Struck: One Christian's Reflections on Encountering Death

"Russ Ramsey writes from his own incredible journey of near-fatal heart disease in real time. I was quickly caught up in the journey with him and felt like I became friends with him and the fascinating people he meets along the way. As a therapistwho frequently references and recommends books, I moved this to the top of my list for many of the hard issues that we all face. Russ is vulnerable and honest about the deepest questions of life and leaves us with a peace that makes the unanswerablequestions much less important. Russ combines Lewis’s A Grief Observed, Keller’s The Meaning of Marriage, and Kübler-Ross’s On Death and Dying in one place and gives us the head and heart knowledge for trials that we all are familiar with. I’m proud to say that Russ is as real in his roles as my pastor and friend as he is in this book."

Kaka Ray, LMFT, trauma specialist

"In prose allowing the passage of light, Russ Ramsey blazes a trail of affliction and belief. No one hopes for the crucible, but this piercing account makes room for honest lament, complaint, and anger en route to simplicity and a faith purged of sentiment. Struck will hearten those adrift in the valleys. You know who you are."

Leif Enger, bestselling author of Peace Like a River and So Brave, Young, and Handsome

"Earthy, authentic, and full of enduring wisdom, Russ Ramsey has eloquently documented his journey through loss in this personal story. Struck offers hope and honesty in the midst of suffering, displaying a life lived with an open heart before God in all circumstances."

Sandra McCracken, singer/songwriter, God’s Highway, Psalms, Desire Like Dynamite

"My word, Russ Ramsey has done a beautiful thing here. It takes absolute courage to walk through trauma and affliction and then return to it for the sake of others’ healing. This book will be one you treasure, return to, and know just the right time to give to your friends."

Annie F. Downs, bestselling author of Looking for Lovely and Let’s All Be Brave

"If you’re not in the midst of struggle, one of these days you will be. That’s why you need to read this book. By letting the reader into his struggles in a winsome and honest way, Russ Ramsey shows us how not to waste our own suffering."

Jonathan Rogers, author and meniscus surgery survivor

"Russ Ramsey is a rare bird—a pastor who’s written a beautiful and honest account of his own suffering. Because he tells the whole story with truthful words, his book is an affirming balm, a call to hope, and a help through stages of affliction for anyone who reads it. The afterword written by his spouse, Lisa Ramsey, is a wonderful bonus!"

Andi Ashworth and Charlie Peacock, cofounders, Art House America

"Russ Ramsey has written a memoir that’s as much about you as it is about him, because it’s inviting and true to the human experience. His honest vulnerability and literary prose aren’t simply talents, but offerings to God that beckon us to worship alongside him. This book is a gift."

Bethany Jenkins, director of The Gospel Coalition’s Every Square Inch

"Struck is Russ Ramsey’s raw, unflinching look at what it means to be a person of faith in the midst of physical suffering. Doctors should read this book to better understand their patients. Nurses should read this book as a reminder to leave ‘trail magic’ for the weary. But this book isn’t just for those who work in hospitals. To those whose lives or loved ones have been struck by pain, trauma, or heartbreak, this book speaks boldly about grief and the recovery process. Russ offersno silver linings. Instead, he offers the truth."

Claire Gibson, freelance writer, novelist

"A good memoir is about the author but not really about the author. In it the reader sees themself, their experiences, their emotions, their life. Struck is just such a memoir. Russ has told his story, but not just his story. He has told my story of pain and grief and faith and fear and recovery and doubt and help. And he has told yours too. His story is of a medical crisis and more. Yours may be of a broken marriage or a lost child or a career in ruins, but it’s the same story withthe same hope. As you read this story of a stranger, you will see yourself and your loved ones in the pages and be encouraged."

Barnabas Piper, author of Help My Unbelief and The Curious Christian

"In the spirit of C. S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed, Russ has done us all a great service by chronicling his own journey into the darkness of grief and death and mortality. I’m so glad he recovered and came back from such a place to tell us this story—which is not so much about brokenness, but healing. This book has already been a comfort to me, and I have no doubt that it will be a comfort to many."

Andrew Peterson, singer/songwriter, author, proprietor of The Rabbit Room