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Redeemed: A Memoir of a Stolen Childhood
Penny is just four years old when she is snatched away from her all-American home by the Hungarian father who abandoned her when she was a baby. After facing isolation and neglect in a strange, dysfunctional household where heartache, rejection, and physical abuse rule her life, she escapes—only to find herself in a relationship with a man who’s just converted to fundamentalist Christianity. Penny’s road is long, winding, and often painful, but gradually she begins to listen to her inner voice, stand up for herself, and refuse to bow to the pressures of either her family or society—freeing herself to build a life on her own terms and find her way to happiness.
A rise-from-the-ashes hero’s story of overcoming abuse, trauma, and unbearable odds, of being waylaid by both family and religion’s promise of love, and harnessing the resilience to find the way home, Redeemed offers a rare window into Eastern European immigrant culture and reads like a page-turning thriller. Especially relevant today—a time when marginalized people are increasingly finding a voice—this memoir will serve as an inspiration to women everywhere, encouraging them to overcome their obstacles and go after their dreams.
A rise-from-the-ashes hero’s story of overcoming abuse, trauma, and unbearable odds, of being waylaid by both family and religion’s promise of love, and harnessing the resilience to find the way home, Redeemed offers a rare window into Eastern European immigrant culture and reads like a page-turning thriller. Especially relevant today—a time when marginalized people are increasingly finding a voice—this memoir will serve as an inspiration to women everywhere, encouraging them to overcome their obstacles and go after their dreams.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
283 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2024
4 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 7, 2024
Lane’s memoir is so readable and relatable -- especially since I also grew up in Queens (NY). As I read about the traumatic and neglected childhood she endured, I found myself in her words, even though my experiences were slightly different.
Redeemed is interestingly a Cinderella story with all the same fixings of an absentee father, an evil stepmother, and two beloved stepchildren. A loving and loved child is ripped from her loving surrogate family at the age of four by her absentee and neglectful father just to place her in the most unloving and abusive home dominated by his new and unhappy wife. And for what? He certainly didn’t have to bring her into his new familial fold -- it’s not like he talked to her, or hugged her, or even attempted to save her from the physical and psychological abuses of the evil stepmother who showered her own two children with affection and love.
The most tragic part of Lane’s story is the lack of saviors she had -- her father, her family, her teachers -- they all saw her bruises, her unkempt hair, the dirt on her skin, but not one person stood up for her. She had to figure it all out on her own. Survive on her own. Recover all on her own. And she does. On her own. That’s how strong she was. But children shouldn't have to be this strong, this alone.
I think the greatest thing about memoir writing is that no matter how different our stories are, they continue to be universal in how women’s lives are constructed. We are abused, controlled, shamed, belittled, and because we love or are told that we need to forgive and love those who hurt us, to be soft and malleable, we experience the same journey of finding our power, our voice, and ourselves with great struggle. It’s never easy, but redemption is within our grasp if we reach for it. But always on our own. Definitely recommend!
Redeemed is interestingly a Cinderella story with all the same fixings of an absentee father, an evil stepmother, and two beloved stepchildren. A loving and loved child is ripped from her loving surrogate family at the age of four by her absentee and neglectful father just to place her in the most unloving and abusive home dominated by his new and unhappy wife. And for what? He certainly didn’t have to bring her into his new familial fold -- it’s not like he talked to her, or hugged her, or even attempted to save her from the physical and psychological abuses of the evil stepmother who showered her own two children with affection and love.
The most tragic part of Lane’s story is the lack of saviors she had -- her father, her family, her teachers -- they all saw her bruises, her unkempt hair, the dirt on her skin, but not one person stood up for her. She had to figure it all out on her own. Survive on her own. Recover all on her own. And she does. On her own. That’s how strong she was. But children shouldn't have to be this strong, this alone.
I think the greatest thing about memoir writing is that no matter how different our stories are, they continue to be universal in how women’s lives are constructed. We are abused, controlled, shamed, belittled, and because we love or are told that we need to forgive and love those who hurt us, to be soft and malleable, we experience the same journey of finding our power, our voice, and ourselves with great struggle. It’s never easy, but redemption is within our grasp if we reach for it. But always on our own. Definitely recommend!
