Make it Zero

Make it Zero: The Movement to Safeguard Every Child
by Mary Frances Bowley

Overview: This book is basically a collection of first-person stories about people who were abandoned or abused as children and how they've overcome so much. The book is broken into five sections: poverty, hunger, isolation, abuse, and trafficking. Each section has stories of people who have experienced these things and overcome their situations. Then at the end of each section there is a "Take Action" page with ideas about what you can do right where you are. I also liked the ideas on how to introduce these hard topics with your kids and help them understand what kids around them are going through.
Themes: various kinds of child abuse and our part in stopping it
Positive elements: This book is very well-written and compelling. It's short and to the point. I loved all the stories...very sad and encouraging all at once.
Negative elements: It wasn't until the last chapter that God's part in this restorative work was really addressed. I liked how the book showed what each one of us can do, but ultimately, it is God who has to heal these children.
Conclusion: This book is one of those books that you don't want to read because it is better not thinking about what is happening to children all around us. I appreciated that the book wasn't graphic. The truth about abuse was told straightforward but not in a graphic way to just shock people into doing something.
In so many stories, one caring person made a world of difference. I was really encouraged to focus on one particular person that God has already brought into my life and then go from there.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.