Held - by Laura Ruth McCullough (Paperback)

About the Book

A reflective memoir of faith and breast cancer, Held blends prose, poetry, and lived experience into a companion for hard seasons-an honest, tender, and steady reminder that even here, God stays.

Book Synopsis

"This book pulls no punches...but this book also packs a wallop of hope." -KENNETH TANNER, author of Vulnerable God

What do you do when crisis hits and life falls apart?

When Laura Ruth McCullough was diagnosed with breast cancer, everything changed. And it hurt. Deeply. Held is her reflective memoir-a meditation on faith and suffering, beauty and pain, and the quiet persistence of hope rising in pink-infused waiting rooms and countless nights of wrestling.

Blending prose, poetry, Scripture, and lived wisdom, Held is a companion for those navigating illness, grief, caregiving, or seasons when the ground gives way. This book is for readers weary of platitudes and longing for something true. Rather than tidy answers, McCullough offers honesty and tenderness-space for lament, reflection, and presence, without rushing toward resolution.

Rooted in Christian faith yet open and hospitable in tone, Held speaks to anyone struggling through the hardest times of life, longing to meet the moment with courage while acknowledging heartache and fear. It is a comfort for hard seasons, an invitation to breathe, and a steady reminder that even here, God stays.

Review Quotes

Anyone who's ever gotten news that threatens the end of everything-a life you've made, a life you love, or your very life itself-should read this brief account of enduring that sort of news, of finding ways to live with it and through it. This book pulls no punches. Living a crisis, living with pain, living at the end of anything is never simple or easy, and is too often excruciating. But this book also packs a wallop of hope, fueled by bedrock trust in the human God, who is with us in every ending we face. Not as the face of the harm we are experiencing but the Face of Love, the One Who Lights Our Every Darkness. This is a reliable guide to living with real loss and learning that there's somehow in the end nothing to lose.

Held is an offering to anyone who knows what it means to be broken. Laura writes with raw honesty about the hardness of her cancer journey: the fear that grips, the body that fails, the questions that have no easy answers. But she also writes about the friends who showed up, the love that sustained, and the faith clung to when there was nothing else left to do. What makes these pages so powerful is that Laura doesn't offer false hope or neat conclusions. Instead, she shows us how to hold both the pain and the beauty, the struggle and the grace, all at the same time. If you're in the middle of your own hard story-whatever form it takes-you'll find a companion here. Someone who understands that faith may not erase your suffering but will meet you in it.

Held is a book of truth, inspiration, and encouragement to patience through life's difficulties and tribulations. The one of many sentences that brings me the greatest joy is about prayer, and it is "Conversation with One Who Knows. One Who Sees. One Who Understands what it is to be human yet holds all the fullness of the Divine." Life is tough. Jesus knows, and He understands.

The rawness and honesty of Held will take you by surprise, and the depth of HOPE in the midst of pain will keep you turning page after page! It's easy to turn our backs on God when we face trauma, but Laura will help you to turn and run to our Savior even when you can't understand the WHYS! If you're looking for hope, you will find it in these pages!

Laura's book captures not only the heartbreaking realities of cancer, but also the quiet beauty of trust and faith when everything feels dark. With remarkable honesty and grace, she invites the reader into her most vulnerable moments, offering hope without minimizing the pain of the experience. Her poetic style is deeply comforting, like receiving a letter from a close friend who understands suffering and can still guide you towards light. This book resonates beyond its subject matter, speaking to the shared human experience of loss, resilience, and love. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone navigating illness, grief, or any of life's challenges, as well as to those seeking a tender, faith-filled perspective on perseverance.

Laura authentically shares her journey and reflects what we all need: Hope, and to know we are never alone. Her words and wisdom, filled with love and a deep knowing, will encourage you to cling to Hope and to press on in whatever storms you face.