Miracles and Other Reasonable Things

September 2, 2019
“I will learn what it is to be an ordinary miracle,” Bessey (Out of Sorts) declares as her goal in this intimate, contemplative investigation of how she rediscovered God in her daily life. By sharing fears, insecurities, and flaws, Bessey will draw readers into her emotional story, which she was inspired to write after a terrible car accident left her with head and spinal injuries and soft tissue damage down her left side. As she begins her recovery, Bessey ponders her relationship with God. While she’s expected to fully heal, her convalescence takes longer than she anticipated. She eventually travels to Rome to briefly meet the pope, where she also encounters miraculous healing during an encounter with two priests. “The pain evaporated like a bad dream upon waking,” she writes. Believing that God had blessed her with a “new normal” Bessey struggles with continued pain and her own stubbornness in believing that she must participate in her healing, as well. She eventually dedicates herself to self-care, including keeping doctor appointments, taking medication and vitamins, and adjusting to what her body tells her. “I began to experience God as mother in my life,” she says. In the end, she learns “to clasp hands with miracles as the spiritual discipline they were perhaps always meant to be.” Bessey’s moving exploration of how trauma changed and strengthened her relationship with God will appeal to fans of Barbara Brown Taylor. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books & Such Literary Management.

October 1, 2019

Beginning with the devastating effects of a car accident, Bessey (cohost of the Evolving Faith Conference; Jesus Feminist; Out of Sorts) describes how that moment impacted both her physical and her spiritual life. Realizing that her idea of miracles "was too narrow and restrictive," she describes her faith, past and present, through her experiences as a mother, wife, writer, and noted lecturer on spirituality. Bessey weaves encounters pre- and postaccident, including the opportunity to meet Pope Francis, which she recounts as a complicated experience, as well as her glimpses of living "a life of shalom," or faith in God's abundance. The author concludes by sharing her story of learning to pray again and accepting a life, and a body, that is different from the one she is used to. VERDICT Blending theology and memoir, Bessey's latest is a well-written reminder of seeing the miracles in life's highs and lows.--Karen Venturella Malnati, Union Cty. Coll. Libs, Cranford, NJ

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