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Hit Hard Lib/E: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was--And Learning to Live Well with What Is
A parent's worst nightmare, a family forever changed, and a hope that endures through the hardest times
When their son Zach took a hard hit during a high school football scrimmage, Pat and Tammy McLeod began a forever battle. Their son, though he would live, would not be the same boy they knew and loved. He would regain the ability to walk and run and even throw a football but would never fully talk or laugh or sing again. How does a family survive in the midst of such sorrow? How do we grieve someone who hasn't really left? How can we learn to be thankful for what we still have while acknowledging the reality of what we've lost?
Hit Hard is the true story of the McLeods' journey through this ambiguous loss, as they navigate what it looks like to love someone who's here and yet not here. It's the story of a family who has experienced the unimaginable--picking up the pieces after a life transforming loss; defining a "new normal" for their life; and learning to accept, surrender to, and celebrate what God has given them.
Your own loss may look different from that of the McLeods, but if in some way life isn't what you expected, their story will give you hope that it can still be good.
When their son Zach took a hard hit during a high school football scrimmage, Pat and Tammy McLeod began a forever battle. Their son, though he would live, would not be the same boy they knew and loved. He would regain the ability to walk and run and even throw a football but would never fully talk or laugh or sing again. How does a family survive in the midst of such sorrow? How do we grieve someone who hasn't really left? How can we learn to be thankful for what we still have while acknowledging the reality of what we've lost?
Hit Hard is the true story of the McLeods' journey through this ambiguous loss, as they navigate what it looks like to love someone who's here and yet not here. It's the story of a family who has experienced the unimaginable--picking up the pieces after a life transforming loss; defining a "new normal" for their life; and learning to accept, surrender to, and celebrate what God has given them.
Your own loss may look different from that of the McLeods, but if in some way life isn't what you expected, their story will give you hope that it can still be good.
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Published October 8, 2019
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About the author
Pat McLeod
6 books16 followersI was born and grew up on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains (Montana and Wyoming) with a love for the outdoors and a passion for sports.
I loved studying science and playing football at Montana State University. It was there that I began to study the life of Jesus Christ and became one of his followers.
Shortly after graduating, my love for teaching and coaching gave way to a growing passion for ministering to the spiritual needs of college students.
As a staff member with Cru, an interdenominational Christian ministry, I had the privilege of creating and helping to teach an award winning philosophy course in Science and Religion at Montana State University.
While at Harvard, I have been able to work together with some incredible students and faculty in America and South Africa to create the Mamelodi Initiative—an organization focused on improving the lives of residents in the townships of South Africa.
I have a Masters in Science and Religion and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from Boston University.
I love stories and aspire to one day tell stories as mesmerizing as my dad's.
I loved studying science and playing football at Montana State University. It was there that I began to study the life of Jesus Christ and became one of his followers.
Shortly after graduating, my love for teaching and coaching gave way to a growing passion for ministering to the spiritual needs of college students.
As a staff member with Cru, an interdenominational Christian ministry, I had the privilege of creating and helping to teach an award winning philosophy course in Science and Religion at Montana State University.
While at Harvard, I have been able to work together with some incredible students and faculty in America and South Africa to create the Mamelodi Initiative—an organization focused on improving the lives of residents in the townships of South Africa.
I have a Masters in Science and Religion and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from Boston University.
I love stories and aspire to one day tell stories as mesmerizing as my dad's.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
July 9, 2019
Although I have not experienced the same brand of loss as the Mcleods, their story connected with me, personally. They helped me identify what was so painful and challenging about facing "deaths" for which society and friends have few categories or supports. I appreciated their raw honesty about trauma's toll on all relationships; particularly on their marriage and on parenting other children in times of crisis. If you encounter the confusing loss of life-altering injury, betrayal, divorce, disability or sickness, a mental health diagnosis, loss of a job, career, community, spiritual or other abuses, Alzheimer's, caring for elderly parents, empty nest... Pat and Tammy's courage will inspire you and instill hope. Finding their way to embrace what was given and release what was taken, their ideas for how to navigate complex grief are practical and will help the reader to name their own losses and cease to minimize deaths that are not necessarily physical.
