Featured books

Featured Websites

.: Reader Views Kids

Provides book reviews, by kids, for kids

.: Inside Scoop Live

Provides live author interviews for podcast

.: Authors Access

Provides interviews with experts in the publishing industry

.: Midwest Book Review

Provides post-publication reviews

.: Reader Views

Provides book reviews and author publicity

.: LR Communication Design

Provides professional website design and development

.: Blogging Authors

Provides a place where writers and readers meet

.: Review The Book

Provides 5 books reviews on 10 different sites

.: Best Sellers World

Provides book reviews and author features

.: Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Provides book reviews and author features

reviews

The Woman Who Outran the Devil: The Extraordinary Story of One Woman's Search for Real Love

Shirley Baskett
Monarch Books (2007)
ISBN 9780825460951
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (1/09)

“The Woman Who Outran the Devil: The Extraordinary Story of One Woman’s Search for Real Love” is an autobiographical account of the author, Shirley Baskett’s life.  Baskett currently resides in Melbourne, Australia with her husband Peter, and was ordained in 1998 as a minister in the Assemblies of God.  Her path to ministry was not the usual one that people in her profession normally follow.  In fact, if you took a look at her life when she was younger, never in a million years would you have seen the call to ministry in her future.

Although her mother had been Christian, her father had rejected the beliefs when Baskett was a girl.  Her mother had emotional issues, and Baskett had a brother who was autistic and required most of the family’s attention.  She even states that, “My mother often commented that it was fortunate that I was an independent baby as she had little time to coddle me.  She could provide the mere basics for survival but she was preoccupied with trying to raise my increasingly difficult brother.” (p.14)   When she was older, looking for a purpose in life, Baskett attended Bible College.  However, after graduating she slipped into a world of sex and drinking that spiraled out of control.  In one moment, while at rock bottom and thinking about committing suicide, Baskett called out to God and her prayers were answered.  She began the process of changing her life path for the better. 

The book is not a lengthy one, and although somewhat choppy at times, the author still succeeds in getting her story out there and her point across.  I think that “The Woman Who Outran the Devil” could be inspirational to many to show people that no matter how bad life can be, no matter how your family life was while you were growing up, no matter how far gone you feel that you are, there is still hope.  It takes a lot of courage to share these intimate aspects of one’s life, and I commend Baskett for putting everything out there on the table.  I found Baskett’s experiences to be very interesting and enjoyed following her transformation into the person that she is today.

  

.: Blog
.: Author's website