Running With Angels: A Book Review

"Running With Angels" by Pamela Hansen is a book about a mother who endures the loss of 2 babies (one to a fatal heart condition and the other as a stillborn for unknown medical reasons). She medicates herself through food and slowly puts on more and more weight as she struggles with her emotions and raising her children. One day she decides to go for a walk to help clear her mind. Pam begins using these walks as a way to work through her grief and start to feel better about herself. She eventually joins Weight Watchers so which she discovers she's 100 pounds overweight. This is Pam's story of loss, grief, weight gain and loss, a journey to a marathon, and eventual triumph over her bad habits.

I really enjoyed this book..as you can tell..

Okay, I'm a total geek... I shouldn't be left alone with a camera.

This book really touched my heart in so many ways. I tried telling my sister about it and um, yes, proceded to bawl like a baby. The author writes so honestly about her loss right off the bat. She describes the emotions of a child dying and then having to carry on for her other children. I've never experienced that level of loss before (and pray I never do), but I think any mother can recognize the amount of grief she must have felt. I also could relate to Pam's weight struggles. No, I've never been 100 lbs overweight, but I've encountered the same demonds with food and being disgusted with myself and body.
I thought this book would be more about the author's running a marathon and that journey, but that really isn't the main point of the book. She does go over what worked for her and the day of her first marathon, but other than that, it's a very personal story about physical and emotional health. The book is short at only about 250ish pages, so it won't take long to read. I would definatly recommend the book, although have the tissue handy! It's the only book that's ever made this lady cry!!
You can check it out on Amazon here
Or save yourself the hassle and go to the library if you're a cheapo like me! :)