Jantsen's Gift had me hooked almost from page one. Pam Cope's memories of the grief that followed the death of her son, and her slow climb back to life, combined seamlessly with journalist Aimee Molloy's beautiful prose.

The pair capture the pain of losing a child almost too well--the first section is a hard read, emotionally. This makes the relief almost palpable when Cope first travels to Viet Nam and begins to embrace life again. The pace really picks up when she's inspired to get involved in helping orphaned Vietnamese children, and then later to help rescue children in Ghana who have been sold as fishermen's slaves by their impoverished families. When I reached the photos in the middle of the book, I was wondering where I could sign up to adopt my own. (Don't worry, it passed.)

The only trouble, for me, comes near the end of the book, when Cope describes choosing which picture to show at a presentation: she bypasses the shining faces of the kids they had rescued from slavery in Ghana, and the orphans in Cambodia or Vietnam. Instead, she chooses the picture of the boy with empty eyes who hasn't been rescued. Then she launches into how much work is yet to be done, and how even little girls have raised enough money to rescue Ghanaian slave children, and there's this undercurrent of "how can you just sit there and do nothing when I sold my 5000 square foot house to help these kids?" that makes me squirm just a little. Is that why she wrote the book, to convince people to head over to Touch a Life and donate enough money to quiet the discomfort in their hearts?

Yeah, probably not. I'm just so cynical sometimes. It's a good book, I'm glad I read it. I should just leave it at that. (More on Worducopia) ( )

To an outsider, Pam Cope's life looked pretty darn perfect until her 15 year old son collapsed and died unexpectedly. This devastating blow sent Pam into a downward spiral that she couldn't pull out of and which made a mockery of her previous life. Her husband held their family together, waiting for the day that Pam decided to face life again. And that day did eventually come, but her priorities had shifted. She knew that she needed to honor Jantsen's memory and to make a difference in the world. This awakening gelled on a trip to Vietnam that she, husband Randy, and daughter Crista took to visit an orphanage started by a friend and to try and escape some of the suffocating grief they felt at home. Not only did the Copes come home determined to adopt the little boy they met in Vietnam who was an immediate part of their hearts, but they had found a purpose for some of the money collected in Jantsen's name after his death: to care for and make a difference in the lives of children who had few others to care for or about them. This wasn't the end of the grief at losing Jantsen or a cure-all for their family but it became a guiding principle that helped them get over the hurdles still in their path (Randy's chance to grieve properly, disappointments over the dispersal of some of the funds, the challenges of starting a non-profit, etc.). Their story is still a work in process. Jantsen's absence will always be a gaping hole but the creation of their foundation Touch a Life is a testament to the great love they bore their son and continue to bear for children of the world.

Each chapter after Jantsen's death starts with the recounting of a short letter to Jantsen from the journal Pam continues to keep years after his death. Cope and Molloy have juxtaposed the grief of losing a child with the admirable and inspiring story of one family who has taken that sorrow and channeled it into something beautiful and full of grace. This is not an easy book to read, dealing as it does with the loss of a child and the horrible conditions, including slavery in which other children continue to live even today. But it is ultimately a hopeful book. If such a sad event can lead to even the smallest spark of hope, it will not be dismissed as simply another tragedy to avoid in conversation. It's hard to critique the writing when the topic is so very personal (I wept copiously as I read) but there were a few bits in the book that made me roll my eyes or wish the narrative line would speed up. These bits were not overwhelming though and so didn't overpower my general feeling about the book which was that this was a moving book that deserves a wide audience. Inspiring and heart breaking, I hope the publicity from the book makes it possible for more children to be saved. Jantsen's life might have been a gift to the Cope family but his family's gift will be an enduring one to the wider world. ( )

Pam Cope is a wife and mother from Neosho, Missouri. She lived through, barely, a parent's worst nightmare - her son Jantsen's sudden death at the age of fifteen. Prior to her son's death, Pam had been searching for something to give her life meaning. She tried excessive shopping, numerous self-help books and so forth. Nothing helped. The grief from her son's death overwhelmed her and added to her feelings of aimlessness. Within the year following his death Pam had no desire to eat, leave the house or do anything but curl up and cry. She sunk into a life-threatening depression.

Many things came together to help Pam climb out of the black hole. One of them was the reassuring voice of God in the quiet of her bedroom. She also had an extremely supportive husband, daughter, other family members, friends and a good doctor.

Once she was back on the road to recovery one of her tasks was to decide how to spend the money given in memory of her son. She searched many charitable projects. She and her husband felt the need to do something for children. Close friends were working with an orphanage in Vietnam so the family traveled to the orphanage to see if this was the right place for the money - Jantsen's gift.

Not only was it the right place for Jantsen's gift but they met a baby there who captured their hearts. This trip was the beginning of a whole new way of life for Pam and her husband Randy. They went on to establish an organization, Touch A Life Foundation, that has also changed the lives of many children.

In addition to Vietnam, they have helped children in Cambodia and Ghana in West Africa. As they say on their website, "The focus of the organization is to stand in the gap for hurting and exploited children." The help they have given children is both financial and personal. They've been able to rescue children caught in life-threatening situations. Many others have joined in with the Copes to help Touch A Life. To learn more about the organization, go here.

I'm very honored to have had the opportunity to read this book. It's one of those books everyone should read. ( )

What an amazing memoir!

When Pam Cope loses her 15 year-old son, Jansten, due to an unknown heart condition, she falls into a very severe depression. Upon invitation from a friend, Pam and her husband Randy, travel to Vietnam to visit an orphanage that this friend has built, and to find a way of coping with her loss/grief. There they fall in love with a Vietnamese child and decide to adopt him. Eventually they adopt another Vietnamese girl - but not before they fall in love with these children and realize that they can use the money that was donated in Jantsen’s name after his death for such a worthy cause.

This memoir chronicles Pam and Randy’s journey to providing children with food, shelter, education and medical care in Vietnam and Cambodia. And eventually to their work in Ghana where children are sold into slavery or prostitution by their families at a very young age. It details the struggles they go through to obtain these children from their "masters" and their work in building the The Village of Hope Orphanage.

I cried (a lot)... I laughed... I was truly moved and inspired. This is the type of book that makes you rethink your life. It is heart-wrenching to read some snippets of the letters that Pam writes to Jantsen and this book is a touching tribute to him.

To find out more about their foundation - Touch a Life, or to make a donation (I already did), please visit their website at http://www.touchalifekids.org/. You can also visit their blog at: http://touchalifekids.blogspot.com/. ( )

Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope
The cover states this is a true story of grief, rescue and grace. The grief began on June 16, 1999 when Pam Cope's fifteen-year-old son, Jantsen, died. The rescue is her account of her work to save at-risk children, and the grace is how she has emerged, not fully whole, but in a much better place and as a better person.

This is very honest account, Pam Cope details the horrible grief she felt, the debilitating depression she suffered after the death of her son, but some of the reasons she started doing the work she did was she saw how many people her son had helped in his short life.

In retelling her efforts to help children around the world, innocent victims of war and human trafficking, she is unstinting in her praise for those who helped her. People who also wanted to help and more importantly, were familiar with the situations and knew the best way to help these children. She is also candid about some mistakes she made along the way, how she learned from them and included some travel tips. Such as, if you are in Ghana and see a man with a string around his waist, he is going to try to urinate on you. (I just couldn't resist telling that)

In short, this is an extraordinary well written account of one woman's efforts to change things for the better. Included is a website to visit to learn more about the charity she and her husband started.

I recommend this book. ( )