September 1, 2024
I was intrigued by my friend Fab2k's excellent review as she knows this family from her church; check it out!
Suffering is inescapable, but some people seem to have more than others and some handle it better than others. Husband and wife, Pat and Tammy McLeod certainly had their fair share of pain and grief which they write about very well here. It is hard to read about, but also a good example of a couple who stick together through their family ordeal. I started this last night and stayed up way too late reading it because I did not want to put it down. If I could have, I would have stayed up all night reading, but as it was, I finished it up as soon as I could get back to it today.
Suffering is inescapable, but some people seem to have more than others and some handle it better than others. Husband and wife, Pat and Tammy McLeod certainly had their fair share of pain and grief which they write about very well here. It is hard to read about, but also a good example of a couple who stick together through their family ordeal. I started this last night and stayed up way too late reading it because I did not want to put it down. If I could have, I would have stayed up all night reading, but as it was, I finished it up as soon as I could get back to it today.
July 4, 2019
Faith is sometimes portrayed as an exercise in make-believe, in which people pretend that their lives are perfect and that their faith protects them from all harm. In Hit Hard: One Family's Journey of Letting Go of What Was--And Learning to Live Well with What Is, authors Pat and Tammy McLeod express a faith that is authentic and honest in the wake of their son Zach’s traumatic brain injury. Like the psalmists in the Bible, they pull no punches in describing their pain, their complaints, and their needs—as well as their hope in a God who demonstrates his goodness by entering into suffering. They walk us through their differing ways of dealing with tragedy and teach us how to hold both grief and gratitude together. Their riveting story will help those struggling with different types of loss, especially married couples who are processing grief differently. If you want to be a good friend to someone experiencing loss, share this book, read it together, and use the resources at the end for practical guidance.
July 1, 2019
Beautiful true story of McLeod's experiences over ten years of caring for their son, their family, their marriage and their walk with God. This book is a powerful redemptive story of pain and sorrow that they could hardly describe and yet, with God's help, they do. Not only do they describe it beautifully, they helped me to understand and hope in the beauty of God in this broken world. I loved it!
July 2, 2019
For years, I’ve followed the McLeod’s journey through their son’s traumatic brain injuries with such admiration and curiosity. I couldn’t wait to read their story. How do families deal with such ongoing losses and sorrows? Their book, Hit Hard: One Family’s Journey of Letting Go of What Was and Learning to Live Well with What Is, stunned me with its honesty and surprised me by giving me hope and practical suggestions in my own losses. Written from the two very different perspectives of husband and wife, father and mother, Pat and Tammy told not only the story of their son, Zach, but also a gave a brutally frank window into the conflicts in their own marriage and how their faith helped them survive. Couples will find comfort that they’re not alone in dealing with the losses and suffering in their lives. It gave me hope that marriages can survive “hard hits.” This book also named a type of grief few people talk about. Ambiguous Loss. A type of grief with no closure where your community doesn’t even know how to help you. I’m recommending this book to friends dealing with lost dreams and divorce, and for those dealing with family members struggling with addiction, dementia, and mental illness. What do you do when the grief never ends? The McLeods tell more than their story, they show others in ambiguous loss ways to live full lives. This book has something for anyone who needs hope in dealing with loss and with for those who are looking for ways to interact with those dealing with ambiguous loss. I highly recommend it!
July 7, 2019
I laughed. I cried. I couldn’t put it down. Written with authenticity and depth of emotion on every page. You can draw strength whether you are currently going through a loss or trying to make sense of your own hard knocks.
