Ouch: Review

July 7, 2000

Ms. Susan R. Germanson
5849 Ensign Avenue North
New Hope, MN 55428

Dear Susan,

Thank you for inviting me to read your new book, "Ouch! Life Can Hurt but Healing is your Choice." It is profound. It touches every one of us who has experienced the pain of loss, including my family. It gives us hope again.

People have written about pain and loss for decades. What makes your book unique is the realistic and uncomplicated approach to making personal choices for recovery. "You can make it work or make it worse." We all have the power to manage those choices. But sometimes we need a coach.

Your book is our coach to healthy recovery. It divides our grief into manageable issues. The workbook helps us work through each emotional issue before moving on. We reflect. We pause. We take time to think and heal. We take time to feel the pain so we can move on with our lives.

Your personal experiences add great depth and credibility. You understand. You've been there. You have passion for helping others because you know what it's like to flounder before learning to fly again.

Your book will be a tremendous service to anyone who has experienced pain, but especially for those who have experienced the long-term effects of domestic abuse and abandonment. It will help rebuild self-esteem in the survivor. It will help others to understand the difficult challenges facing the survivor.

Congratulations on an outstanding work. Your willingness to donate partial proceeds from the book to the fight against domestic violence is a generous commitment. I wish you great success in spreading your message far and wide. It will have life-changing impact on your readers. I recommend this book to anyone.

Sincerely,

Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge
Assistant Majority Leader
Minnesota