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Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved
New.Leatherette hardcover and Jacket.Moody press Chicago. Gilded lettering on back.158 pages.New book, very minor shelf wear to the edges dust jacket due to storage.(Please see the pictures) Quick and safe shipping. M-10
159 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
March 15, 2014
I picked this book up because I had misplaced the book I was currently reading. I don't even know how it came to be in my bookcase but I am glad it was there. I had no expectations from this book and yet with every turn my heart was broken and then restored. If you have this book and have yet to read it, I encourage you to not be delayed any longer.
Dorie leads us through the many heartbreaks and rejections of her younger years. What was amazing was how she came to meet Jesus and how, despite no human intervention, discovered his love was the only real thing in her life. I finished the book satisfied that I know of this same love. Read the book.
Dorie leads us through the many heartbreaks and rejections of her younger years. What was amazing was how she came to meet Jesus and how, despite no human intervention, discovered his love was the only real thing in her life. I finished the book satisfied that I know of this same love. Read the book.
March 18, 2013
Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved is a book I didn't plan to read. I picked it up at a $2/bag sale at a church a year or so ago (these sales are a total thrill, but that's another post).
So, I read it recently, not expecting too much, but I really enjoyed it. It's the life of Doris Van Stone, who began life in an orphanage, and, believe it or not, things went downhill from there. She was truly a girl that nobody loved.
Thankfully, her life improved as an adult. She got married and became a missionary to a primitive tribe in New Guinea. An interesting note was that she mentions one of her missionary friends being Darlene Deibler Rose. I knew that name sounded familiar, and a bit of looking revealed why. I had also read Darlene's book about her missionary journeys, Evidence Not Seen, and it was excellent as well.
(Another side note: I think this was also the era of Through Gates of Splendor, the book written by Elisabeth Elliott about her husband and other missionaries killed by Auca Indians in Ecuador. Were the '50s a big time for overseas missions? It seems unusual that all three of these books are approximately the same time frame).
If you'd like a bit of encouragement, I recommend this book. If Dorie could make it despite all the obstacles in her way, you can too!
So, I read it recently, not expecting too much, but I really enjoyed it. It's the life of Doris Van Stone, who began life in an orphanage, and, believe it or not, things went downhill from there. She was truly a girl that nobody loved.
Thankfully, her life improved as an adult. She got married and became a missionary to a primitive tribe in New Guinea. An interesting note was that she mentions one of her missionary friends being Darlene Deibler Rose. I knew that name sounded familiar, and a bit of looking revealed why. I had also read Darlene's book about her missionary journeys, Evidence Not Seen, and it was excellent as well.
(Another side note: I think this was also the era of Through Gates of Splendor, the book written by Elisabeth Elliott about her husband and other missionaries killed by Auca Indians in Ecuador. Were the '50s a big time for overseas missions? It seems unusual that all three of these books are approximately the same time frame).
If you'd like a bit of encouragement, I recommend this book. If Dorie could make it despite all the obstacles in her way, you can too!
February 12, 2019
I heard Dorie speak at the Moody Bible Insitute before I bought and read her book. What an inspiring story of hope penetrating the incredible darkness in which she grew up. Orphaned. Abused. Unloved. Yet Jesus pursued her, her husband cherished her, and she now lives a vibrant life, restored, strong, ministering on earth and longing for heaven.
God bless her for sharing such a difficult past and spreading the hope that NO ONE is beyond the Lord's reach.
I would highly recommend this book for those struggling with past sexual or physical abuse, and those who love them.
If you'd like to read a brief biography of Dorie Van Stone, see her ministry biography here:
https://foreverchangedinternational.o...
This book was encouraging to people anointing deep wounds, which caused van Stone and Lutzer to publish a follow up title:
No Place to Cry, van Stone & Lutzer, 1990
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
God bless her for sharing such a difficult past and spreading the hope that NO ONE is beyond the Lord's reach.
I would highly recommend this book for those struggling with past sexual or physical abuse, and those who love them.