July 9, 2019
Hit Hard is rich with emotion, simultaneously overflowing with sorrow and joy. With clarity and vulnerability, Pat and Tammy McLeod eloquently express the depth of their pain following their son's traumatic brain injury. In telling their story, they offer the words to describe the pain of complicated, undefined, ambiguous loss, a topic that is rarely discussed. I recommend this book to anyone who may be experiencing the struggle of losing someone while still having them. This book is also worth reading if you haven’t experienced this type of loss because it sheds light on a topic that impacts so many.
July 9, 2019
“Hit Hard” is the gripping tale of the McLeods encounter with Ambiguous Loss.
Many people struggle with grief, but few learn how to navigate its turbulent waters.
Read this book to learn how to not only survive loss, but to grow through it.
Many people struggle with grief, but few learn how to navigate its turbulent waters.
Read this book to learn how to not only survive loss, but to grow through it.
September 20, 2019
A fantastic read for sure. What a journey, my friends Pat and Tammy McLeod have been on over the past decade, plus. Having a son suffer severe brain damage in the midst of playing a sport that, not only did Zach (the son) love, but a sport that was part of the fabric of Pat's life. It's a known fact that many couples who go through tragedy end up in divorce and Hit Hard demonstrated how, except for the grace of God and a firm commitment to, well, the commitment made in the wedding ceremony, Pat and Tammy could have ended up being like so many other couples. Steadied by the hand of a sovereign, loving, and gracious God, and helped by the counsel of many friends, the McLeod's waded through months of heartache as they dealt with the reality of losing their beloved son, yet, at the same time, not losing their beloved son. It's a thing called, "Ambiguous loss," where someone loses a loved one, but the loved one hasn't died, but has been greatly altered through brain damage or other brain disease. So the person grieves the loss of what the person once was, but are still adapting to now living with who the person now is. Mixed into this loss are two individuals who handle loss in drastically different ways. Such was the case with Pat and Tammy. Yet, God was so good (which He always is) and He helped them navigate through the initial trauma of Zach's brain injury, to a subsequent brain injury to Zach after he fell from a top floor to the ground floor in their home. If this weren't enough, Tammy faced thyroid surgery and the diagnosis of cancer. God sustained them. Hit Hard is a gripping story. If the reader can put him or herself in the shoes of the parents, the emotions run high. For me, I found myself at times with tears streaking down my cheeks as I considered the fear, the hurt, the anguish that this couple went through. I found myself chuckling as they told of Zach's antics and even his devotion to prayer (a plane incident is one such case). At times, I found myself encouraged to see others who I knew from yesteryear (Marty, Spud, etc), faithfully serve and encourage and support this precious family. I found myself shedding tears of joy when Zach got to go to Africa and had the privilege of meeting Tim Tebow when Tim played for Denver. I found myself thinking over and over that only by God's sustaining grace, can a family make it through such a situation and stay together.
One asked me if there were a weakness to the book and my only thought was that I wish it talked more about the Lord Jesus Christ. There is much about God and perhaps, because of the desired audience, the authors and publisher wanted to focus on God, but I thought as I ended the book, "I wish there was more about the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, for He is our hope, He is our anchor, He is the way, the truth, and the life.
Overall though, this is a tremendous read and one that I think will be source of encouragement for many people.
One asked me if there were a weakness to the book and my only thought was that I wish it talked more about the Lord Jesus Christ. There is much about God and perhaps, because of the desired audience, the authors and publisher wanted to focus on God, but I thought as I ended the book, "I wish there was more about the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, for He is our hope, He is our anchor, He is the way, the truth, and the life.
Overall though, this is a tremendous read and one that I think will be source of encouragement for many people.
March 14, 2021
I have read a few books regarding football and the implications of head injuries sustained while playing this physical sport. Many athletes have suffered traumatic brain injuries. This was brought to light more prominently with the movie, Concussion starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu.
It is so sad when you read about a young child experiencing a traumatic brain injury like Zach did. Here he was just a teenager playing a sport that he he enjoyed until one day, his and his family's world was shook upside down.
