Author: Lynn C. Tolson http://www.beyondthetears.com/ 

ISBN: 1410724174

The following review was contributed by:   E.Dian Moore &  To read more about Dian Moore’s reviews click HERE

To read Dian's Interview With the Author CLICK HERE

During my research on domestic violence to feature in Sisters in the Lord Magazine for October, which happens to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I ran across Lynn Tolson's, Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story. By the second paragraph, I was transported into the mind of a young woman bent on suicide and traveled with her through her suicide attempt, discovery, revival in a cold hospital room and transfer to a psyche ward. This was just in the first chapter.

The remainder of my night was shot as I stayed awake, reading each page as quickly as possible so that I might know this woman was okay. That she recovered. That she escaped her abuser and survived.

 Intense doesn't begin to describe Beyond the Tears. This writer's true story reads like a best-selling thriller – but it's not fiction. It's Tolson's nightmare that begins the story and her victorious survival that ends it.

Peopled with characters we all know in our own lives, Tolson brings her own cast alive with crisp dialogue and action – oftentimes breathtaking with brutal honesty. Tolson's abuse cycle started as a child and continued through her marriage. The pages turn on their own as this compelling true story shows the cycle of abuse, the mindset of the victim, the actions of the abuser, the betrayal of relatives and friends and finally, the first steps toward healing. 

 As I suspected when reading Tolson's story, her true calling was to be a writer, which she revealed in a subsequent interview. She is now working on her second survival story – this time she has survived breast cancer.

Beyond the Tears is critical reading for victims of abuse. Through Tolson's story, many will recognize themselves, their families, their spouses, their friends, and from there, recognize that they, too, can heal—even when death seems like the best solution.

"In the meantime, know that my purpose as Lynn C. Tolson is in my initials: LCT, Learning, Creating, Teaching, to provide empowerment of our minds, bodies, and spirits. May this generation break the silence that surrounds sexual assault and incest so that future generations may live in peace."