Scott Michael LeRette - The Unbreakable Boy: A Fathers Fear, a Sons Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love

ACCLAIM FOR THE UNBREAKABLE BOY

The Unbreakable Boy isnt really about a boy. Its about an entire family, formed by accident, marked by trials, and sustained by faith. While the book centers on Scott LeRettes quirky son, Austin, LeRette has his own unconventional perspective, offering a fresh, funny, sincere take on familiar struggles with autism and alcoholism, illness and isolation, complacency and cynicism. His familys story reminds us that being unbreakable isnt about being free of pain but about remaining open to the miracles of love and grace even, or especially, in hard times.

ELLEN PAINTER DOLLAR
author of No Easy Choice: A Story of Disability, Parenthood, and Faith in an Age of Advanced Reproduction

Austins story reminded me that God intricately and intentionally designed each one of us for his wonderful purposes. As a mom, I was empowered to simply place the hopes, dreams, futures, and lives of my kids at His feet and then prayerfully watch miracles unfold. As an educator, this story inspired me to see that each childs unique God-given gifts, talents and even struggles work together to reveal incredible potential when nurtured. And as a woman, I was moved by this heart-wrenching, make-me-laugh, make-me-cry, make-me-want-to-be-better story that gave me a glimpse of the incredible power and creativity that is our God.

ERIN MACPHERSON
author of The Christian Mamas Guide Series and senior editor at WeAreTeachers.com

The Unbreakable Boy is a memoir that offers even more to readers than an intimate look at the challengesas well as the joy and epiphanieswhich parents who are raising children with autism encounter. Its also about a beautiful, hopeful marriage that remains strong in spite of almost every imaginable hardship and trauma including addiction, financial and emotional meltdowns, and the strain of parenting a medically fragile child. Read it and be reminded that grace changes everything.

JENNIFER GRANT
author of Love You More, MOMumental, Disquiet Time, and Wholehearted Living

Sign me up for Team Austin. Not that he needs any more cheerleaders (he has plenty of those!), but his unquenchable spirit and fierce determinationnot to mention his ability to pull off big hatsare the traits I want to grow in my life. And Austin? Hes the teacher I want to keep learning from. This powerful story of unending hope will help you see the limitless possibilities for your own lifeand your family.

KATHI LIPP
author of I Need Some Help Here: Hope for When Your Kids Dont Go According to Plan and The Cure for the Perfect Life

The Unbreakable Boy shares the incredible story of Austin LeRette, a young man with autism and a genetic brittle bone disease. Austin lives his life as an example of the greatest lesson of all; that no matter how hard our journey is or how big the pain we suffer the truest definition of the word unbreakable is a family who loves one another and leans on God together.

JOANNE KRAFT
author of Just Too Busy: Taking Your Family on a Radical Sabbatical and The Mean Moms Guide to Raising Great Kids

The evolution of a mans perspective about life and what is important is captured beautifully in this true accounting of a unique family with a very unique son to raise. I loved the honesty in the telling of the early years with all the struggles that come along with a son with a rare condition and autism to top it off. But the salvation is in the recognition that we are able to learn from our struggles, learn from those we may think we cant learn from. Maybe rather than trying to make them more like us we need to recognize the wisdom of becoming more like them. I have a friend with a unique son too, and I know she will read this and identify with practically every page. But the message is broader than autism and brittle bone disease. There is nothing that God will waste. There is no one that God will waste. The only question is will we waste the opportunity to learn and grow and get closer to the One who made us?

LINDY BOONE MICHAELIS
author of Heaven Hears

The Unbreakable Boy is a riveting and incredible story about not one unbreakable boy, but two. It is a tale which will keep you spellbound right from the first page as Scott LeRette tells you about two life journeys with many twists and turns. I couldnt put the book down until I got to the last page and then I still wanted more.... Read The Unbreakable Boy with an open mind and imagination and dont let your sight and prejudices get in the way of your vision.

MICHAEL HINGSON
author of the New York Times Bestseller Thunder Dog

This endearing story of a young boys journey of self-discovery, perseverance, and hope is woven together perfectly and filled with memorable moments that will make you laugh, cry, and believe that all things are possible.

BRAXTON A. COSBY
award-wining author of Protostar

It isnt often that a man shares the full story: the hard and even grievous parts of becoming the father his special needs child deserves. The Unbreakable Boy is about a dad and son each growing into the lives God ordained for them, together. If you want to be challenged and encouraged, read this book about a breakable family who becomes anchored in an unbreakable God.

GILLIAN MARCHENKO
author of Sun Shine Down and parent of two kids with special needs

2014 by Scott Michael LeRette

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Author is represented by the literary agency of FinePrint Literary Management, 115 West 29th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001.

Interior designed by Walter Petrie.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

This work is the authors recollection of events, and the details are portrayed to the best of his memory.

ISBN 978-1-4002-0677-3 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

LeRette, Scott Michael, 1964

The unbreakable boy : a fathers fear, a sons courage, and a story of unconditional love / Scott Michael LeRette with Susy Flory.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-4002-0676-6

1. LeRette, Austin. 2. Osteogenesis imperfectaPatientsUnited StatesBiography. 3. Autistic childrenUnited StatesBiography. 4. HeartAbnormalitiesPatientsUnited StatesBiography. 5. LeRette, Scott Michael, 1964 6. Fathers and sonsUnited States. 7. Love, PaternalUnited States. I. Flory, Susy, 1965 II. Title.

RJ482.O82L47 2014

618.92'858820092dc23

[B]

2013050888

14 15 16 17 18 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

THIS IS FOR TERESA, LOGAN, AND AUSTIN WE ARE FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT WE WILL FINISH THE COURSE AND KEEP THE FAITH