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Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope | 
 enlarge | Authors: Don & Susie Van Ryn, Newell, Colleen & Whitney Cerak
Creator: Mark Tabb
Publisher: Howard Books
Category: Book
List Price: $21.99
Buy New: $9.94
You Save: $12.05 (55%)
New (49) Used (37) Collectible (3) from $7.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  121 reviews
Sales Rank: 5390
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 1416567356
Dewey Decimal Number: 617.4810440922
EAN: 9781416567356
ASIN: 1416567356
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Meet Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak: one buried under the wrong name, one in a coma and being cared for by the wrong family.This shocking case of mistaken identity stunned the country and made national news. Would it destroy a family? Shatter their faith? Push two families into bitterness, resentment, and guilt? Read this unprecedented story of two traumatized families who describe their ordeal and explore the bond sustaining and uniting them as they deal with their bizarre reversal of life lost and life found. And join Whitney Cerak, the sole surviving student, as she comes to terms with her new identity, forever altered, yet on the brink of new beginnings. Mistaken Identity weaves a complex tale of honesty, vulnerability, loss, hope, faith, and love in the face of one of the strangest twists of circumstances imaginable.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 116 more reviews...
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too August 13, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Everyone saw the news splashed across the headlines or on the evening news reports. The wrong family was sitting beside a recovering girl in the hospital. How could it have happened? Read MISTAKEN IDENTITY to get the inside account from the two families that were involved in the unbelievable story.
The story seems straight out of the movies, almost too hard to fathom. But the Van Ryn and Cerak families, aided by Mark Tabb, tell the story of how Whitney and Laura were misidentified and two families dealt with both joy and sorrow with the help of their unerring faith in God.
Laura and Whitney were both students at Taylor University, a Christian college in Indiana. There were both in a school van on their way back to campus from a banquet with a few other people. A tractor trailer crossed the median and hit the side of the van, plowing it onto the side of the road. "Laura" was thrown 50-feet from the van. When rescue workers found her, a purse and ID nearby said that it was Laura Van Ryn. The photo on the ID looked enough like her. Thus began a five-week trial for both families.
The Cerak family received a call that Whitney had died in the accident. An employee from the university had identified her for the family. Colleen couldn't bring herself to look at the empty shell of what was left of Whitney, knowing in her heart that the true spirit of Whitney was now standing before God. Had Colleen gone and identified the body, would the error have been caught on the first night? No one knows.
The entire story is a bunch of "what ifs" by both families. Little things during "Laura's" recovery made family and friends question and wonder when "Laura" would return to her full self. But with the doctors and therapists constantly telling the Van Ryns that the neurons are firing but not necessarily connecting properly yet, no one gave it a serious second thought.
Only after "Laura" starts to come out of her coma and respond to therapy do the questions truly get raised. When a therapist asks "Laura" to write her name -- out came "W-H-I-T-N-E-Y." In the next few days, the pieces all come together, and a forensic dentist verifies the worst news for the Van Ryn family: this is not Laura after all.
What should be a story of loss for the Van Ryn family is a story of unerring faith. They are truly grateful for the time they spent with Whitney in the hospital. They are happy for the Ceraks' miracle and do not blame God.
The Cerak family went through grief but knew that Whitney had lived in God's love and was in a better place. They had sorrow, but knew that they would all see Whitney sometime in the future. When the call came that she may still be alive, Carly, Whitney's sister, would not believe it. Not until she saw with her own eyes did she believe the miracle that Whitney was still alive.
The story is so uplifting in the true belief both families have in God, that even in the time of sorrow they both experienced, the reader never once felt truly sad. The Van Ryn and Cerak families are both truly exceptional families. They are unwavering in their faith and love in God. They are both wonderful examples of a life lived to the fullest.
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Great! August 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I enjoyed reading this book. I am not one for reading books, and I couldn't put this book down, a couple parts of this story actually had chills. The two familes are so strong and inspirational. This is a very religious book though.
I'm buying extra copies of this book for others August 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Immediately after finishing this book, I recommended it to my mother & sister. Both said they couldn't stop the tears whilst reading the book. Especially my mother, who lost a brother in a similar car accident 20 years ago - who knew all too well the pain that the victims' families were going through. She said there were several times when she was forced to put down the book because she was crying so much.
Despite the sadness of the events, I am amazed and impressed by the reactions of the families and Whitney herself. They deal with the tragedies with faith, and even humour. This book is most definitely worth a read - I've lent it to several people so far, and about to purchase extra copies as gifts for friends. I normally don't spend much money on books but this is definitely worth every dollar. I don't even begrudge the exorbitant sum I have to pay for international shipping.
To non-Christian readers who say they felt alienated by the heavy Christian themes, I encourage them to read anyway. If you're interested in reading this book to understand how they coped with the tragedy, those parts of the books aren't just a Sunday sermon - they are part of the families' healing process.
The only minor negative comment I have with this book is the style in which it is written. At times, it's overly emotive. The author's repeated use of "NOOOOOOOOO!" gets a bit tiring at times and suggests poor writing skills. The author could have done a better job of conveying emotions. But this is such a minor element of the book. The rest of the book is very easy to read and I still enthusiastically recommend this book.
 Hard to put down July 27, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was a bit concerned after reading some of the reviews about this book. As a non-Christian, I was worried that it would be too religiously based. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was a great book. I read the entire book in two days! At times, it did seem to be a bit heavy on the religious aspects, but overall I think it is worth the time to read. It was amazing that people were able to have such an enormous amount of faith at such a trying time in their lives. Although it was mentioned several times that some people became Christians after reading the blogs, I did not find this offensive. Everyone has the right to believe as they wish. I did not feel like the emphasis was on "converting" anyone in this book. I have already passed this book on to a friend.
Great Book July 21, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book; I thought it was a really quick read. I appreciated how much detail the family went into explaining the night of the accident, the days of the burial services, and also when they discovered Whitney was still alive. I believe this is a very touching story and people that need GOD in there life or don't have much faith in good should really read this story.
And if you are someone who gets offended when others talk about GOD and his power I believe maybe this book is not for you.
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