Book Review: Gianna (Aborted...and Lived to Tell About It) by Jessica Shaver Renshaw

"Give your struggles to God and He will just fill you with love and joy and heal your wounds."

--Gianna

Gianna tells the extraordinary true tale of one girl's astonishing transformation from abortion survivor to faithful protector and life-lover. This novel isn't about problems; rather, it's the story of a young lady who is determined to take use of the chances that God has given her.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

At the tender age of 17, Tina was frightened and pregnant. Feeling abandoned and desperate, she stepped into the clinic to have an abortion. But in the midst of it, something unexpected happened . . . something wonderful. Instead of snuffing out the growing life within, the procedure failed. And with defiance and courage, a baby girl made her way into the world.

My reaction to this novel...

I'm not sure what inspired me to start reading nonfiction or true-story novels. Reading about the successes people have after adversity truly astounds me. The choice to read this book was really prompted by a little incident: I took it up ready to read a book, but as I got into it, my attention began to hesitate because I had no idea what the tale was about at first.

I came to see that the novel addresses a very important issue and is particularly pertinent to this age. I was shocked by how ludicrous it was for this problem to start more than a decade ago and continue up until now. It was a topic that really generated a lot of discussion, not just in the media but also throughout the entire world. Even in my school days, I can still recall how divisive the abortion debate was, requiring us to decide where we were on the issue in order to respond to a question on an exam.

I could sense the grace that God had given Gianna as I read the book. I concurred that she had a reason for existing, and I believe she has been carrying out that reason up to this point. I looked for her and discovered that she was still engaged in the cause she is supporting, and I was so moved by how her life had changed as she continued to acknowledge God's support. Because of her, many individuals who went through the same horrors as her biological mother did had their lives altered. She is so strong that she overcame the opposition she faced and spoke her tale honestly.

The fact that many teens are having abortions because they are unaware of what they are about to do was also rather upsetting and honest to hear about in this book. The majority of them did not receive a thorough explanation of the procedure, and since they are still adolescents, they are unaware that the object they are trying to remove from their wombs after having intercourse is actually a human being and not simply a piece of tissue. We can also see in this book that teenagers did not have access to enough knowledge back then or, at least, up to this point when it comes to this topics.

The sides in the argument are pro-life and pro-choice. I have always been a pro-life advocate and have never wavered from my convictions. This book gave me the opportunity to imagine what it might be like for individuals who were aborted but lived. In my opinion, they are not to blame; in reality, they are the victims of this world, and as such, they merit to be heard and taken into consideration. It is quite terrible that it is so simple for someone to take an innocent life in the world we live in, where even abortion wants to be made legal.

I'm aware that there are certain cases in which the baby was produced as a result of crimes like rape and abuse, but that doesn't mean it should be used as justification for killing defenseless infants. Because it takes away the life of an innocent unborn child, I do believe that abortion is the same as murder. There are also numerous instances where premarital sex resulted in the birth of the child, and I find it unacceptable to carry out abortions because of this problem because even teens are aware that having premarital sex increases the likelihood of a pregnancy. Given this information, the unborn babies are not to blame; rather, those who engaged in premarital sex should be held accountable for their actions. They should take responsibility.

As a nurse, I have observed many teenagers before, during my practice, who had experienced post-abortion trauma and had to deal with the horrors of what followed. We were startled to learn that many young people those days attempted premarital sex, became pregnant, and then immediately took steps to remove the pregnancy on their own. As a result, they later visited the hospital and had so many issues with bleeding that their uterus has really suffered damage. Additionally, some of my patients' uteruses before have been harmed because of what they took and did, which makes it difficult for them to conceive years after doing an abortion. Seeing such things was pretty heartbreaking, especially when the patients were really desiring a child years after their abortion but now were unable to have one because of the damage that it had done to both their bodies and their wombs. It was really damaging.

There are a lot of things about abortion that most people these days agree on, but if you meet someone who has had one and is now trying to conceive but is unable to because of her past abortion, you will undoubtedly understand the misery they are through. We recognize that people might not be ready or equipped to be parents at certain times, but what if it was the last opportunity you had to conceive or have a child? It is so easy to say and decide to remove it, but it is so hard to feel when you later want it but will not be able to get it because of what you did.

I wish to suggest this book to teens as well as to parents who are indifferent to problems like these. It's a real eye-opener. As a Christian, I want other Christians to read it as well since we may feel God's magnificence and power in this book. He moved mountains for Gianna and the rest of the believers. He certainly is a magnificent God. I should absolutely add this book to my list of favorites.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

Where to buy this book...