Mahlou has had an eventful and remarkable life. She survived her abusive childhood and remained strong and resourceful with her own children's disabilities. However, I felt the book skipped around too much and needed to be more in a chronological order. She talked about being an atheist in the beginning, but the way the book was written talked more in the present and how she found God.

I found the book hard to read, but I found her life to be very fascinating and inspiring. ( )

...Mahlou has a total, ongoing, and intimate experience of the presence of a personal God. This is the heart of the book; this is what is compelling about her story...
Read the rest at http://rhydypennau.blogspot.com/2009/... ( )

Elizabeth Mahlou grew up in an abusive home. She tells of her mother stabbing her brother with a knife in the buttocks, and her father throwing a pitchfork and stabbing him with it. Taking an airplane ride had a whole new meaning in this family. The abuse was physical, emotional, and sexual. “The wounds were in the heart and mind and covered parts of the body.” Like most bullies, their mother blamed them for the pain she inflicted.

Did Mahlou’s mother have PMDD? Possibly, however, medicine was not available at that time. Elizabeth knew that she had a problem with rage. She took it out in different ways. She did not beat her children. She believes that rage can be inherited. Perhaps it can, or perhaps it is a learned trait.

I can hardly blame her for the sermon the young Elizabeth unleashed on the congregation of her church. She must have seen them as evil to sit by and allow the abuse to continue. She saw them as hypocrites. Mahlou turned her back on God, because she thought he had turned his back on her.

Mahlou continues to share bits and pieces of her adult life, including her stint in the army. She speaks of her handicapped children. Mahlou fought for equality for her children. Time after time, things happened that many would call coincidences. Eventually, Elizabeth Mahlou came to know them as blessings from God.

One of the most astute statements in this book is “There is a clear difference between an easy life and a good life.” Elizabeth’s life has not been, easy but her adult years have been good.

Blest Atheist is an unusual book. Elizabeth Mahlou has led an unusual life. It is easy to see how intelligent she is. 2/3 or more of this book is spent discussing her childhood. I hope that putting all of that terrible time on paper gives her closure. Many would never be able to forgive such abuse. As Elizabeth has discovered, with God all things are possible. I wish her well and all of God’s blessings. ( )

This is the story of Elizabeth Mahlou's life. It is harrowing and encouraging. She is honest, realistic and humble. The book begins with Beth telling us about how she spoke at a Russian Orthodox church about her role as a Good Samaritan in helping Shura, a boy in Siberia with Spina Bifida. The book is full of how she meets people, how she connects and copes in different countries and how her contacts and friends enable her to help many people. She has multiple degrees, can talk a range of languages and has many fascinating stories, such as how she was one of the only American's allowed in Russia during the Cold War. Yet she does not brag and is not big headed. She is honest and humbled by her truely amazing experiences. She sees all of them as a chance to help others. She talks about her family and the abuse all her siblings suffered from different family members but how they supported each other and looked out for each other, and ultimately survived.

The second part of her book examines how she changed from an atheist to a practising Christian. She talks about how God has always rescued her, had a plan and loved her. How all the "coincidences" in her life were likely to be from God. She relays miracles she has seen, the faith of others and how ultimately her life was changed.

This is an amazing read. Even if you aren't interesting in God or religion this book is inspiring and beautiful. Many lives have been changed through Mahlou's work, and I think maybe will be changed by this book. This is a must read.

9/10 ( )

Blest Athiest follows the life of Elizabeth Mahlou, from her severely abusive childhood to her quest to care for a Russian child with a disabling disease that one of her children have. Mahlou has turned from Christianity as she was raised in a Christian home full of physical abuse. In her teens, she decided to become an athiest because of this. However, during her life, she continues to see blessings coming her way and ways in which she has blessed others. It appears to make Mahlou question her status as an athiest.
Mahlou's writing was very good, but tended to drag on at times. Some parts of the book I was simply enthralled, but with some other parts, I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter. All in all a good read. ( )