Out of the Fog! A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage by Sandra CH Smith is a true-life story about living life to the full, adventure, healing, and meaningful relationships. The author, a thirty-three-year-old, seemingly had everything anyone could want. But she was also on the bottom rung of her misery and was faced with choices to change her life and find purpose and meaning. Dealing with her addiction was a challenge, but a rebellious teenage daughter just added to her already daunting troubles. Sandra bought a 35-foot sailboat, without even knowing how to sail one, and set out on a seven-year sailing adventure, a spiritual odyssey to transform her life and hopefully, her relationship with her two children. Sailing mostly alone and sometimes with her teenage daughter, she went without modern navigation equipment and using self-taught dead-reckoning, sailed from San Francisco to the Polynesian Triangle somewhere off Easter Island. That decision to have an adventure, with a capital “A,” changed her life in surprising ways and this book contains that account.

This is a beautifully written story about daring to do things, about making choices that force us to confront our weaknesses and to battle them. Sandra CH Smith writes with an unusual sense of humor, from the descriptions of her family background to her relationship with her children to the impulsive decision to buy a boat and navigate the waters, at times uncertain of the destination, from her littlest emotions to the dramatic, eye-opening moments of the adventure. She writes with grace and does a wonderful job in capturing the dynamics in the relationship, especially between mother and daughter, and the challenges that come with developing that relationship. I loved every page of this story and the boldness of the author. Out of the Fog! A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage is a book about overcoming addictions, but it is also an engrossing and entertaining adventure about finding joy, purpose, and freedom.

Out of the Fog! A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage by Sandra CH Smith is an engrossing self-help book that reads like a compelling novel. The author tells of her tough, unique, and inspiring journey from addiction to recovery. Smith had it all, a dream life in the suburbs, designer clothes, dinner parties, charity boards, a successful career--until addiction reared its monstrous head. But she faced her fears and entered an enriching life of adventure when, after 8 years of being sober, she bought a 35-foot sailboat, learned how to sail, and set out to sea by herself for the most part, but with her difficult adolescent daughter on occasion. Disposing of electronic navigation systems, she spent seven years in the Pacific seeking spirituality, and herself. She adopted Christopher Columbus's way of navigation but didn't count on making a mistake that took her off-course.

Smith is brave to share the hardships and joys she experienced on her inward and outward journey, and readers can greatly benefit from all of it, especially if needing help fighting addiction and parenting a teenage daughter. As you read, you may feel a wide range of emotions for Smith, from surprise to shock to empathy to admiration. She writes with a candor one can appreciate because sugar-coating addiction and family strife can exacerbate the problem. Along with the hard times, you will also feel the surging tides of hope, faith, and courage. I love how this author pulls you right into her life, scene by scene, and you take this journey with her, wondering how you would fare in such circumstances. The descriptions are detailed and colorful, the narrative honest and clear, and when you reach the end, you will feel both informed and uplifted. Out of the Fog! A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage by Sandra CH Smith is an emotional journey of faith and strength.