Tana Amen has lived a hundred lives in one. In an incredibly open and honest account of her life, Tana lays herself bare, encouraging readers to look past her outward appearance and see a woman who, despite her past, was able to forgive and transform her life through the help of the Restorer of our souls.

Growing up in a poor yet eccentric family, Tana Amen’s childhood was anything but uneventful. With family members coming in and out of her life, her mother's business ventures interchanging whenever a good opportunity arose, and traumatic events that stole her innocence, Tana learned from a young age what it meant to fight for survival. However, through seemingly endless trials and tribulations, a light shone through the darkness, bringing newfound peace and love into her life.

“As much as we all like happy endings, the trust is we are all works in progress with broken pieces and, hopefully, with repairs. We win, we lose, we carry on. We soar, we crash, we pick ourselves up. Or not. The choice is always our own.” ~ Tana Amen

Before listening to The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child, I had never heard of Tana or Daniel Amen. It was the description (and the dog on the cover) that drew me to request the audiobook on NetGalley. With no idea what to expect, I dove into this memoir headfirst and was stunned at the strength and perseverance Tana exudes through the pages of her life. The love, forgiveness, inspiration, and transformation Tana experienced were remarkable. Despite the heartbreakingly tragic events she had to endure throughout her life, the way Tana picked herself back up and found the strength to live another day had me enthralled.

“Sometimes God calls us to help those we don’t want to help so He can provide healing for the broken parts of us.” ~ Tana Amen

While unconventional, Tana Amen’s memoir is one of hope and faith. God broke through Tana’s thick walls, and he wants to do the same to each of us; however, we have to take the first step forward and accept His help. The road isn’t easy, and change won’t happen with the snap of our fingers, but when we look back and see how far we’ve come, we’ll find the strength and purpose needed to take another step forward.

The Relentless Courage of a Scared Child is an exceptionally written memoir that reads like a novel. I commend Tana Amen for being so vulnerable in the publication of this book. Her story will touch many lives and, I pray, will be the driving force others need to push on and not give up because the race isn’t over yet!

Positive content: 4⭐️
Language: 3.5⭐️ (The audiobooks is censored but I don’t know about the book)
Sexual content: 2.5⭐️
Violence: 2.5⭐️
Age: 17+

Really inspiring and encouraging! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for a copy of this book for an honest review.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I normally don't give memoirs low scores bc its someones life and i gave this 4 stars still (even if it was a bit preachy imo) bc i already knew from the title it probably would be. Really interesting life story to read

Very inspirational book in which the author tells us about her life in a quite brutally honest way, telling about struggles, abuse, healing and faith.
Sometimes some of the things that happened to her are almost too bad to be true, but I guess this is the story not only of what really happened, but also of the way she lived it and felt at the moment.
The narration was a bit slow for my liking, but nothing that can't be overcome easily: I listened at 1.25.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Well, this is a lot to happen to one person. Especially to a child...

However, I'm sorry to say that I don't buy good part of these things. Like, is it really that every. single. male. person. wanted to rape a girl from the age of 10ish to 20ish? Every person! And it's not only bad people she hangs out with, it's people on the street as well.

Also, random people hitting a streetlight because they were looking at her on the beach? Please...

I loved the Mom, really, but I have no idea where she dissipated at one point of a book. It's a mystery!

Shortly, I enjoyed listening to the book to some extent, but I would have NEVER read it.

Where you came from is where you get your strength ~ Daniel Amen
We repeat what we don’t repair ~Christine Langley
Sexual abuse, eating disorders, female insecurities and absent parents drove this story. The author lived in my same childhood area in California and I could relate to the area and the struggles. She also found her faith with Rick Warren and Greg Lori church. But I really don’t know much beyond that.

The narrator was pleasant, articulate and easy to follow along. I can’t quite put my finger on it but something about this story bothered me. I usually enjoy someone sharing their personal experiences, but this felt different.
I didn’t like the book. I did finish it and I’m giving it 3 stars.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson on Brilliance Audio via Netgalley for this free ARC. I’ve voluntarily given my honest review.