A Stranger in Paradise

by Julie Chimes

One morning, a young woman lay dying of multiple stab wounds on her own driveway. She came through the nightmare that followed, laughing. This book describes what happened. Julie Chimes tells of her out-of-body experiences during the crisis as well as dreams and premonitions leading up to it. She recounts the frenzied attack by a paranoid schizophrenic, a woman just taken off her controlling medicine. She offers answers to questions too seldom asked about the way society treats victims of violence and the mentally ill. She describes what it feels like to die, and then unforseeably, to live to tell the tale. This is a real-life drama; a story of crime due to mental illness; a story about survival; the battle to regain physical and mental well-being; a woman's quest for truth; and an account of false accusation and injustice.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 1995

Reviews

[Kristi Duarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend in England recommended this book to me. I didn't know what to expect, and in the beginning, I wasn't sure where the story would lead. But it's truly an amazing true story of survival. Very inspirational and despite the tragic events, it's uplifting. Highly recommended to people who are recovering from trauma or going through a difficult divorce.

[Jo Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought Julie Chimes is remarkably brave reliving her trauma. Enjoyed this book even though it is a harrowing story!