Rachel Smiles: The Spiritrual Legacy of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott

by Darrell Scott, Steve Rabey (Contributor)

When Rachel Scott's life was tragically cut short in the Columbine High School shooting, she left behind a group of grieving friends and family. But as stories of Rachel's faith and courage have surfaced, her legacy has grown to include hundreds of people who have been stirred by her example and are now impacting their world for God's kingdom.In this moving book, readers will cherish the encouraging stories of those who are still passing on Rachel's spiritual legacy. Her father, Darrell Scott, shares his own reflections, which are deeply personal and poignant. Never-before-published writings and drawings from Rachel's journal are also included, along with photos of Rachel and her family and the people whose stories are featured.

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Nonfiction, Biography

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Darrell Scott (b. 1949) is the father of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Darrell Scott is co-founder of the non profit foundation called Rachel’s Challenge. It focuses on teaching forgiveness, making schools safer, and where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kandice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could say I loved this book, that it was powerful, that it brought tear's to my eyes... but that is not the case. If the fact of the matter was the Rachel was a martyr for her Christian faith, that is incredibly touching and beautiful. Ultimately, only a handful of people know whether that was the case or not. The rumors of that touched me more than the book did.

The book to me felt like the expressions of a grieving father (almost like his journal), rather than a moving literary piece. The book focuses on one or two points and continues on the points for the rest of the book. These points being; God could and did bring good out of evil, and Rachel wanted to live for God. I did a bit of skimming with this book due to repetition. A lot of it I felt, were the writings of other people crammed in to give it length and distract from the repetition.

I respect Rachel, her parents cause, and the martyrdom if it occured. But for me this book was really JUST ok.

[Bree Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...who ever thought that a high schooler could have such a HUGE impact on an international scale? Rachel's story, although very tragic, is inspiring and convicting. I had to ask myself whether or not I would act the same way if I was in the same situation. I enjoyed this book so much I just might read it again soon!!

[Justine Mayzes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good book inspirational.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A follow-up to Rachel's Tears and Chain Reaction. Interesting to hear the stories of the impact Rachel's Challenge has had, including on a notorious serial killer from the '70s.

A note on the title. It's uncanny because Rachel looks a little like the young actress from Savannah Smiles who later passed away in the late '90s. Especially so as a child. I seem to remember thinking that for years, even before hearing about this book. That was my fav movie as a kid and was about a little girl who had a profound impact on two career criminals, changing and softening their hearts.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story told from the eyes of her family and it is quite touching really. Very inspirational but I think it could have gone further with it. Overall, a great quick read to really get you to think about those you love and much more.

[Kim Atallah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first book of Rachel's Tears and was somewhat disappointed. I had a hard time getting through this book because I simply was not intrigued. Overall, bits of her story are amazing and how God works in such horrible situation but the book seemed to drag out. For me it wasn't my favorite.

[Laura Milner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a amazingly touching book. Being that i was in high school when the Columbine tragedy happened, it really hit home for me.

[Godsprincess · Rating 3 out of 5]

again very inspirational