If you'd like to read a brief biography of Dorie Van Stone, see her ministry biography here:
https://foreverchangedinternational.o...
This book was encouraging to people anointing deep wounds, which caused van Stone and Lutzer to publish a follow up title:
No Place to Cry, van Stone & Lutzer, 1990
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
January 6, 2016
The first 10 chapters of this book were really interesting but the last few were a bit boring. I think it would have been better if the author had gone into better detail and expanded upon the stories of her life. It would have made the book longer but it would have been worth it, at least to me.
The struggles of her life were hard to read, as they were devastating, but the hold God had on her was inspiring. This book shows God's love in a wonderful way.
The struggles of her life were hard to read, as they were devastating, but the hold God had on her was inspiring. This book shows God's love in a wonderful way.
October 12, 2022
The story of Doris Vanstone from her tragic childhood of unloved and abused to a happily married woman mother of two and a missionary in the jungle of New Guinea. A amazing story of God's love and grace and his healing power of forgiveness. An amazing book that I suggest all to read!!
January 25, 2016
This was a very moving story of the abuse suffered by a young girl and how God brings beauty out of the ashes when surrendered to Him.
July 27, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. Doris Van Stone relates her life story, of the constant abandonment and rejection she experienced throughout her childhood and teen years as well as her transformation once she gave her life to Christ.
There was a huge bonus in this read for me. I read Darlene Diebler Rose's Evidence Not Seen (which I also highly recommend) a while back and loved it. Doris was actually friends with Mrs. Rose, and so she shows up in her life story. Might not be significant to anyone else, but this was a big deal to me.
The writing style is so simple and concise that this makes a quick, easy, engaging read. It's always incredible to read about how the Lord transforms a person's life, and this read is a perfect example of why I love hearing the testimonies of God's mighty works in the lives of other believers. I also say that just hearing Doris Van Stone's advice about forgiveness, not harboring bitterness, using the hard things we've experienced in life as opportunities to help others going through similar things, and the absolute necessity of the word of God for a believers' heart, were like fresh water for me. It was very refreshing. This was a wonderful read, well worth recommending to others and passing on.
There was a huge bonus in this read for me. I read Darlene Diebler Rose's Evidence Not Seen (which I also highly recommend) a while back and loved it. Doris was actually friends with Mrs. Rose, and so she shows up in her life story. Might not be significant to anyone else, but this was a big deal to me.
The writing style is so simple and concise that this makes a quick, easy, engaging read. It's always incredible to read about how the Lord transforms a person's life, and this read is a perfect example of why I love hearing the testimonies of God's mighty works in the lives of other believers. I also say that just hearing Doris Van Stone's advice about forgiveness, not harboring bitterness, using the hard things we've experienced in life as opportunities to help others going through similar things, and the absolute necessity of the word of God for a believers' heart, were like fresh water for me. It was very refreshing. This was a wonderful read, well worth recommending to others and passing on.
April 9, 2011
Dorie has a great story, and I would recommend it for women who have survived child abuse of any kind (verbal, physical, emotional) or for women who have lived in foster homes or orphanages. I'd also recommend it for foster/adoptive parents.
Dorie's story is an example of how short-term volunteers can make a long-term difference in a life that seems doomed and hopeless. However, Dorie's style of storytelling is somewhat outdated. It feels like listening to an elderly lady give a speech--in the 1970s.
Favorite excerpt:
There was one occupation, however, from which I hoped God would spare me--missionary service. My dislike for this career dated back to my days at the orphanage when I attended the Gospel Tabernacle. There at a conference I hastily concluded that missionaries were colorless non-entities, people who were shipped overseaes because they could not make a decent showing in America. When they stood to speak, they looked like dried prunes.
Dorie's story is an example of how short-term volunteers can make a long-term difference in a life that seems doomed and hopeless. However, Dorie's style of storytelling is somewhat outdated. It feels like listening to an elderly lady give a speech--in the 1970s.
Favorite excerpt:
There was one occupation, however, from which I hoped God would spare me--missionary service. My dislike for this career dated back to my days at the orphanage when I attended the Gospel Tabernacle. There at a conference I hastily concluded that missionaries were colorless non-entities, people who were shipped overseaes because they could not make a decent showing in America. When they stood to speak, they looked like dried prunes.
October 18, 2014
This is a good book to read when you want a touching story to read. It will soften your heart.
January 10, 2022
Great book to kick off the new year BOLDLY!!
March 5, 2011
Um, wow! What a story! It has all these elements that I seem to be drawn to--funny thing was, that I really didn't know what the book was about when I picked it up! I was a little discouraged with how slow another book was going--this seemed short enough. But wow!
The main elements (that I am taking out of it):
1. Doris, an unwanted, rejected girl. I seem to be drawn to stories of kids living in orphanages and foster homes, including "my kids" at the orphanage I worked at in Africa. Children are precious.
2. She submitted to God's call on her life to be a missionary after hearing a missionary named Darlene Deibler (Rose) speak. DDR wrote her own story in a book that has become one of my very favorite of all time--Evidence Not Seen! Doris and Darlene become close friends--like sisters! It provides details about DDR that fill in a gap in her own book. When you look up to someone, naturally you want to know more. That was a welcome surprise.
3. New Guinea: For whatever reason, I have been drawn to stories about New Guinea for at least the last decade. As it turns out, my other favorite book is Lords of the Earth (by Don Richardson)--about a missionary and the Yali people in New Guinea!! And that story includes members of the Dani people serving alongside the missionaries to reach the Yalis. Doris & her husband, Darlene DR and her (2nd) husband, and another couple were the pioneers in the Baliem Valley and among the Dani peoples! What's more? Darlene DR was the first western/white woman to go into the interior of New Guinea. Her first husband Russell was THE pioneer missionary to open up the interior--among the Kapaukus who would later help with the Danis.
The book is great reading and occasionally pretty intense, but now you can at least get a hint of why I love this book.
The main elements (that I am taking out of it):
1. Doris, an unwanted, rejected girl. I seem to be drawn to stories of kids living in orphanages and foster homes, including "my kids" at the orphanage I worked at in Africa. Children are precious.
2. She submitted to God's call on her life to be a missionary after hearing a missionary named Darlene Deibler (Rose) speak. DDR wrote her own story in a book that has become one of my very favorite of all time--Evidence Not Seen! Doris and Darlene become close friends--like sisters! It provides details about DDR that fill in a gap in her own book. When you look up to someone, naturally you want to know more. That was a welcome surprise.
3. New Guinea: For whatever reason, I have been drawn to stories about New Guinea for at least the last decade. As it turns out, my other favorite book is Lords of the Earth (by Don Richardson)--about a missionary and the Yali people in New Guinea!! And that story includes members of the Dani people serving alongside the missionaries to reach the Yalis. Doris & her husband, Darlene DR and her (2nd) husband, and another couple were the pioneers in the Baliem Valley and among the Dani peoples! What's more? Darlene DR was the first western/white woman to go into the interior of New Guinea. Her first husband Russell was THE pioneer missionary to open up the interior--among the Kapaukus who would later help with the Danis.
The book is great reading and occasionally pretty intense, but now you can at least get a hint of why I love this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2015
It was funny how this book ended up at my house. My daughter is named Dorielle but goes by Dorie. She had really never met anyone that had the same name as her. She is very curious and loved to read. One of her school teachers found this book, bought it, and crossed out "Nobody" wrote in "Everybody," and gave it to her. I don't even know if she ever read it, but I had to since it had her name in the title.
It's about the life of Doris Van Stone, who began life in an orphanage, and things wen downhill from there. She was truly a girl nobody loved. In all her struggles, she found Jesus and the Lord transformed her life. She married a good man and the became missionaries to a tribe in New Guinea. Some of the circumstances she fould herself were similar to my other daughter who we adopted. She was born to a 15 year old girl who didn't want the responsibility of a raising a child. We were lucky in that God guided us to Heather and we are so blessed to have her as part of our family.
It's about the life of Doris Van Stone, who began life in an orphanage, and things wen downhill from there. She was truly a girl nobody loved. In all her struggles, she found Jesus and the Lord transformed her life. She married a good man and the became missionaries to a tribe in New Guinea. Some of the circumstances she fould herself were similar to my other daughter who we adopted. She was born to a 15 year old girl who didn't want the responsibility of a raising a child. We were lucky in that God guided us to Heather and we are so blessed to have her as part of our family.
January 31, 2018
It was NOT what I was expecting when I picked it up, but it turned out to be better than I was expecting. The book takes you into the life of a girl from a broken and abusive home and shows you the hardship of her life. The pain of rejection, the orphanage, and the abusive foster homes should have left her an emotionally ruined adult. But God intervened. Dorie put her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and experienced His love and acceptance. Her life was never the same. Feeling God's calling on her life to be a missionary, Dorie attended Bible college where she met her husband. Reading the last half of the book, when they're on the mission field in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, raising their kids, and facing danger, kept me turning the pages. From her husband's arrow wound and near death experiences, to her health issues, this godly couple trusted God through it all. It was an amazing story of redemption, God's love, and God's acceptance of us. It was one of those non-fiction books that is more entertaining than a lot of fiction!
April 29, 2010
I know what you're thinking...i put a lot of five-stars for my books that i read...but i can't help it! Is it just me, or is every book just so amazing?! I'm so glad that the printing press was invented during the Renaissance (by Johannes Gutenburg) because i don't think i could enjoy life without books! XD
This book was really touching, and it was about this girl named Dorie who nobody loved, and she was abused and hurt when she was a child, until she met someone.
God.
That changed her life forever and she ended up marrying a wonderful missionary *she became a missionary too* and had two amazing children. It talks about their journey to New Guinea, and how they planned on teaching the people over there about our Magnificent God.
I was really touched by her story, and i'm really glad that i decided to read it. :)
P.S. (I liked how she considered her tattered Bible her book of 'love letters' from God.) :D
This book was really touching, and it was about this girl named Dorie who nobody loved, and she was abused and hurt when she was a child, until she met someone.
God.
That changed her life forever and she ended up marrying a wonderful missionary *she became a missionary too* and had two amazing children. It talks about their journey to New Guinea, and how they planned on teaching the people over there about our Magnificent God.
I was really touched by her story, and i'm really glad that i decided to read it. :)
P.S. (I liked how she considered her tattered Bible her book of 'love letters' from God.) :D
September 21, 2017
The great triumph of the human spirit in Dorie shines through!
When everyone around you shows and speaks hatred and instills verbal and physical abuse, what is one to do as a little child who cannot defend herself? Dorie shows that although rejected all her childhood, she could overcome and even find success in and through her talents.
But, what about the love she craved? She found it in the only one she knew would never reject her--Jesus. She shows the world through her story that only her trust in her faith helped dig her out of rejection & pain, and into a life full of the love she had needed desperately as a little girl.
What completeness is gotten in her life as a young woman, a wife, a mother, and a missionary because of her trust in the one who saved her out of humanity's short-comings. What a triumph!
When everyone around you shows and speaks hatred and instills verbal and physical abuse, what is one to do as a little child who cannot defend herself? Dorie shows that although rejected all her childhood, she could overcome and even find success in and through her talents.
But, what about the love she craved? She found it in the only one she knew would never reject her--Jesus. She shows the world through her story that only her trust in her faith helped dig her out of rejection & pain, and into a life full of the love she had needed desperately as a little girl.
What completeness is gotten in her life as a young woman, a wife, a mother, and a missionary because of her trust in the one who saved her out of humanity's short-comings. What a triumph!
September 21, 2012
To be honest the book Dorie the girl nobody loved was the best book I’ve ever read. Dorie is so encouraging because she pushes through things even though they are hard. It made me realize that I’m blessed to be loved by my parents. When her father told her that he didn’t accept her it made my heart sink. She was a very Godly women and though this book she has encouraged me to be more Godly. In 1973 was the day when the biography Dorie the girl nobody loved changed my families lives. It changed my families life because this is the book my mom read that made her decide to become a missionary over seas.
