On January 19, 2015, 14-year-old John Smith of St. Charles, Missouri, slipped through an icy lake and was submerged under water for fifteen minutes. For fifty-five minutes, John had no pulse, but miraculously, he survived. John’s amazing story is told by his mother Joyce Smith in her book Breakthrough: The Miraculous True Story of a Mother’s Faith and Her Son’s Resurrection.

Breakthrough is an incredible book. Not only do we learn about John’s recovery, but we see Joyce’s life journey, which includes adopting John from Guatemala. I liked seeing the Smiths’ friendship with fellow Christians, as well as John’s progress at the hospital. It was great to see John get back to his regular life. Breakthrough is a good story about a family with Christian faith. I am so excited about seeing the movie adaptation of this wonderful book! John’s story is truly a miracle.