This book while sad is uplifting as well. I like that Tammy and Pat shared their story and did not hold anything back. Zach may not have been able to talk anymore but though his body language, he still could communicate and his joy and positive attitude shined though. Thanks to the McLeod family for sharing their story.
It is so sad when you read about a young child experiencing a traumatic brain injury like Zach did. Here he was just a teenager playing a sport that he he enjoyed until one day, his and his family's world was shook upside down.
This book while sad is uplifting as well. I like that Tammy and Pat shared their story and did not hold anything back. Zach may not have been able to talk anymore but though his body language, he still could communicate and his joy and positive attitude shined though. Thanks to the McLeod family for sharing their story.
July 8, 2019
Hit Hard is a must-read. Once you begin the book frantically racing to the hospital with the authors, you will not put it down.
In Hit Hard, Pat and Tammy McLeod not only share the profound story of their son Zach's traumatic brain injury and the family's inspiring response, but provide a source of comfort, guidance, and hope to those facing challenge. Through its sheer honesty, Hit Hard shows those dealing with ambiguous loss - and loss of any nature - that it's okay to struggle, question, and doubt. Further, Pat and Tammy McLeod are living proof that it is possible to both acknowledge seemingly-unbearable grief and to find peace, joy, and live well. The McLeods have remarkably turned a tragic, senseless event into an opportunity to serve others through telling their story - this book will improve the lives of many.
There are valuable lessons for all in Hit Hard. To those facing ambiguous loss, the authors' words and experiences may prove especially valuable in offering common ground that some may have thought didn't exist. To all, Hit Hard will offer needed perspective that is so easily lost in the day-to-day shuffle of life. The McLeod's unwavering commitment to their children and to each other will surely create newfound resolve and gratitude in anyone who reads this book.
In Hit Hard, Pat and Tammy McLeod not only share the profound story of their son Zach's traumatic brain injury and the family's inspiring response, but provide a source of comfort, guidance, and hope to those facing challenge. Through its sheer honesty, Hit Hard shows those dealing with ambiguous loss - and loss of any nature - that it's okay to struggle, question, and doubt. Further, Pat and Tammy McLeod are living proof that it is possible to both acknowledge seemingly-unbearable grief and to find peace, joy, and live well. The McLeods have remarkably turned a tragic, senseless event into an opportunity to serve others through telling their story - this book will improve the lives of many.
There are valuable lessons for all in Hit Hard. To those facing ambiguous loss, the authors' words and experiences may prove especially valuable in offering common ground that some may have thought didn't exist. To all, Hit Hard will offer needed perspective that is so easily lost in the day-to-day shuffle of life. The McLeod's unwavering commitment to their children and to each other will surely create newfound resolve and gratitude in anyone who reads this book.
July 11, 2019
A fascinating, and heartbreaking, look into Pat and Tammy's experience with ambiguous loss. Offers a unique perspective on how to get through challenging times as a couple. Will make you grateful for your life and the people in it.
July 3, 2019
This book is riveting. I could not put it down. Pat and Tammy McLeod share their story of being “hit hard” by their eldest son’s head injury in a high school football game. With twists and turns, their story moves from sadness to joy and back again, but always informs and provides hope. While this book is about a child who is brain injured, it will be helpful for anyone coping with losses of any kind. The awful challenge is to embrace change—especially a change we loathe. In Hit Hard, the McLeods share their journey of how, with faith and dignity, they are coping with loss. I recommend this book not only for professionals but also for those who want to learn how to live with loss of any kind, clear or ambiguous.
Dr. Pauline Boss, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota; author of Ambiguous Loss and other books.
Dr. Pauline Boss, Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota; author of Ambiguous Loss and other books.
November 27, 2019
A compelling and fascinating story of a family confronting the after-effects of their 17-year-old son getting hit hard in a football accident.
The Macleods share their volatile emotions as they confront the permanent disability of their child. As they relate their story, they finally find the description that helps the most: ambiguous loss.
The book shows ways to deal with loss with an unflinching voice. I learned from this story. I hope I never need to know any of it.
