violence in her home. Her stepfather was an excellent person in the day time but at nights he became a monster who kicked, pushed and shoved her mom bitterly. Dorothy and her siblings were terrified to the bones when they heard her mom’s painful sobbings, but they could not gather enough courage to intervene. Her mother was getting seizures and was sick most of the times. Dorothy was scared for her mom’s well being. Her mother was unable to get a job as she didn’t get the opportunity to study in her childhood, but somehow she managed to land a job in a school as a custodian. She started saving money for the future of her kids. Dorothy was excellent at academics as well as athletic activities, and soon she received a scholarship from a college. She remained faithful to God and her studies. She became close to a guy, named Kenny J. in her college during these days. When Kenny started talking about marriage, Dorothy found herself in a dilemma as she did not wish to sacrifice her studies and wished to have a career. Soon she and Kenny drifted apart. During her college days, her step dad died and her mother’s condition started worsening. Before his death, her step dad has shown symptoms of change in him and was showing interest in Dorothy ‘s faith in God. She thought of herself being closer to him and felt excited to have his dad back- finally. That’s why the news of her dad’s demise shattered her. Her unwavering faith in God helped her in overcoming this emotional crisis. Soon after completing her college, she started a job in Dallas. This is where she met, her future husband, Nathaniel Newton- an NFL player. The way they met is an exciting story and I would suggest the readers to read it in her own words. Anyway, after a lot of persuasion from Nate’s side, they started dating. He respected Dorothy ‘s relationship with God but did not agree to accept Christ into his own life; he did not feel he was worthy of devoting his life to Christ. She did not mind his argument in this context, rather praised his honesty. She noticed many signs of behavioral issues in him but he was never violent to her, so she did not think it was a deal breaker. When love strikes, it becomes hard to separate the right from wrong and this was no exception in her case. Although she always believed in having a sexual relationship after marriage, but she could not control herself and gave in to her strong urges. They slept together regularly after that though she was on pills, soon she conceived. When she broke this news to Nate, he said many mean things and became very angry but in the end, accepted the reality. At the time, he was living with friends and so he offered her to stay in the same apartment. Though reluctant at first, she agreed to stay in their apartment. Later, she gave birth to a handsome baby boy “Tré.” Nate asked Dorothy to resign from her job and take care of Tré. After a lot of considerations, she finally resigned from her job and they both moved to a small house. Things were fine in the beginning, but then Nate’s behavior changed drastically. He started coming home drunk and late at night. He demanded Dorothy to cook a meal for him in those late hours. To avoid an argument and from Tré to wake up, she fixed something for him to eat. But things worsened and he started disappearing for days. She was not sure what to think of it. In the morning, he was- dramatically- in a different mood and was apologetic for his behavior and actions. Gradually he started shoving, pushing, grabbing, and abusing Dorothy. One day she told him that she wants to leave him. On hearing this he waa first angry but later he asked her to trust him and that he will change. For days, he was good and she believed that he changed. They got married and later decided to conceive again. She gave birth to another handsome boy whom Tré lovingly named King. Her pregnancy days were also full of Nate’s abusive actions and she was feeling ashamed of believing him and conceiving his child. She cried and prayed to God to help her out. Jobless and moneyless, she had nowhere to go. Her only source of income was from arranging Nate’s appearances in commercials. After a lot of twists turns, beating, shoving, evidence of Nate’s infidelities, begging, praying, finally she decided to file for divorce. This was not an easy divorce but with her strong faith in God, constant motivation from her friends, she got through it. Today she is a well-established lady who is helping others in raising their voices against domestic violence. Her kids are all grown ups and well settled in their lives. Nate has married the second time and is trying to make  a change in her life. Also, he has finally accepted Christ in his life.

This book is a thought provocative piece of writing. While reading her story, I was taken on a ride of never ending emotions. I could not help but be angry when she took a decision of quitting her job, I was furious at her when she cooked Nate a meal whenever he came home drunk and demanded it, I could not help but feel sad for her whenever she described being beaten up by her husband, I was mad at her when she kept trusting Nate’s promises to change a millionth time, I felt overjoyed when she finally got rid of the terrible husband of hers, and I did not like when Nate decided to mend his ways only when he got re-married. I really wished for him to suffer the pain of loneliness for a while, before getting love again. I wanted him to know the moments of helplessness Dorothy felt when he left her for days, and when he cheated on her with all those women, and also when he beat her up. But isn’t this the foundation of an amazing book to make the readers actually feel the emotions an author is describing? I believe it is.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. Because this book not only describes the life of a woman who went through the act of painful domestic violence, but also of a lady who managed to turn her life around. I am intrigued by her life and her strong faith in God. I recommend this book to everyone. Her fight against an abusive husband should guide and motivate every woman trapped in a similar situation. It is not easy to jot down humiliating and awful memories with an elegance, but Dorothy has managed to do it. I salute the author and wish her all the very best in her quest to anything she desires.