Book Review: Healing the Wounded Heart

Dan Allender, author of many wonderful books, is perhaps best known for his book The Wounded Heart, first published over 20 years ago. The Wounded Heart was a compassionate and wise book about sexual abuse. Now, in 2016, he again shared his wisdom and compassion in Healing the Wounded Heart: The Heartache of Sexual Abuse and the Hope of Transformation (Baker, 2016).

Although the sin of sexual abuse is not new, Dr Allender writes at the outset of the new face of sexual abuse. Increased "sexual liberation", pornography, and the hook-up culture have led in many regards to deep harm. He wrote, "Bottom line: sexual harm has been normalized in a sexually indulgent and demeaning age" (page 29). Yet the more things change, the more things stay the same. Girls and boys, women and men continue to experience the fallout from sexual abuse. The author explores the many ways this trauma presents--physically, psychologically, and relationally.

In the second half of the book, Allender begins to shine a light on "the healing path" a path that also deals with emotion, relationship, and body. Having dedicated his life to this work, Allender is not naive; he is fully aware of the hard work, but he is also a ambassador of hope.

A copy of this book was provided to me by Baker Books in exchange for this review. I was not required to provide a positive review. The viewpoints discussed are my own.