Marked for LifeMarked for Life: Choosing Hope and Discovering Purpose After Earth-Shattering Tragedy
by Crystal Woodman Miller with Ashley Wiersma

On April 20, 1999 Crystal Woodman Miller’s life changed forever when she became caught up in the infamous and tragic events that unfolded at her high school, Columbine, in Littleton, Colorado. Only 16 years old, Crystal witnessed the execution-style murder of fellow students in the worst high school spree killing ever recorded in the United States, and was forced to flee for her life. In total there were 14 students and one teacher killed, and 23 wounded. Two of the dead students were the killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who turned their guns on themselves after their hour-long attack.

In the days and months that followed, Miller’s life was turned upside-down as she was forced to deal with grief, shock, post-traumatic stress and survivor’s guilt. In doing so, she began to question the direction in which her life was heading, and to work through the events that will ultimately lead her to choose faith over fear. In this compelling and well-written testimony, she shares her journey from wayward teenager, to victim, to survivor and finally to victor as she takes one moment that has shattered her life and hands it over to God to be used for good. As she travels from Honduras to Kosova, Beslan to Mozambique with the Christian organisation Samaritan’s Purse, she finds herself on her own journey of hope and healing.

A real beauty-from-ashes account of one woman’s journey from tragedy to triumph, I found it hard to hold back the tears as I read of Miller’s terrible ordeal and how she has used it to bring hope to the suffering all over the world. No stranger to tragedy myself (albeit on a smaller scale), I found her story incredibly encouraging and uplifting. Miller describes the suffering after severe shock and trauma with pin-point accuracy…I found myself empathising with her on every page. A must-read for anyone who has struggled to make sense of how God can use personal devastation and sorrow.

Reviewed by Rachel Koopmans