Orphaned at a young age and sent to live with relatives who did not want her and did not treat her with respect, Susan Cooper tells how her faith in God managed to get her through some rough times in life. She later earned a doctorate in children's literature. A friend who knew I my connection to the author told me about this book. Susan taught a young adult literature course I took while pursuing my master's degree in library and information science. She tells how she lost that position as the university move more in the direction of the IT side of library and information science--even though she was tenured. She went on to teach at other institutions before retiring in Maine. I learned a great deal about her back story, and, as the title says, it was painful. However, her faith in God caused the journey to be one full of joy as she saw God working in her life. ( )