The Macleods share their volatile emotions as they confront the permanent disability of their child. As they relate their story, they finally find the description that helps the most: ambiguous loss.
The book shows ways to deal with loss with an unflinching voice. I learned from this story. I hope I never need to know any of it.
July 11, 2019
Pat and Tammy McLeod present a wrenching but hope-filled portrait of a family thrust into a crucible of faith when their oldest son suffers a traumatic brain injury. As a mother, I think and pray constantly about keeping my children from harm. Hit Hard tells what happens when God seemingly fails to answer a parent’s prayer for protection. Everybody loves happy endings: Christians love stories of answered prayers, of miraculous cures, of “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” a la Joseph. This story does not end the way you want it to, but describes a family learning to live well in the tension of mourning loss while celebrating life, a family clinging to God’s loving-kindness in pain and re-casting their vision of God’s good plan for their son. If you’ve wondered how you could face the unbearable, how your family would survive tragedy, this story shows a way. With stunning vulnerability, Pat and Tammy share their journey navigating the spiritual, relational, and social fallout of ambiguous loss, and provide invaluable resources and information for anyone struggling with the heartbreak of unanswered prayer. Whether you have faced terrible loss and pain or just everyday levels of the disappointment of living in a fallen world, Hit Hard will deepen your understanding of God’s kindness in sorrow, broaden your perspective on God’s good plans, and increase your faith in his redemption of pain.
October 21, 2019
4.5 stars for me. A wonderful story. About ambiguous grief which more people need to be aware of. Demonstrated and spoken about beautifully. They keep it real and show their hearts during this journey. I shed a few tears while reading this. Oh my goodness Zach’s faith and joy was humbling and convicting. Just a wonderful book, sad but healing, raw and honest. Challenging also to have a faith, joy and love for God like Zach does. Highly recommended.
May 1, 2024
Pat and Tammy McLeod have blessed me in person and through this book. They are as real as it gets. They share the sudden but ambiguous loss of their son, and how they continue to process this loss yet persevere in hope, seeing glimpses of God's goodness through it all. It took my wife and I a long time to finish this because it was so painful and raw at times. But I am so grateful they have shared their story, struggles, and wisdom freely.
October 28, 2019
I liked this book because it represents a powerful journey through distressing topics, such as disability, religious faith, suffering, and ambiguous loss. Pat and Tammy Mcleod share their stories of loss of faith, dealing with their son’s disabilities, and moving past sorrow, creating an alternating POV story.
July 16, 2019
Incredible story! Awesome read! This book took me from ripping my heart out to skipping on a mountain top and everywhere in between! Not the kind of book you want to read….. but you need to! Like a raft ride on a raging Montana river it will take you through the wilderness of trying to navigate trauma and tragedy while keeping your life together and your family afloat.
As a result of a fallen world EVERYONE experiences pain and loss. Theirs is a story of the kind of loss that is constant, ambiguous loss. It is the kind where there is no finality. This book has valuable insights on how to navigate the waters and shows that while devastating it can also be redemptive.
The McLeods have done an amazing job of honestly telling the story of being absolutely crushed by the weight and currents of tragedy, yet listening, yielding and coming close to the only ONE who can truly navigate the waters and calm the storm. Amazingly the one who is leading the way to the Father is the one who should be the most bitter, a seventeen year old who has been severely effected by a football TBI, traumatic brain injury, and has lost nearly everything except his life and love for the Lord. There is hope in a seemingly hopeless situation!
As a result of a fallen world EVERYONE experiences pain and loss. Theirs is a story of the kind of loss that is constant, ambiguous loss. It is the kind where there is no finality. This book has valuable insights on how to navigate the waters and shows that while devastating it can also be redemptive.
The McLeods have done an amazing job of honestly telling the story of being absolutely crushed by the weight and currents of tragedy, yet listening, yielding and coming close to the only ONE who can truly navigate the waters and calm the storm. Amazingly the one who is leading the way to the Father is the one who should be the most bitter, a seventeen year old who has been severely effected by a football TBI, traumatic brain injury, and has lost nearly everything except his life and love for the Lord. There is hope in a seemingly hopeless situation!
