Reviews for Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope

The average rating for Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-06-13 00:00:00 James Tallon The central question of this short book was never answered. Two girls from good Christian families (much is made of this, but I can't see how the book would have been any different - other than even thinner - if they'd been atheists) were in a car crash. One was killed and buried without her parents ever seeing her presumably-mangled body. The other lived but was in a coma. The two girls had been the same age, both blue-eyed blondes and from the pictures, quite similar-looking. There was even a picture of the girl in the hospital in a cervical collar with her hair scraped back showing her uninjured face very clearly. So the central question is, how come for five weeks the family sitting with the girl never realised it wasn't their daughter? The girl tried to tell them as soon as she could! Unless they were identical twins, this had to be people deceiving themselves, but who knows? That is the only point of the book and it is never addressed. It would have been interesting to hear a psychologist's opinion of why parents could mistake another child for theirs. I understand the motivation is they wanted the living child to be theirs, but nonetheless, how could they have had a mutual deception this deep and long-lasting and never even had doubts as the girl healed and swelling etc. diminished, that this wasn't actually their child? Rewritten Mar 3rd 2019

Review # 2 was written on 2009-09-08 00:00:00 Ashley Peete I made the mistake of reading some of the other reviews before writing my own. I am shocked by the insensitiviy and callousness of some people. It's one thing to not like the book, it's another to criticize and condemn people who have suffered through this. It seems to be a recurring theme for me lately. Anyway, I started reading this book last night and finished it this morning. Many times I was brought to tears and inspired by the love and devotion people can have for one another. There is a lot of worshipping, and praising God and all that in this book. It really turned some people off. The thing is though, that's what has allowed these people to go through such a horror. I can honor their beliefs and I still chose to skim through some of those passages. The story itself is heartbreaking and inspiring all at the same time. I would like to believe that I would know if it was my own daughter laying before me in an istance like this. However, none of us stood in their shoes, and therefore I, at least, have no authority to pass judgement. At the end of the day several families faced horror and tragedy that night in April 2006, the Cerak and Van Ryn families just got an extra twist in theirs. I was so inspired not only by these families but by their communities' support and devotion. I could only hope that my friends, family and neighbors would show up the same way for me.