Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way

Walk to Beautiful: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way

Paperback – November 3, 2015
400
English
071807730X
9780718077303
03 Nov

* NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER*

Imagine yourself a thirteen-year-old hundreds of miles away from home, in a strange city, and your mom leaves you at a bus station parking lot and drives off into the night with her lover.

That’s the real life story of country music star Jimmy Wayne. It’s a miracle that Jimmy survived being hungry and homeless, bouncing in and out of the foster care system, and sleeping in the streets. But he didn’t just overcome great adversity in his life; he now uses his country music platform to help children everywhere, especially teenagers in foster care who are about to age out of the system.

Walk to Beautiful is the powerfully emotive account of Jimmy’s horrendous childhood and the love shown him by Russell and Bea Costner, the elderly couple who gave him a stable home and provided the chance to complete his education. Jimmy says of Bea, “She changed every cell in my body.”

It also chronicles Jimmy’s rise to fame in the music industry and his Meet Me Halfway campaign: his walk halfway across America, 1,700 miles from Nashville to Phoenix, to raise awareness for foster kids.

Join Jimmy on his walk to beautiful and see how one person really can make a difference.

ENDORSEMENTS

“If your story could use a better chapter, take inspiration from Jimmy’s.” —Max Lucado, New York Times Best-Selling Author

“It reads like a movie to me, and if so, I’ll be the first one in a seat to see it.” —Dolly Parton

“Walk to Beautiful will open your eyes to the hurting people around you.” —Frank Harrison, Chairman and CEO, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated; Chairman and Cofounder, With Open Eyes

 

 

Reviews (452)

WALK TO BEAUTIFUL is not a book you read, then put on the shelf, quickly moving on to the next book. This one stays with you...

WALK TO BEAUTIFUL: The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way, is the life story of Jimmy Wayne, who is best known for his success in Country Music as a singer and songwriter. Three albums, numerous hit songs, a three week #1 hit “Do You Believe Me Now” and a major tour with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley attest to Jimmy’s abundant talent as a Country Music entertainer. But Jimmy is much more than that. He is also a former foster kid, abused and abandoned as a child. He was a homeless teenager, living on the streets doing anything he had to to survive. He’s a testament to the “power of one” person to make a difference in someone’s life, as did an elderly woman named Bea, who saved him by taking him in when he was 16 and homeless. He is proof that belief and faith in God can lead to forgiveness of the worst kind of atrocities. Yes, Jimmy Wayne is a singer, songwriter and musician, but he is also a tireless advocate for children in the foster care system and those aging out of the system without families, to face life completely on their own. God has blessed Jimmy with incredible talent as a singer, musician, entertainer and speaker and he is using it to raise awareness to kids now walking in the shoes he once did. WALK TO BEAUTIFUL is his story of how he is able to do this and why. As you can imagine, Jimmy has MANY stories to tell. Co-author Ken Abraham has taken this collection of harsh and sometimes humorous stories and masterfully written and arranged them to poignantly tell Jimmy’s story in a way that keeps the pages turning. The first half of the book details Jimmy’s childhood of abuse and abandonment. It will make you angry and break your heart. You will also get a sense of what so many kids experience in America at the hands of those who are supposed to love and take care of them. You will get a glimpse at foster care from someone who lived it. You will feel hungry, abandoned, scared, desperate, unwanted, homeless. You will find yourself asking, “How could this kid possibly survive?” “How did he grow up to be successful?” The answers to those questions are found in the second half of the book. Here you meet Bea and Russell Costner and see what the power of love can do for even the most discouraged and angry child/teenager. There were others too, who helped Jimmy overcome the chaos of his difficult past, and they are all mentioned with great appreciation for their part in his life. But Bea is the ONE who invited Jimmy into her home for as long as HE wanted to stay. The love Bea had for Jimmy, and he for her, comes through beautifully in these pages as does the enormous gratitude Jimmy feels toward Bea for the prayers and encouragement she gave him to find a dream and chase it. That dream was music. Reading about Jimmy catching his dream of writing songs and becoming a Country Music singer/musician is entertaining and often funny as Jimmy tells stories on himself, allowing the reader to experience his endearing wit and humor. These chapters also reflect how “success” to one person can mean something completely different to another. The last part of the book demonstrates the conviction Jimmy has to never forget where he came from and to help the kids and teenagers experiencing foster care and homelessness, as he once did. On January 1, 2010, after just completing the American Saturday Night tour with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, Jimmy walked out of Nashville, TN on foot. Jimmy’s Meet Me Halfway project was launched with the sole intention to raise awareness to foster youth, especially those who age out of the system at age 18 without a family or other adult connections, expected to survive completely on their own. Jimmy would spend the next 7 months walking 1700 miles (halfway across America) until he reached Phoenix, AZ on July 31, 2010. Jimmy shares some of the incredible people and places, the wonderful and sometimes scary experiences, he encountered on his walk. He explains how “The Walk” forever changed him. After reading these pages, you will fully understand how serious and dedicated this man is in helping these kids, and why he needs your help. WALK TO BEAUTIFUL is written in a way to give hope to youth or adults struggling to survive or find their way in the world. It’s also written to inspire those looking for more purpose in life, those needing a push to take that next step toward helping others. For anyone involved with foster children in any way, this book offers great insight into their world. This is a book about faith and trust in God, even when it seems He is gone. It’s about finding the peace of forgiveness, no matter how badly you’ve been wronged. I believe WALK TO BEAUTIFUL (The Power of Love and a Homeless Kid Who Found the Way) will help many “find the way”. I believe more people will realize they too can “be somebody” and make a difference in the life of a child or teen that needs just ONE person to care. I BEAlieve many will open their hearts and WALK TO BEAUTIFUL with Jimmy. I encourage everyone to read WALK TO BEAUTIFUL and see where it leads them.