January 2, 2024
Redeemed, the title of Penny Lane's riveting memoir, gave me hope that she would prevail and kept me reading this advance reader copy through the physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hand of her stepmother and her father who looked away. The narrative will stir strong emotions in the reader to protect our children, and hopefully prompt more people will speak out and report abuse. Penny would survive and deal with additional abuse she suffered as an adult, including being a member of an abusive Christian cult, a first husband who dismissed her needs, and a family who ignored the truth of her childhood. It took many decades for her to discover that she was indeed 'precious' and to love herself enough to walk away from toxic people. A compelling, gripping story that ends in redemption.
July 28, 2024
A complex life story is presented in an incomplete way, drawing all sorts of conclusions without solid evidence to back up this woman who was kicked out of her church for being a liar. This life certainly deserves to be told on paper, but the author gives only her own distorted view without other perspectives, so it's difficult to know how much we can trust.
It starts in childhood with Lane's mother dying and her being dragged off from her aunt's home to live with her distant father. The author has a couple dozen pages of supposed memories of when she was four years old, including quotes, which should automatically make us suspicious. It's virtually impossible at age four to recall the kind of detail she claims here. Thus from the start this must be classified as creative non-fiction, a memoir that includes fictional elements. You have to guess at what is real.
The book has three parts: her childhood with an abusive stepmother; her marrying her born-again boss when she was 18 and the drama that came from her church involvement; and her post-divorce years where she got an education but struggled to deal with her half-brother (her stepmom's favorite child).
The first third is difficult to read, overly detailed and uninspiring. It creates hopelessness and Lane makes some very bad choices as a teenager.
In the middle section she supposedly commits to Christianity but fails to understand what she's getting into, following her live-in lover (and boss) to a church where male leadership is to be obeyed. I would question whether she really was a Christian, as she writes, "I knew that if I didn't get saved I would lose John and probably my job too." She verbalized the words of salvation but admits she didn't really believe.
Then she adds some inaccurate theology ("the Bible directs wives to center their lives on their husbands") but at the same time loves the Bible college she goes to and makes it sound like a reasonable place with normal people.
While the back cover claims "she finds herself in yet another type of prison: a fundamentalist church," in truth the prison is her own mind and her unwillingness to stand up for herself. Her church wasn't a cult nor forced her to do anything. A couple of times she says, "I felt I had no choice in the matter." Yes, she did, and to claim otherwise is false. At no point was she required to believe a certain way or do anything against her conscience, though there was pressure to conform to male leadership. She had a right to freely join or freely leave.
It was her rejection of what the church taught was her husband's God-given authority that led her to being called out in front of the congregation for "lying" by saying God never told her not to leave town for a family party. If you don't understand the way some churches teach Biblical authority, then the circumstances sound absurd. But what Lane still doesn't seem to acknowledge is that when her husband and pastor clearly told her not to go, as part of a faith where they were the voices of God in her life then she lied by saying God never told her to stay home.
Then she gets in trouble again for saying something bizarre to a church member who just miscarried. "I told her that I was sorry for her, and that I had been trying to get pregnant for some time, and that maybe God would give her baby to me." Huh? Another woman miscarried so she could have a baby? When confronted by the pastor and her husband, Lane refused to admit she said something hurtful. They overreacted to her failure to apologize and claimed the devil was working in her to get a foothold in the church.
It isn't just an issue about women serving men in fundamentalist Christianity, it's more complex than that. She committed to outwardly follow her husband and church leadership despite her not agreeing to it on the inside! So when on she stood up to them and refused to do what they wanted she was excommunicated. Ultimately her first husband is the real bad guy in this story for not understanding her and taking the pastor's side instead of communicating with her, but she is equally wrong saying she never told him her concerns or tried to talk things out with him.
Is a woman allowed to change her mind and freely express herself in church? Yes, of course. But then the ones she made promises to may potentially reject her for reneging on her agreement, as happened with the church leaders and her husband. This is no different then a woman being hired somewhere and refusing to do the work a boss assigns her or a woman playing on a sports team refusing to carry out a coach's instructions. If you agree to it, you need to follow the leadership or then express yourself and leave if you can't do what you agreed to do. I'm not saying I agree with the church's methods, just that she was made a commitment and didn't see that she broke it.
The final third is a strange concoction of her coming into her own, finally outwardly voicing a few opinions about her family (which she failed to state before) and then blaming just about every man in her life for her problems. She certainly had some unsympathetic losers in her dad, first husband, pastor, and brother, but she doesn't accept her own blame in failing to stand up to them or even voicing her own needs. I understand that her childhood repression led to that fear of speaking up, but a guy can't be held fully accountable unless a woman speaks her truth and allows him the chance to make things right.
The final pages are frustrating--she zips through the past 20 years to suddenly return to the aunt who cared for her as a child five decades earlier. Most disturbing is that at no point in fifty years did this woman make a serious attempt to discover anything about her birth mother or the aunt caretaker? That makes no sense and shows a real lack of judgment on her part as an adult. Again, she is responsible for much of what was lacking in her life.
Entire years are skipped over and she alludes to having a child without any specifics. Then in a real zinger she ends by taking classes in the Jewish faith at age 53 despite that "I no longer believed in God, salvation, or the Bible, and was sorry I ever had." A rabbi "assured me that...being a Jew was not about believing in God per se but about living a Jewish life." Oh really? That will surprise some. And it puts this author right back in the bind of committing herself to a faith that she has no intention of fully following.
True Christians believe they are redeemed because Jesus paid the price for their sin and entrance to heaven. Penny Lane now rejects that and therefore remains unredeemed because she sees herself as her own savior.
It starts in childhood with Lane's mother dying and her being dragged off from her aunt's home to live with her distant father. The author has a couple dozen pages of supposed memories of when she was four years old, including quotes, which should automatically make us suspicious. It's virtually impossible at age four to recall the kind of detail she claims here. Thus from the start this must be classified as creative non-fiction, a memoir that includes fictional elements. You have to guess at what is real.
The book has three parts: her childhood with an abusive stepmother; her marrying her born-again boss when she was 18 and the drama that came from her church involvement; and her post-divorce years where she got an education but struggled to deal with her half-brother (her stepmom's favorite child).
The first third is difficult to read, overly detailed and uninspiring. It creates hopelessness and Lane makes some very bad choices as a teenager.
In the middle section she supposedly commits to Christianity but fails to understand what she's getting into, following her live-in lover (and boss) to a church where male leadership is to be obeyed. I would question whether she really was a Christian, as she writes, "I knew that if I didn't get saved I would lose John and probably my job too." She verbalized the words of salvation but admits she didn't really believe.
Then she adds some inaccurate theology ("the Bible directs wives to center their lives on their husbands") but at the same time loves the Bible college she goes to and makes it sound like a reasonable place with normal people.
While the back cover claims "she finds herself in yet another type of prison: a fundamentalist church," in truth the prison is her own mind and her unwillingness to stand up for herself. Her church wasn't a cult nor forced her to do anything. A couple of times she says, "I felt I had no choice in the matter." Yes, she did, and to claim otherwise is false. At no point was she required to believe a certain way or do anything against her conscience, though there was pressure to conform to male leadership. She had a right to freely join or freely leave.
It was her rejection of what the church taught was her husband's God-given authority that led her to being called out in front of the congregation for "lying" by saying God never told her not to leave town for a family party. If you don't understand the way some churches teach Biblical authority, then the circumstances sound absurd. But what Lane still doesn't seem to acknowledge is that when her husband and pastor clearly told her not to go, as part of a faith where they were the voices of God in her life then she lied by saying God never told her to stay home.
Then she gets in trouble again for saying something bizarre to a church member who just miscarried. "I told her that I was sorry for her, and that I had been trying to get pregnant for some time, and that maybe God would give her baby to me." Huh? Another woman miscarried so she could have a baby? When confronted by the pastor and her husband, Lane refused to admit she said something hurtful. They overreacted to her failure to apologize and claimed the devil was working in her to get a foothold in the church.
It isn't just an issue about women serving men in fundamentalist Christianity, it's more complex than that. She committed to outwardly follow her husband and church leadership despite her not agreeing to it on the inside! So when on she stood up to them and refused to do what they wanted she was excommunicated. Ultimately her first husband is the real bad guy in this story for not understanding her and taking the pastor's side instead of communicating with her, but she is equally wrong saying she never told him her concerns or tried to talk things out with him.
Is a woman allowed to change her mind and freely express herself in church? Yes, of course. But then the ones she made promises to may potentially reject her for reneging on her agreement, as happened with the church leaders and her husband. This is no different then a woman being hired somewhere and refusing to do the work a boss assigns her or a woman playing on a sports team refusing to carry out a coach's instructions. If you agree to it, you need to follow the leadership or then express yourself and leave if you can't do what you agreed to do. I'm not saying I agree with the church's methods, just that she was made a commitment and didn't see that she broke it.
The final third is a strange concoction of her coming into her own, finally outwardly voicing a few opinions about her family (which she failed to state before) and then blaming just about every man in her life for her problems. She certainly had some unsympathetic losers in her dad, first husband, pastor, and brother, but she doesn't accept her own blame in failing to stand up to them or even voicing her own needs. I understand that her childhood repression led to that fear of speaking up, but a guy can't be held fully accountable unless a woman speaks her truth and allows him the chance to make things right.
The final pages are frustrating--she zips through the past 20 years to suddenly return to the aunt who cared for her as a child five decades earlier. Most disturbing is that at no point in fifty years did this woman make a serious attempt to discover anything about her birth mother or the aunt caretaker? That makes no sense and shows a real lack of judgment on her part as an adult. Again, she is responsible for much of what was lacking in her life.
Entire years are skipped over and she alludes to having a child without any specifics. Then in a real zinger she ends by taking classes in the Jewish faith at age 53 despite that "I no longer believed in God, salvation, or the Bible, and was sorry I ever had." A rabbi "assured me that...being a Jew was not about believing in God per se but about living a Jewish life." Oh really? That will surprise some. And it puts this author right back in the bind of committing herself to a faith that she has no intention of fully following.
True Christians believe they are redeemed because Jesus paid the price for their sin and entrance to heaven. Penny Lane now rejects that and therefore remains unredeemed because she sees herself as her own savior.
Read
June 27, 2024Facing a virtual kidnapping at the sensitive age of four, Penny Lane subsequently endured a Cinderella-like maltreatment for many years at the hand of her “wicked” stepmother. The cruel manipulation and her subsequent indoctrination into a religious cult were unable to break this amazing woman’s indomitable spirit. Elements of the Hungarian culture in which she was brought up in infuse this book, dragging the reader right in with her. Many a time the audience wants to exhort her to run away, but circumstances are not in her favor.
I was hooked from the first words of this engaging memoir, and completed this book in 8 hours. Very strongly recommend it.
I was hooked from the first words of this engaging memoir, and completed this book in 8 hours. Very strongly recommend it.
July 7, 2024
As a motherless child thrust into dangerous paths by a forced reunion with her stranger father, an Eastern European immigrant she can barely understand, author Penny Lane has given us the gift of fear rising into tale of survival and strong resilience. This book will reach into your heart. The reader just might want to hug this little girl who manages to retain her humanity while being physically tortured. The scenes allow the reader to take in the full picture of the author’s abusive childhood. There are moments when you can almost feel that even with the passage of time, the ‘body keeps score.’ Early in the book, without giving much away, I was floored by this short passage: “In a flash, before I knew what was happening, my stepmother pulled out a wooden dowel from behind my brother’s crib, lifted it high over her head, and started beating me with it.” Ms. Lane’s prose is exquisitely visceral. Another passage that drew me fully into her life story: “I was about to become an unwanted alien, lost in a cold, foreign home, and a powerless scapegoat lacking any sense of self or worth…” Redeemed: A Memoir of a Stolen Childhood” is a captivating tale of a first-generation immigrant’s faith in life, her place in it, and her ability to not only survive but to thrive, despite the odds. A great read.
September 24, 2024
I was quite amazed at the resilience of Penny Lane once I finished reading Redeemed. It's difficult to imagine the many horrors of growing up in a dysfunctional family if you don't have that experience. Ms. Lane’s storytelling and descriptions realistically set the scene for a life experience whose outcome would certainly be dysfunctional and tragic. As Ms. Lane tells her story, it feels like a close friend sitting on the couch crying out their secrets.
Ms. Lane’s transformation from psychologically battered child and wife to successful business woman, wife and mother is no less than spectacular. There’s no question that Ms. Lane carries baggage from the past, but to see a life redeemed shows what the human spirit is capable of. This is triumph over adversity in a way many can relate to, and a deep dive into a life many people share. This book proves even in the darkest hour hope can emerge triumphant.
Ms. Lane’s transformation from psychologically battered child and wife to successful business woman, wife and mother is no less than spectacular. There’s no question that Ms. Lane carries baggage from the past, but to see a life redeemed shows what the human spirit is capable of. This is triumph over adversity in a way many can relate to, and a deep dive into a life many people share. This book proves even in the darkest hour hope can emerge triumphant.
February 2, 2025
In Redeemed, Penny Lane vividly captures the longing for love, belonging, and safety that shaped her childhood amid physical and emotional abuse and neglect. I couldn’t put this memoir down. The author’s vivid storytelling pulled me deep into her world, where my heart ached for all she endured. I fell in love with this earnest, smart, *precious* girl. I wanted to reach inside this devastatingly beautful book, hug Penny, and tell her, it’s not you, it’s them!
Penny is a brave and heroic soul. I am grateful she chose to share her story, giving voice to forgotten and abused children, encouraging them to speak up and *redeem* themselves. Sadly, experiences like hers are far more common than we realize. Thank you, Penny Lane, for sharing your story. It’s clear you are doing so to help others heal too.
Penny is a brave and heroic soul. I am grateful she chose to share her story, giving voice to forgotten and abused children, encouraging them to speak up and *redeem* themselves. Sadly, experiences like hers are far more common than we realize. Thank you, Penny Lane, for sharing your story. It’s clear you are doing so to help others heal too.
Read
May 21, 2025Imagine being four years old, living a happy life with your family when a man shows up, speaking a foreign language and your family lets him take you away. Imagine you’re forced to live for the next decade with that man and his wife, who beats you and calls you stupid and ugly. You grow up speaking Hungarian, dressing in rags, doing all the family chores, and forever afraid of another beating. When you complain about how they treat you, no one believes you. When you finally escape this horrible home, you fall into a religious cult that is just as bad, if not worse. It sounds like fiction, but Redeemed is a memoir, beautifully written and as suspenseful as any novel. Thank God Lane escaped to tell the tale. I wish I had more than five stars to give it.
June 28, 2024
This is a memoir about the author who moves with her father and stepmother to a new home as a 4 year old girl.
She is also put into a fundamental church and she faces many challenges as a young person growing up. She had a horrible homelife with her stepmother and father. She was told by her stepmother that she was ugly and wasn’t given the clothes or anything that other kids had at the time. She was abused by her stepmother in younger days and it takes the rest of her adult life to healing to become herself for the first time.
This was a great memoir read and I highly recommend it to fans of memoirs! It is a story of bravery and finding the strength to start a new life!
She is also put into a fundamental church and she faces many challenges as a young person growing up. She had a horrible homelife with her stepmother and father. She was told by her stepmother that she was ugly and wasn’t given the clothes or anything that other kids had at the time. She was abused by her stepmother in younger days and it takes the rest of her adult life to healing to become herself for the first time.
This was a great memoir read and I highly recommend it to fans of memoirs! It is a story of bravery and finding the strength to start a new life!
June 29, 2024
A beautifully written memoir that flows like a heavenly waterfall from one page to the next, revealing a can’t-put-it-down story of girlhood to womanhood. This is a story where you root and cheer for the little girl, the young woman, and the grown woman as she gains her voice and power through resilience, determination, and persistence. Penny Lane, like a skilled seamstress, weaves culture, religion, education, and family relationships into a spell-bindingly complex quilt that ultimately blankets and warms us in the redemptive spirit of love.
Menah Pratt, author of Blackwildgirl: A Writer’s Journey to Take Back Her Superpower (She Writes Press, 2024).
Menah Pratt, author of Blackwildgirl: A Writer’s Journey to Take Back Her Superpower (She Writes Press, 2024).
October 14, 2024
The book is a memoir of the author who is taken from the loving confines of her aunt's house to her father's house where she is treated miserably by her step mother. There are sayings on how bad luck follows the fallen. Her life is a testament to that statement. While reading, for the slightest of moments you wonder why she didn't choose to leave all of it. Then it dawns on you a bit right, it's not always we find the courage to pull ourselves out of bad relationships, careers etc. The amount of tolerance for bad behavior we build is unbelievable. I am glad that she was able to face her situation and turn it around but there are many who don't.
March 30, 2025
An absorbing memoir that well illustrates how childhood trauma from physical, verbal, and emotional abuse makes it easy to then fall into the clutches of religious cults as an adult who hasn't yet healed. Those who have struggled to stand up for themselves as trauma survivors will relate to this. Penny's bravery and resilience is inspiring. The only reason I couldn't give 5 stars is the dialogue: it's very formal and wooden throughout. In real life, people don't speak like this! I believe the book was written this way for clarity, but it made it hard to absorb myself in the story and drew attention away from the scenes.
July 13, 2024
Reading about Lane's early life was heartbreaking. Taken from the only family she knew and placed into a new family only to be used and abused had me infuriated. Then she "gets out," but falls prey to a religious community who again abuses her innocence, re-traumatizing her once again. One knock down after another, she just keeps getting back up, finding her way, and reminding me of the resilience of the human spirit. A story of courage and strength, I am in awe of Lane's journey and strongly recommend reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2024
Testament to Women’s’ Courage and Resilience
Penny Lane's memoir is a compelling and inspiring read that will resonate deeply with anyone who has faced hardship or is on a journey of healing. Her candid storytelling, insightful reflections, and unwavering hope make "Redeemed" a standout memoir that speaks to the strength of the human spirit. I highly recommend this memoir. It's a must-read for those seeking to understand the long-term impacts of childhood trauma and the incredible possibilities for redemption and growth.
Penny Lane's memoir is a compelling and inspiring read that will resonate deeply with anyone who has faced hardship or is on a journey of healing. Her candid storytelling, insightful reflections, and unwavering hope make "Redeemed" a standout memoir that speaks to the strength of the human spirit. I highly recommend this memoir. It's a must-read for those seeking to understand the long-term impacts of childhood trauma and the incredible possibilities for redemption and growth.
August 20, 2024
I did not realize how relatable Redeemed would be for me until I really delved into Penny’s story. While I did not experience a separation from my family, I did have a Hungarian stepmother for the latter part of my childhood/early teen years, and I could see a lot of similarities with my own experiences and what Penny experienced, too. For Penny to go from one dysfunctional, unsafe household to another felt painful and morose, but I could understand how that could happen. How she could go from the disconnection she has with her father, stepmother, and siblings, and then on to one of her most meaningful relationships that ends up feeling a lot like what she’d dealt with at her family home–a controlling, unsafe environment. It’s hard for her to listen to that inner voice when she’s been told for so long that she isn’t worthy.
There was a particular scene that really resonated with me, and made me re-evaluate a similar experience within my own life. Penny has an opportunity to improve her education, but her stepmother forbids it. My own stepmother did something like that to me, too, with something that was very important to me. Penny’s reflection on that experience helped to enable me to better understand things from not only my perspective but my stepmother’s, as well. There are a lot of reflective moments like that, as Penny gets older and she can see things with more clarity. Through all of it, the reader gets to see elements of strength that build slowly and gradually, while Penny comes into her own.
The moments when Penny stands up for herself, I cheered. When she is broken and doesn’t know if she can continue on, I wept for her. It was definitely emotional and incredibly inspiring, a story of strength and perseverance of the most epic kind.
There was a particular scene that really resonated with me, and made me re-evaluate a similar experience within my own life. Penny has an opportunity to improve her education, but her stepmother forbids it. My own stepmother did something like that to me, too, with something that was very important to me. Penny’s reflection on that experience helped to enable me to better understand things from not only my perspective but my stepmother’s, as well. There are a lot of reflective moments like that, as Penny gets older and she can see things with more clarity. Through all of it, the reader gets to see elements of strength that build slowly and gradually, while Penny comes into her own.
The moments when Penny stands up for herself, I cheered. When she is broken and doesn’t know if she can continue on, I wept for her. It was definitely emotional and incredibly inspiring, a story of strength and perseverance of the most epic kind.
