Heaven Without Her: A Desperate Daughter's Search for the Heart of Her Mother's Faith

by Kitty Foth-Regner

A fascinating personal account of a libertarian feminist agnostic who discovered a dynamic faith. Kitty Foth-Regner was a secular feminist who had bought hook, line, and sinker the ideals and objectives of Betty Friedan's N.O.W. Kitty's mother-a woman of faith-became sick and clearly was destined to die rather quickly. And the author began to wonder about whether she would be in heaven with her mother someday. This led her on a personal journey of faith. Heaven Without Her is Foth-Regner's personal memoir of how she found, to her amazement, that all the evidence points to Christianity.

Genres: Christian, Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[LadyCalico · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most excellent book. It goes beyond dry, bloodless apologetics to apply them to a real life search for Truth, Meaning, and Salvation. The education needed to live this brief life productively and abundantly within a Christian worldview isn't just gleaned from the books, but is found in the lab work and field trips of real peoples' lives, where God is writing the most fascinating stories.

[Loretta Marchize · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING!!! I loved it!
It's a definite to-read for all my Christian friends. Mrs. Kitty's story of how she found her faith... (Grace Matlyn, the first book she reads is Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis #startingpoints)
I just loved this book. It took me a while to get through, but part of that was my own fault. (I really didn't want it to end when I saw that I was reading the epilogue)
Anyways, it was amazing.
(also I have no idea what day I started reading this. no. idea. so... I made up a date that seemed about right. (;

[Barbara Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitty grew up with a loving Christian mother, but she rejected the gospel. She felt God wasn’t real and Christianity would just get between her and her idea of fun. She became a feminist and an agnostic, developed a good writing business, had lots of like-minded friends and a significant other. Life seemed good.

Then her aging mother became sick and was not expected to live. Kitty couldn’t bear the thought that she might not see her mother ever again. To Kitty’s credit, she didn’t just mouth a false profession. She couldn’t agree to Christianity if she didn’t believe it was true. But she was willing to investigate it. So she dug, read, and studied not only Christianity but also other religions from every conceivable angle, such as the existence of God, creation vs. evolution, the veracity of the Bible, and more.

Part memoir, part apologetics, this book tells how the author got “so lost” and how, point by point, God dealt with all her objections and brought her to Himself.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of a woman on a journey to her faith. I think at some point we always wonder about the existence of God. This book helps you on your journey. It gives you something to think about by giving us passages of the bible. Something we should all read.

[Bettie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fascinated from the moment I started reading Kitty's story, and had a hard time putting this down. She weaves the story of her Mother's passing, with her own story of searching, along with great apologetic research. Even as she is led to a firm belief in Christianity, she holds nothing back in sharing her long-time disdain of anything having to do with God or His Word. I so loved the way that she opened her heart to share not only her story but the great questions that have been answered by God in His Word. I highly recommend this to anyone who is on a path of searching. The road will lead home when God is drawing and calling!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. I hope to reread it soon.

[Kgparkhurst Parkhurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. I have learned so much from it. In fact, I have decided to buy myself a copy to continue rereading it.

[Connywithay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I had no intention of dabbling in this leap-of-faith business, not when eternity was on the line. I had to know,” Kitty Forth-Regner determinedly writes in her memoir, Heaven Without Her: A Desperate Search for the Heart of Her Mother’s Faith.

~ What ~
This two-hundred-and-eighty-eight-page paperback targets those who like memoirs of learning the Truth about eternity and Jesus Christ. The topics of alcohol use, illness, dying, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes notes, bibliography, author’s biography, and acknowledgments.

Losing a parent is heartbreaking, but knowing a parent on her deathbed believes oppositely than you about Heaven and Hell can be daunting if you have no faith in the afterlife. This quick read is an adult woman’s quest to find peace, hope, and trust in God while saying goodbye to her mother and emerging herself in deep Biblical apologetics for the answers.

As Kitty’s eighty-seven-year-old mother is dying, the feminist author’s unbelief in the Almighty is challenged, often in a round-about way by reminiscing about her upbringing, relationships with others, and persistent attitude of digging for answers to the “whys” in life. Covering her father’s unexpected death to her mother’s blessed assurance of going to Heaven, the writer finds herself frantically and arduously researching if there is a God and will she be with her mom in the afterlife. By not believing in a religion but a personal relationship with Jesus, she learns how she can see her mother again as she debates within if she is truly “born again.”

~ Why ~
With creative and witty writing, the writer divulges what she emotionally and spiritually went through when her mother was dying and the toll it took on her broken heart and confused mind. I love her weaving the personal war within her soul with her intense search regarding macro- and micro-evolution, radiometric dating, chance plus time versus God’s creation, the validity of the Bible, and Biblical prophecy to name a few. Her ever-growing interest in knowing the Truth is tender yet educational for anyone who questions Jesus Christ’s existence. The plan of eternal salvation is succinct and to the point, void of works or a legalistic list of requirements.

~ Why Not ~
Those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ may be offended by this book that promotes understanding there is only one way to Heaven. Others may feel uncomfortable reading about the end of life, yet hopefully, they will consider and be assured of what happens after their demise.

~ Wish ~
As most memoirs are strictly about the writer and focus on his or her only, this book can be used as an opening by the Holy Spirit of God’s amazing grace and love to an atheist or agnostic. I wish more books contained the Biblical backbone that this one does on why we should believe in Christ as it is the most important decision we make.

~ Want ~
If you like a memoir of how a woman’s mother dying upended and changed not only the writer’s attitude but also her soul, this one that provides answers and comfort regarding eternity would be appreciated by someone suffering and questioning the same issue of what happens when one dies.

Thanks to the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great book to include in your personal library. I will be giving copies of this book to many friends. You will love the personal journey the author, Kitty Foth-Regner, takes you on. The writer invites you to take this journey with her and makes you feel a part of her family.

The book describes the journey of a daughter to find peace during and after the loss of her mother. Both saved and unsaved can learn what being a Christian is all about. The author’s search becomes yours as you follow her explorations of the Biblical views of her Mother.

Ever have questions about what being a Christian means? Want to share salvation with a friend but not sure of the exact approach to take? This book is an excellent resource. As you follow the journey your eyes will be opened to the thoughts and ideas of being a Christian. You will better understand why you believe what you believe. You will enjoy taking this journey and benefit from learning more about your faith.

I was given this book by christianreviewofbooks.com to review

[Lisa Rathbun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed her voice; she drew me in immediately. After a while, I got a little tired though of a recurring style: information she'd discovered and was sharing interspersed with tidbits describing everyday life like a golf game with a friend or watching a Packers game on TV. A lot of the book actually was like a review of OTHER books, a sort of summary of the most important points in favor of the Christian faith.

[Cammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologetics - lite. Thoroughly research with logical and persuasive arguments.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, and interesting how Kitty was drawn to investigate Christianity for herself. Might be helpful for a "seeker" to read.

[Pattie F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me, history, knowledge, and the wonder of my relationship with Jesus Christ

[Marlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was like reliving my own search for God. I loved every word, every question, every insight, and every doubt she articulated. When you want to find truth, truth will find you.

[Jecefel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It talks about Christianity and a daughter who wants to know where her mother would be after she leaves her. Very nice story though. It strengthens my faith to Him