Tuesday, December 11, 2018

The Voice by Sandi Patty

This thought-provoking book traces the author’s journey, which had parallel tracks: on one track, Sandi Patty became the most celebrated Christian female vocalist of her time, and on the other, she was, from a young age, so overly compliant that for many decades that she failed to speak up for herself, losing touch with her own perspective, attitudes and feelings. Sandi Patty describes in this book how she was sexually abused by a female grade-school teacher when she was six. The fear and shame of that time taught Sandi to keep silent and set her on a path of negotiating with herself where others’ voices and opinions became more important to her than her own. Sandi traces the effects of that trauma-induced habit well into her adulthood. This book is written clearly and concisely. It is easy to trace the pattern with Sandi of learning to be silenced and then voiceless. At the end of each chapter, the author includes thought-provoking questions so the reader can evaluate their own ability to speak, with most verses cited in this section quoting a Bible verse that has to do with the voice, including God’s voice. I recommend this book to anyone. If you have not given up part or all of your voice, particularly as a result of childhood trauma, you know someone who has. The Voice will help you understand the perspective of those who have been muted. I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.