April 8, 2013
I read this book recently, not expecting too much, but I really enjoyed it. It's the life of Doris Van Stone, who began life in an orphanage, and things went downhill from there. She was truly a girl that nobody loved.
Thankfully, the Lord transformed her life, she married an amazing man, and they became a missionaries to a primitive tribe in New Guinea.
I gave it a 5 because it was so encouraging, but note that it is not very well written, but still worth the read.
Thankfully, the Lord transformed her life, she married an amazing man, and they became a missionaries to a primitive tribe in New Guinea.
I gave it a 5 because it was so encouraging, but note that it is not very well written, but still worth the read.
August 22, 2008
This book is amazing--I think that God spoke to me through it, and He's deffinately shown me what true love is, and how to accept and handle it. Dorie is the perfect role model for a struggling, answer-searching person.
July 11, 2018
A quick read and a beautiful story. An orphan who was abandoned, abused, and unwanted found hope and love in the arms of the savior. Later in life, she and her husband brought the Gospel to indigenous tribes in New Guinea.
Read
September 10, 2024This is a sad story at the beginning. I enjoyed watching as she stayed faithful to God no matter her circumstances
April 8, 2022
Dorie... it is hard to give words to such a book. This is a memoir that impacts many thousands of people who are touched by its message of God's love and redemption. This book has the power to transform you, if you let it.
Doris Van Stone's first memories were of living in an Oakland rental on 34th Street in the 1920's. Years later in the 1990's I lived not far from there on 57th. Oakland is the city of my birth and Dorie's story immediately started to impact my heart. I love reading books set in places I've been.
At the age of 6 - that must have been around 1928 - Dorie was placed in an Oakland orphanage not far from there because her mother wasn't able to provide loving care for her two daughters. Dorie was the oldest and was born when her mother was 15, and unfortunately her mother didn't seem to like her and so neglected her emotionally and physically. It was a very sad story.
I believe I found the orphanage on Google Maps along with some additional internet research. It is now called Studio One Arts Center. Clues from the text of the book: it was right next to the Oakland Technical High School athletic field and near the school Dorie attended, Emerson Elementary School.
https://skarc.com/projects/studio-one...
This is all covered in the first few chapters of the book and I won't tell more as I don't want to get into spoilerland. Dorie's story is impactful, heart rending and heart warming. I hope more people will read this book.
Doris Van Stone's first memories were of living in an Oakland rental on 34th Street in the 1920's. Years later in the 1990's I lived not far from there on 57th. Oakland is the city of my birth and Dorie's story immediately started to impact my heart. I love reading books set in places I've been.
At the age of 6 - that must have been around 1928 - Dorie was placed in an Oakland orphanage not far from there because her mother wasn't able to provide loving care for her two daughters. Dorie was the oldest and was born when her mother was 15, and unfortunately her mother didn't seem to like her and so neglected her emotionally and physically. It was a very sad story.
I believe I found the orphanage on Google Maps along with some additional internet research. It is now called Studio One Arts Center. Clues from the text of the book: it was right next to the Oakland Technical High School athletic field and near the school Dorie attended, Emerson Elementary School.
https://skarc.com/projects/studio-one...
This is all covered in the first few chapters of the book and I won't tell more as I don't want to get into spoilerland. Dorie's story is impactful, heart rending and heart warming. I hope more people will read this book.
August 19, 2015
1st Update (8/19/2015): I read this book WAY back in Elementary school and I've TOTALLY forgot all about it until JUST TODAY (on Wednesday August 19th, 2015). Oh my gosh, I loved this! It was the first "Jesus" /spiritual book I ever read--and I loved it. I felt for the main character, angry at the injustice & mistreatment she received majority of her life. My young mind couldn't fathom, could BARELY understand how somebody could be SO unloved... It was terrible! I might have cried a few times--tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
BTW: it's based off a true story!!
*********
Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster ride, folks! There will be a lot of that here in this book.
This story helped me realize that bad things happen to good people, and it changed my perspective on life forever ^_^ it's a story worth reading, trust me! (:
BTW: it's based off a true story!!
*********
Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster ride, folks! There will be a lot of that here in this book.
This story helped me realize that bad things happen to good people, and it changed my perspective on life forever ^_^ it's a story worth reading, trust me! (:
February 1, 2022
My Grandma gave me this book a few weeks ago because she knows I love to read. She told me that this is the story of a woman who came and spoke at the church she took my mom and aunts to when they were growing up. Dorie’s story is so powerful. It never fails to amaze me every time I read/see/experience something that started out feeling like nothing good could possibly come from this and Jesus turning it into something that further glorifies the Kingdom. Her story has inspired 3 generations in my family and countless others. This book reminds me that even when we can’t understand or see God is always here with us and has a better plan than we can ever imagine.
February 25, 2012
Dorie is a true story of a young girl and her sister who are neglected by there mother and later left in an orphanage.Dorie discovers that she can depend upon God to be with her when everybody eles leaves her, this enables her to cope with all that the world presents. As a teenager she gives herself to god saying she will go were ever he wants, this results in her marrying a missionary and living with an unreached tride. The details of her life , mission, and family give us a great portrayal of the saving grace og God. A god inspiring read.
August 28, 2012
A true story of abuse and neglect and the ways is which Jesus Christ comforted and redeemed an unthinkably painful situation. The book is an especially encouraging, inspiring and short read for anyone who has felt the sting of abuse, neglect and/or rejection of any kind. Four stars only because the book was written a while ago and so the writing style can take a bit getting used to. Still - highly recommend, especially as it is a true testimony of God's provision in an impossibly dark situation.
June 22, 2011
This book hits close to home. For those of you with a sorted past, you'll find that though Dorie's abuse may have been different than yours, the emotions and feelings of "Please, somebody love me." are the same. I have cried. I have laughed. I have gotten goosebumps when I read how the Holy Spirit supernaturally saved the life of her husband multiple times. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone! But don't read it while in public or people will give you strange glances!
November 13, 2016
This is one of those books that you can't put down till the very end. Emotional. Heartbreaking. Inspirational. Revitalizing. These are words that describe Dorie's story. Dorie, a girl who suffered a grueling childhood, having been rejected and abandoned by her mother and father, physically and verbally abused by an orphanage and foster parents, found her sufficient rest and hope in God and His Word.
November 30, 2016
Another book club book, finished!
I've decided that when choosing to read a biography or autobiography I prefer knowing or knowing of the subject, even a remote association.
This book was heartwarming and moving. If you're curious about missionaries to New Guinea this would be a great read. If you appreciate redemption stories and overcoming adversity to thrive, this is a great read.
If childhood abuse is a trigger for you this may be a challenge to read.
I've decided that when choosing to read a biography or autobiography I prefer knowing or knowing of the subject, even a remote association.
This book was heartwarming and moving. If you're curious about missionaries to New Guinea this would be a great read. If you appreciate redemption stories and overcoming adversity to thrive, this is a great read.
If childhood abuse is a trigger for you this may be a challenge to read.
November 18, 2012
Wow, this book literally brought dreams of me going to places in the world sharing God's word.
Dorie is an incredible character that I can learn from and get inspired from.
I think one of the strengths of this book was its connectivity with the bible verses throughout the story.
Great book, however many of my questions throughout this book still remain unanswered.
Dorie is an incredible character that I can learn from and get inspired from.
I think one of the strengths of this book was its connectivity with the bible verses throughout the story.
Great book, however many of my questions throughout this book still remain unanswered.
April 26, 2016
As I read this book, I thought that Dori's life would never amount to anything, but I was wrong. Dorie suffered through multiple challenges and she made it to a marriage with a wonderful man and a life long friendship with another very outstanding and beautiful missionary woman who had also gone through multiple trials of another kind.
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