September 13, 2024
Author Penny Lane tells her story, Redeemed, with grit and grace. Many years of profound abuse by parents, husband, and church made her chances of blooming and thriving in life seem impossible. But she never gave up. Her remarkable, inspiring story shows how courage, perseverance, and wit saved her from the powerful forces against her and finally led her to freedom, love, and fulfillment. Redeemed gives readers an inside view of unholy religious communities and the heart of a true heroine.
January 6, 2025
As a trauma expert, I’m not normally compelled to read “work” on my off hours but when a friend recommended this book, I began it and couldn’t put it down. It’s a well written, honest portrayal of one girl's life of abuse and trauma by her stepmother, absent father and complicit extended family, and how dysfunction affects generations, yet within us is the strength to overcome and rise above it. An inspiration.
July 19, 2024
An incredible and amazing tale of surviving a dysfunctional family’s abuse and a church's oppression and manipulation, having to start life over and supremely triumphing over her odds, Redeemed is an inspiring story of grit and determination, told with even-handed grace. It was engrossing from the start and I loved it! Highly recommended!
October 16, 2024
Very well written. I do have to say that in parts, the subject matter is quite difficult, so I skimmed. I wanted to get to the courageous and victorious ending.
I see it as similar to What my Bones Know, which I had to listen to in tiny bits to get through. I didn't have that option here, so I read what I could to finish. Still impactful.
I see it as similar to What my Bones Know, which I had to listen to in tiny bits to get through. I didn't have that option here, so I read what I could to finish. Still impactful.
December 3, 2024
An incredibly beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring story. The author’s writing is striking and stark in its beauty - it will enrapture you. And the story itself will stay with you for the testament to the extraordinary strength and resilience of the author and the possibility of the human experience. Highly highly recommended. Outstanding!
November 11, 2024
Beautifully heartbreaking and inspiring. I loved it.
July 6, 2025
This is an amazing modern-day Cinderella story without a prince, but a woman who learns from each of her families... and in the end blossoms.
August 21, 2025
“I can only agree that you were treated horribly. You did not deserve to be treated that way. You have been terribly abused, but it’s not your fault. It is not your fault.”
October 4, 2025
Well written however not what I thought it was going to be about. Picked this up at the book festival in Berkeley & met the author.
October 29, 2025
Kinda random book from the library that was a sad and interesting story but the writing just wasn’t great
August 23, 2024
Penny Lane's "Redeemed" is a harrowing yet ultimately hopeful memoir that chronicles her survival of a nightmarish childhood. After losing her mother at a young age, Lane is thrust into a world of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her stepmother. Her journey is one of resilience, as she grapples with a fractured family and seeks solace in unexpected places.
The book is a compelling read, with Lane's raw and honest prose drawing the reader into her world of fear and uncertainty. The details of her abuse are unflinching, but never gratuitous, serving to highlight the immense strength she possesses. Despite the darkness, Lane finds moments of light – in her love of learning, the kindness of strangers, and eventually, in the solace of faith. However, her escape from one form of control leads her into another, as she becomes entangled with a controlling religious group.
"Redeemed" is a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity. Lane's story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, hope can prevail. A captivating read that will move and inspire. I highly recommend it!
The book is a compelling read, with Lane's raw and honest prose drawing the reader into her world of fear and uncertainty. The details of her abuse are unflinching, but never gratuitous, serving to highlight the immense strength she possesses. Despite the darkness, Lane finds moments of light – in her love of learning, the kindness of strangers, and eventually, in the solace of faith. However, her escape from one form of control leads her into another, as she becomes entangled with a controlling religious group.
"Redeemed" is a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity. Lane's story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, hope can prevail. A captivating read that will move and inspire. I highly recommend it!
December 7, 2024
In Penny Lane's powerful memoir, Redeemed, the vivid portrayal of heartbreaking childhood abuse resolves to an inspiring tale of resilience and survival.
March 12, 2024
I had the opportunity to be an early reader for “Redeemed: A Memoir of a Stolen Childhood” by Penny Lane. What a spectacular read this was; I could hardly put it down. From the very beginning I was drawn seamlessly into her world and was on the edge of my chair, wondering what would happen next. It is a mesmerizing account of her childhood abuse and neglect at the hands of her disturbed stepmother and father, and of her early adulthood where she was swept up, along with her husband, into a dysfunctional fundamentalist Christian community. It took her until her early thirties when she finally, courageously, broke away from her troubled past and rebuilt herself, forging a new identity and creating a fulfilling life of happiness and success. And, very importantly, Lane successfully walks the fine line, not an easy task, of describing the truth of her abuse, both physical and mental, while making it not overwhelming for the reader to absorb. She serves as a victorious role model to others as she valiantly overcomes the odds of her difficult beginnings.
