The Real Me: Being the Girl God Sees

As a best-selling recording artist, Grant looked the part of the all-together Christian female performer wowing crowds with her vocal gift and her graceful stage persona. Behind the scenes, however, it was a grimmer reality. Here, Grant recounts the first time she experienced revulsion after having vomited her food into the nearest commode. Though this bulimic ritual normally rendered Grant a sense of exhilaration, this time she felt utter shame, jumpstarting her journey toward making peace with her identity and appearance. In retrospect, Grant's initiation into bulimia came easily when as a college freshman she'd tried to retain ultimate control over her life by attempting to stay in the good graces of an outwardly focused boyfriend. After years of hiding her disorder, eventually unsuccessfully, Grant realized the need to look within and to God for healing. She uses Bible verses, stories of biblical female characters, and short, pithy devotional readings to urge girls, teens, and women to look to eternal markers as true indicators of their worth. With a soulful intensity, Grant succeeds both in retelling her painful path to freedom and in challenging women to stay healthy, be strong, and live joyously, unfettered by society's unrealistic definitions of beauty and value.