July 25, 2019
What a gift to humanity. I have read many books on grief but this is the first I have seen on ambiguous loss. It tapped into so many emotions and towards the end, it gave me a framework for things I didn't have words for previously. To have a book written from both perspectives in a marriage was particularly brilliant. Thank you, Pat and Tammy.
January 26, 2020
As a nurse and PhD grad whose dissertation was on family and end of life - I love this book intellectually.
As a mother, wife, and friend - I love this book emotionally.
As a Christian - I love this book spiritually.
I am grateful the authors shared their journey in ambiguous loss in such a brave, honest, and raw way. Their struggle, humility, pain, and growth was heartbreaking and inspiring to read.
As a mother, wife, and friend - I love this book emotionally.
As a Christian - I love this book spiritually.
I am grateful the authors shared their journey in ambiguous loss in such a brave, honest, and raw way. Their struggle, humility, pain, and growth was heartbreaking and inspiring to read.
August 28, 2022
Finished this book feeling so deeply moved. This was a story filled with unfathomable suffering, beauty, and hope. Zach’s faith before and after his brain injury has encouraged and inspired me so much 😭❤️
June 27, 2019
I can't say enough positive remarks about Pat and Tammy McLeod's new book, "Hit Hard." The book highlights God's grand story of guiding the McCleads through suffering - not as helpless victims or more-than-human heroes, but as participants in a redemptive drama. As the curse affects all of us with suffering, this book gives hope and advice as we await redemption far as the curse is found. The comforting advice doesn't come from a lofty pedestal, but through an honest journey and commitment to wrestling with God through the suffering.
July 8, 2019
Hit Hard is Pat and Tammy McLeod's honest, gripping story of their son Zach's debilitating football injury that left him permanently disabled, unable to live in his own, yet eternally living with joy and zeal in every moment with profound appreciation for every person around him. Pat and Tammy continue to live with hope through every parent's worst nightmare, seeing a child die in so many ways, yet still be alive. This is ambiguous loss, the paradox of lost but not lost. When I studied in Boston, Pat and Tammy taught me authentic, accountable faithfulness to God and others. I knew Zach before and after the injury. He is a rare young man, and after all the prayers, surgeries, and disappointments he is only person I know who lives and loves fully in every moment (given loss of his short term memory). The integrity of this family lends gravity, authenticity, and real value to the book. I highly recommend it! A quick, but high impact read.
July 10, 2019
My friend Tammy McLeod once said to me, “Suffering is Suffering”.
We were talking about a painful event in my own family, that by comparison seemed insignificant to the losses she was and would continue to experience as her family walked through her son Zach's traumatic brain injury. Her words gave me freedom to do my own grieving, and to show compassion to others without placing suffering on a scale of “degrees” of pain incurred.
Tammy and her husband Pat have written Hit Hard; a beautiful account of their experience with the unexpected, loss and pain. Their son Zach was gravely injured in a high school football game and the book details their lives from that first shocking night to the present, and their growing understanding of “ambiguous loss” as they navigate life with Zach in the here and now. Having known the McLeod family since their arrival in Boston, and having experienced first-hand the wild joy of their children (tons of laughs with Zach and Nate especially), I highly recommend this book. You won’t be able to put it down and will gain an honest insider’s view of how navigating the unexpected can look differently depending on who is experiencing it (Pat and Tammy alternate, writing from separate perspectives through the various events).
Look for upcoming book
signings in your area as well~ you won’t want to miss meeting Pat and Tammy (and possibly
Zach) in person!
We were talking about a painful event in my own family, that by comparison seemed insignificant to the losses she was and would continue to experience as her family walked through her son Zach's traumatic brain injury. Her words gave me freedom to do my own grieving, and to show compassion to others without placing suffering on a scale of “degrees” of pain incurred.