Interspersed in with descriptions of her deeply dysfunctional childhood home life, is a fascinating account of the insular working class immigrant community that she grew up in, a glimpse into an insular world I knew little about. Lane’s writing is eloquent and intimate, easily drawing the reader into her world of her dysfunctional childhood and her experience with Christian fundamentalism.
Penny’s remarkable resiliency and gradual trust in her own inner wisdom in the face of betrayals by her family who should have been there to guide, love and support her, and by members of her fundamentalist church community, really stand out. Her strength and brave spirit shine throughout her book and we cannot help but deeply empathize with her every step of the way. Her story will be of interest to those wanting a glimpse into a very different life. But most importantly, I believe, it will give hope and inspiration to those struggling with extreme adversity and trauma. Her remarkable memoir is encouraging in that is shows that it is never too late, that it is possible to overcome very difficult odds and find a life of happiness and wholeness. You are in for a real treat with this remarkable book; I highly recommend it
Interspersed in with descriptions of her deeply dysfunctional childhood home life, is a fascinating account of the insular working class immigrant community that she grew up in, a glimpse into an insular world I knew little about. Lane’s writing is eloquent and intimate, easily drawing the reader into her world of her dysfunctional childhood and her experience with Christian fundamentalism.
Penny’s remarkable resiliency and gradual trust in her own inner wisdom in the face of betrayals by her family who should have been there to guide, love and support her, and by members of her fundamentalist church community, really stand out. Her strength and brave spirit shine throughout her book and we cannot help but deeply empathize with her every step of the way. Her story will be of interest to those wanting a glimpse into a very different life. But most importantly, I believe, it will give hope and inspiration to those struggling with extreme adversity and trauma. Her remarkable memoir is encouraging in that is shows that it is never too late, that it is possible to overcome very difficult odds and find a life of happiness and wholeness. You are in for a real treat with this remarkable book; I highly recommend it
March 30, 2025
Redeemed is a raw, honest, and ultimately uplifting memoir. Penny takes you on a journey through pain, healing, and self-discovery with remarkable courage. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience and the possibility of redemption. I couldn’t put it down.
October 21, 2023
I was fortunate to read a pre-publication copy of Redeemed: A Memoir of a Stolen Childhood.
Penny Lane’s gripping memoir is both heartbreaking and heartening, a testament to resilience and hope. I found myself rooting for young Penny, wishing fervently for her safety as she was ripped from her loving home by a man she’d never met — her father — and taken to a cold, rejecting and ultimately violent household that never accepted her as family.
Penny exhibits quiet cunning and strength while learning a new language and trying to fit in at new school in a strange city, while essentially serving as a house slave to brutal parents. Undeterred, she finds solace in school and particularly in books, despite her stepmother’s sabotage of her academic goals.
It’s no wonder that Penny later falls prey to a brutish cult, but don't underestimate her strength, however inaccessible it sometimes seems. This is a page-turning journey that maintains hope through the bleakest of circumstances, and ends on a tremendously satisfying note. I highly recommend this book!
Penny Lane’s gripping memoir is both heartbreaking and heartening, a testament to resilience and hope. I found myself rooting for young Penny, wishing fervently for her safety as she was ripped from her loving home by a man she’d never met — her father — and taken to a cold, rejecting and ultimately violent household that never accepted her as family.
Penny exhibits quiet cunning and strength while learning a new language and trying to fit in at new school in a strange city, while essentially serving as a house slave to brutal parents. Undeterred, she finds solace in school and particularly in books, despite her stepmother’s sabotage of her academic goals.
It’s no wonder that Penny later falls prey to a brutish cult, but don't underestimate her strength, however inaccessible it sometimes seems. This is a page-turning journey that maintains hope through the bleakest of circumstances, and ends on a tremendously satisfying note. I highly recommend this book!
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