Left Standing: The Miraculous Story of How Mason Wells’s Faith Survived the Boston, Paris, and Brussels Terror Attacks

Wells reflects on his close calls with terrorism in this harrowing memoir. His first brush with extremist violence was at the 2013 Boston Marathon; he was several blocks away from the finish line, cheering on his mother, when the bombs went off. Two years later he was in France, serving as a missionary in Rouen (two hours north of Paris), during the attacks on Charlie Hebdo, and in 2016, at age 21 was severely injured in the Brussels Airport bombing. Wells’s religious faith shines brightly as he writes of relying on his belief in God and using prayer to help him recover from his injuries and pursue his dream of attending the Naval Academy. His bizarre and almost unbelievable experiences drive the story forward and make for an enthralling narrative. In the last chapters, Wells shares advice and life lessons, such as channeling hateful impulses into love by writing a letter to the object of your scorn. His reflections are refreshingly mature as he strives to forgive the terrorists and talks of mastering frustration. Wells demonstrates unbelievable strength of character in this stirring book. [em](Nov.) [/em]