Tammy and her husband Pat have written Hit Hard; a beautiful account of their experience with the unexpected, loss and pain. Their son Zach was gravely injured in a high school football game and the book details their lives from that first shocking night to the present, and their growing understanding of “ambiguous loss” as they navigate life with Zach in the here and now. Having known the McLeod family since their arrival in Boston, and having experienced first-hand the wild joy of their children (tons of laughs with Zach and Nate especially), I highly recommend this book. You won’t be able to put it down and will gain an honest insider’s view of how navigating the unexpected can look differently depending on who is experiencing it (Pat and Tammy alternate, writing from separate perspectives through the various events).
Look for upcoming book
signings in your area as well~ you won’t want to miss meeting Pat and Tammy (and possibly
Zach) in person!
July 10, 2019
I picked up Hit Hard while taking a break from another good read by an author that has published dozens of books which have sold millions of copies worldwide, and what a refreshing break it was! I found the writing of this seasoned author not nearly as compelling or engaging as what Pat and Tammy McLeod have now offered the world. Every word, every reflection and memory of Hit Hard is saturated in authenticity. As a parent, I was moved to tears by the closing scene, father and son running headlong into the night, present with one another, souls knit together.
Speaking of souls, Saint Augustine once suggested we liken the trinitarian concept of a creating, redeeming, sustaining God to the human condition, through which we have our being, we know that we exist, and we learn to love both the knowing and the being. Pat and Tammy McLeod, authors of Hard Hit, have shown me how to take Saint Augustine at his word, learning again to love both who we are, and that sense of who we become with greater authenticity. I hope you too will let the truth of their story, and the way it can resonate with yours, seep through the spaces between the cobblestones of this redemptive road we all walk together.
Dana Mahan, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, author of Poor White and Trashy.
Speaking of souls, Saint Augustine once suggested we liken the trinitarian concept of a creating, redeeming, sustaining God to the human condition, through which we have our being, we know that we exist, and we learn to love both the knowing and the being. Pat and Tammy McLeod, authors of Hard Hit, have shown me how to take Saint Augustine at his word, learning again to love both who we are, and that sense of who we become with greater authenticity. I hope you too will let the truth of their story, and the way it can resonate with yours, seep through the spaces between the cobblestones of this redemptive road we all walk together.
Dana Mahan, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, author of Poor White and Trashy.
July 19, 2019
This is an outstanding book. The McLeods tell a very personal and powerful story. In addition, they delve into a powerful and meaningful concept, ambiguous loss, from which many people can benefit. Finally, the writing itself moves. In short, this is a powerful, meaningful, and compelling book, and I would give it my highest recommendation.
July 19, 2019
This is a captivating story written by a family describing their response to a debilitating football injury to their 16 year old son. The immediate tragedy and the subsequent struggles to live within a new family framework are real and deeply personal. Sharing the experiences including the faith required make this a valuable read for all those facing similar losses and struggles.
July 9, 2019
I absolutely loved this book! Not only is the story gripping, but the interplay between the authors brings you right into their marriage and family – struggles, conflicts, triumphs, reconciliation. Their faith unites them, carries them, and inspires others as it so honestly bends without breaking. Though I know this family well and even walked closely with them through this tragedy, reading their story gave me so much more insight into the constant, yet subversive onslaught of ambiguous loss. I can see this book deeply ministering to so many who are currently struggling with the painful and elusive internal battle of mourning what has been lost and celebrating what remains in a close relationship. I literally could not recommend Hit Hard with any more gusto!
July 13, 2019
Hit Hard is a raw look at a family forced into a new reality, one of staggering losses and constant mercies, unresolved conflict and unshakable commitment. I was left with more questions than answers and yet with a profound sense of God’s ability to bring beauty out of brokenness. I am inspired by the McLeod’s perseverance and deeply grateful for their vulnerability. I was taken up in their grief, in their joy, and in the profound tension of a broken world loved by a crucified Savior.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews