“I felt like I was being shredded... one painful, hateful word at a time.” Like millions of other women, CNN’s HLN and truTV’s In Session anchor Christi Paul blamed herself for the emotional abuse heaped on her by her first husband, whose violent, profanity-laced tirades left her feeling as though she had no value, no self-worth, and nowhere to turn for help. Then one day, when Christi was taking refuge in a church parking lot, the verse “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” popped into her head. In that moment she realized she did have someplace to turn after all. Holding fast to her faith, Christi began the arduous process of rebuilding her self-image and regaining control of her life. Now happily remarried and the mother of three girls, Christi feels called to share her story in the hope that other victims of abuse will find the courage to seek the help they desperately need and deserve. Spoken with both candor and poignancy, Love Isn’t Supposed to Hurt chronicles Christi’s personal experience with emotional abuse and shows how—with God’s help, some unconventional therapy, and the support of family and friends—she was able to break the cycle of abuse, regain her sense of self-worth, and discover what true love is all about.
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"Wow! I could really relate to this book and what she went through. Verbal/emotional abuse is a serious, painful issue in so many relationships and it's often ignored. I suffered under it for over 15 yrs before a friend finally helped see that I was crumbling emotionally and falling into depression. I did skim over several pages where the author was describing all of her feelings and realizations only because I felt they were quite verbose and I get lost in all the deep thoughts."
— Angiew (4 out of 5 stars)
" This was a rather wrenching story of Christi Paul and her abusive first relationship. It really does help to open your eyes to why a woman would stay in a relationship like that. It's very interesting at the end of the book where she works on healing herself and looking back at what went wrong. "
— Joy, 1/22/2014" Great, easy read. Inspirational. "
— Kimber, 12/20/2013" It's not that I don't admire Christi or think that it was horrible that she went through what she did, I just had a hard time relating. Not that she doesn't relate to every single person, I just couldn't get into it. "
— Megan, 12/13/2013" Interesting Christain read.. "
— Beckey, 11/29/2013" Boring. I was tired of all the praying, halfway through i was ready to be done with the book. I do appreciate the message she is trying to deliver though. "
— Valerie, 11/19/2013" Very inspiring. Having personally suffered through a verbally and physically abusive relationship, I applaud Christi for her courage to tell her story. "
— Lisa, 10/30/2013" This book was good. It is nice to know the story behind the news. "
— Tammy, 10/12/2013" This was a great book into the hindsight women of verbal abuse face and how with Gods help you can overcome the monster of abuse... "
— Anna, 10/7/2013" I loved this book. It had great messages and advice that a person could relate to. "
— Heather, 9/3/2013" It was stranger reading about someone you know personally....not close friends, but Christi went to school with my daughter, and dated my nephew for a while....also know her parents...used to play Bridge with Ann...anyway...enjoyed the book and just want to give a big hug to the whole family!!!! "
— Kassie, 8/2/2013" This book was absolutely fantastic. Thank you Christi Paul for sharing your story. Her immense courage and life wisdom is incredible. "
— Sue, 3/23/2013" It was advertised as a memoir, but to me seemed more of a "self-help" book. I got bored. I am glad she finally left Justin though. It should have happened a lot sooner. "
— Katherine, 3/10/2013" Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt" by Christi Paul. It was a great book. It was about Christi abuse from her husband and how she had the courage to heal. I recommend this book for anyone whether in abusing relationship or not. It has great tips anyone can benefit from. "
— Debbie, 11/23/2012" I'm thankful she was willing to share her experience so others can draw strength from her faith. A tough read but worth it. "
— Tonya, 11/6/2012Christi Paul is an award-winning journalist and national weekday news anchor for CNN’s HLN and truTV’s In Session. In her eight years at CNN, she has covered a wide variety of stories, including two presidential elections, the Virginia Tech shootings, the Casey Anthony murder trial, the Warren Jeffs polygamy trial, and the Conrad Murray trial. She has also interviewed such noted figures as Senator John McCain, Reverend Jessie Jackson, former drug czar Barry McCaffrey, actresses Jane Seymour and Patricia Heaton, bestselling author Marianne Williamson, and musicians Keith Urban and Jim Brickman, among others. She also serves on the board of Safe Kids Georgia and is an ambassador for the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Pete, and their three daughters.
Sanjay Gupta, MD, is a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital and associate chief of service at Grady Memorial Hospital. A columnist for Time magazine and a chief medical correspondent at CNN, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia.