Someone's Son: A Mother's Fight for Her Gay, Drug-Addicted Son

A must read Book. Life changing - eye opening - faith enhancing story!

If you have ever walked a mile in Brenda's shoes, than you will find yourself looking in a mirror was you travel this painful journey with her. At times I felt the author had eaves-dropped on my life and exposed my story in loving my son who battles addiction. I shared her pain, I shed tears of sorrow for her struggle to save her son, tears of joy in the sweet victory of Jesus to do what Brenda was unable to. This book will touch your life, open your eyes and help you to understand the torment addition inflicts on not only the addict, but those whose love him/her. I applaud Brenda for her courage to be real, to strip away the layers of denial and to surrender her will to the only one who could truly save Ronal Paul. As the author encourages: I will rejoice always!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended!

Brenda Rhodes' son could be my son. I found myself aching with Brenda as Ronal Paul's story was told. My son is a recovering addict and with each stumble and fall she recounted, I knew how she felt.
Brenda successfully painted the picture of living and loving someone with an addiction. It is not an easy road, but the mountaintop experiences buoy the hope that perhaps "this time" will be the one; this will be the time when they "get it." Then, hope is dashed when a relapse occurs, and the climb out begins anew.
I wept as she described her son's last days. I felt her heart breaking, but I also caught her inexhaustible sense of hope. Without hope, living with an addicted loved one is draining. Brenda carefully crafted the hope she found in the Lord and His Word into her story.
The gritty details of Ronal Paul's misbehavior were tactfully kept private. She gave enough description about what he did to allow reader insight into their nightmare. I admire how she respected her son's privacy and honored his memory by not divulging every sordid thing he did.
The book will encourage and offer hope to families and friends of loved ones suffering with an addiction or other life-controlling issues. She showed the importance of family and how, even when we don't agree with a family member's behaviors and lifestyle choices, that they are loved and respected. Many times it is the knowledge that the family still cares that sustains an addict through dark and trying times.
The last page was the most poignant to me. It was a message to not judge the homeless, the addict, the prostitute, the person different from us.they are someone's son or daughter.
A copy of the book was provided by the publisher.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A True Story of Faith and Trust

This the story of a woman's struggle with her faith and with her son's struggles to find his way in this world and the next. Sometimes hard to read, but very uplifting and faithbuilding. Recommend to anyone who is in need of a spiritual renewal.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a must read!

This book is very powerful. So many things to relate to. Brenda is so open and honest about her life I was very touched and encoraged. I pray that more people can and will be lifted up and seek Gods power.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended for anyone who is hurting and needs a powerful testimony as to the power of a mother's love and her strong faith in Christ.

This is the story of real life. A story that needs to be shared and learned from. Only a strong faith in Christ enabled the writer to get through what she has gone through, actually her whole life. As a child she found strength to do what must be done when no one else was there to do it for her. As a mother she never gave up, even when her heart was breaking. She found that her love for her child overrode her need for her extended family at times. She allowed her faith in Christ to guide her and see her through the unspeakable. And now, through the telling of their story she has found healing that can only come from a risen Saviour.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Heart Wrenching Story of a Mother's Love

Although only a few readers will have experienced the ongoing traumatic trials experienced by Brenda Rhodes in her story: "Someone's Son: A Mother's Fight for Her Gay, Drug Addicted Son" most of us will be able to identify with Brenda's helplessness, uncertainty, and the need to turn to God for strength, comfort and leading in face of our individual testing. Brenda's childhood was a roller coaster of ups and downs as her parents tried to work out her mother's deep emotional problems and her father's attraction to other women, Brenda became angry with God when her father died of a brain tumor at 59 years old. She lived in a state of rebellion against God for the next 23 years. Three broken marriages later, Brenda continued to work at creating a healthy home environment by doubling her efforts to fill the role of dual parenting in her single parent status. Even with all of the difficulties during these early years Brenda was unprepared for the unexpected announcement her 26 year old son Ronal Paul made when he revealed that he was gay. Later he became addicted to drugs, and was infected with AIDS. Rhodes writes of her personal suffering as she fights to maintain a relationship with her family and son as he becomes more demanding, self centered, and belligerent as a result of the drug abuse. Her story will touch your heart, inspire your faith, and introduce a new awareness of the struggle and serious issues involved when sexual abuse robs a child of their innocence. Ronal Paul carried the burden of his abuse under threat from the predator and as an adult became addicted to sex and drugs in an effort to fill the void left through the absence of a father in the home. Although I sometimes found it difficult to follow the timeline of the story because of fragments, back stories and incidents introduced out of sequence, I found I was entranced with Brenda's account, felt an empathy, cried with her at times, felt anger and confusion with her at other times, and was deeply moved as she related her experience of retuning to the Lord at the lowest point in her life of overwhelming crisis. "Someone's Son: A Mother's Fight for Her Gay, Drug Addicted Son" is a timely and important story. Heartwarming, inspirational, and informative. I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes with no obligation to post a positive review. As Reviewed for Midwest Book Review

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very Touching-a must read!

This is such a touching and heartfelt story. Reminding us all that God's love is real for all of us. Most every person has had to deal with one or more of these subjects in Brenda Rhodes book. I would recommend it to everyone.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Mother's Fight For Her Son

Brenda Rhodes just wanted to have a loving husband and raise successful children. Her choices put her in a position that changed her life's course. She had her two children, but her marriages failed for one reason or another.

From her first marriage she had her daughter, Wendi, and her son, Ronal Paul. Wendi had a lot of wit and wisdom. Ronal Paul was the tenderhearted outcast, everywhere, except for his mother, sister and Brenda's brother, to a point.

Someone's Son is the heart-wrenching story of a wayward son and his mother's unquenchable, unending love for him. His lifestyle brought out the worst in him through his behaviors and attitudes. She fought for him with a tenacity that never seemed to end.

The heartbreak of watching a son self-destruct right before your eyes is not a pretty sight. Brenda held nothing back. Her emotions and despair sit clearly on the pages. She describes the good and the ugly about her son. My heart was breaking just reading about her endless, futile efforts to bring Ronal Paul back, despite all her good intentions. She definitely brought out the mothering side of me. This is a very touching, moving story.

Brenda wrote this book as a memoir of her son and to reach out to others suffering with family members who have addictions and other maladies. She doesn't want us to dwell on the ugly side of Ronal Paul's life. She came to realize that nothing she did in her own efforts brought Ronal Paul back to the young caring man she once remembered until she turned her own life over to the Lord and surrendered to His will. This is what she wants the world to know- that lives can change with God in control. Her book is a book of hope and restoration, just maybe not the way she envisioned it. This is usually true for most of us.

I would recommend this book for those who do and those who don't have these issues in their lives. It is helpful in learning how to empathize and bear one another's burdens, pray, and be there for each other, especially family. It shows the undying love of a mother for her son and the undying love of God for His children. She is the first to acknowledge that her book is not a 'how-to,' but rather more a 'hot-not-to.' I don't totally agree with her assessment.

This is also a book about choices-how those choices affect us and those around us. We do reap what we sow, but we also have a merciful God who can redeem our poor choices.

This book was provided by Tina from The Blog Tour Spot in exchange for my honest review.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommend

We ALL know someone who needs to hear this story! We all can relate with at least one of the characters among the family, friends, or co-workers who watched someone they love make wrong choices. Read this story, and let the layers of denial peel from your heart. Brenda gets vulnerable and shares how human flesh is headed for destruction, and how surrender to God and his powerful word enables one to walk through the valley. Brenda had the courage to speak truth to her son (pg 144 quote): "Don't confuse God's unconditional love as being the same as unconditional acceptance. Yes, God loves us even when we are outside of his boundaries, but there are consequences for our disobedience we'll have to live with or live through, or die with." As Brenda's son neared death, she recognized God's love (pg 185): "... I knew God's heart overflowed love and compassion for a mother, a sister, a family, and for a young man who was dying as a result of his own disobedience. No greater love than this." We all have someone in our life, like "Someone's Son".

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Must Read

Someone's son is a great journey of how we are guided and touched daily by people and events, in ways we don't understand at the time. When we get to where God wants us to be we can look back and see the journey in whole and in context and know we are truly led and blessed. It will lift your spirit and give you marvel to see the masters hand. It gave me a new look at an addiction lifestyle and I thank Brenda for sharing it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommend

A wonderful story of a Mother's struggles and the power of God's love.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing story of love and courage.

This book may make you cry. It will show you the grace of God. Brenda does an excellent job of sharing her life and heartbreaking experiences in the hope that her story will help you. Read it or you will miss a blessing.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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