Read this book then share or better yet send one to all of your friends.

I recently saw Jimmy Wayne on Fox and Friends publicizing his new book about Ruby the Foster dog. Loved the cause so went to order it - then I realized he wrote other books so I ordered one of all to give as Christmas gifts. When I looked at the pictures in this book I knew I needed to read it. I don't have time to sit and read so I ordered the talking book of a Walk to Beautiful and bawled all the way through it. I have since ordered more of each of his books to give as gifts and downloaded all his music without even listening to it! Wanted to support this survivor. What a sad childhood...thankfully followed by a triumphant teen finish. Read this book then share or better yet send one to all of your friends.

Laundry list of bad things that happen to a young boy

As I was slogging along in this pretty depressing book, it felt like it was just a laundry list of all the horrible things that have happened to him in his life. It's pretty awful what does happen, I do admit. The writing is not interesting or poetic in any way. Just very matter of fact. I got about 1/3 through and decided, why am I reading this? I know that bad things do happen to people but I don't want to spend my last moments before going to bed reading about it. I rarely give up on a book but I did this one. I know by the beginning of the book that he gets things turned around but I didn't feel like it was worth my while finding out how.

Heart Wrenching & Inspiring!

It always amazes me, how someone can have such a turbulent childhood and yet come out to be so strong. I remember someone once said, "I choose to make it an event in my life, NOT a lifestyle". Jimmy Wayne is just that person and his story is both heart wrenching and inspiring. I would say there are 3 parts to this story: 1. Jimmy's young troubled life 2. Jimmy's country career 3. Jimmy's Walk. I gave it 4 stars because I found the music career part a little boring (I'm not a country music person) and had to skip over some pages. Over all I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Get Out the Kleenex and Your Check Book

This is just an amazing book. Jimmy Wayne had an amazing and difficult life. Bea & Russell Costner were angels on earth. How many of us can say we truly changed someone’s life like they, and others, did for Jimmy Wayne? Jimmy’s deep sense of pure and sincere gratitude, all throughout the book, is so heart-warming. The last chapter of the book is pages and pages of the names of people he’s thanking. So many wonderful people helped him in so many ways. This book has inspired me to make a special donation to a local foundation that helps kids in foster care and the families that take them in to their homes. This foundation buys tickets to baseball games, amusement parks like Disneyland, furniture, clothes, gifts, and all kinds of things for the foster child but also but the whole family. Foster kids and the foster families need our support. They are all Angels on Earth just like Bea & Russell, Mrs. Friday and so many others honored in the book. I went on to iTunes and bought a bunch of Jimmy’s songs. I’m enjoying his music because it reminds me of the spirit of this book. I bought his song “Paper Angels” about the Salvation Army Angel Tree at the many malls across America at Christmas. My husband and I have always done a lot of Charity at Christmas, but I don’t go to the Mall that much anymore, so I had forgotten about the Angel Tree. Now, I’ll go every year and buy a gift for a child on the tree. I could go on and on . . . just buy the book, read it and plan to shed some tears. It’ll make you appreciate the good life you’ve had and want to reach out and help these children any way you can: volunteering or donating money. Jimmy Wayne, I wish you all the best in life! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

All you need is love

A brutally honest story of why not to give up. Jimmy Wayne's story is difficult to read due the lack of human affection, extreme violence and abuse. It's imperative you read the abusive years in order to fully understand the impact of unconditional love from another human being and the desperate need for God in our lives. Jimmy's story of abuse, abandonment and void of a parents love is nothing short of gross negligence. His will to survive and find good in humankind is miraculous and shows God's work....”ask God for grace to trust him even in the midst of suffering, if you do, he Will raise you up and use you for his purpose, making something beautiful out of every tear you shed”. Jimmy Wayne received God's grace and has in turn shared that grace with others who have suffered similar childhood experiences. There are no words for the unconditional love showed to Jimmy by Bea and Russ other then God's Grace. All those who never gave up on Jimmy are too many to list however should not go unmentioned.

Encouraging

This book was written by Jimmy Wayne telling the story of his life. It was such as encouraging read. This young man had a very difficult childhood. His mom abandoned him multiple times, and he lived many different places, including a home for troubled boys. It wasn’t until he met Bea and Russell Costner that he knew what it meant to be loved and cared for. His life could have turned out so differently, but he took his life experiences and his passion for helping kids in foster care to make a difference in this world. He embarked on a walk halfway across America to raise awareness about the foster care system. He was responsible for changes in the law regarding the foster care system. At a time when life feels bleak, this book was uplifting, encouraging, and positive, just what we all need right now.

Very inspiring

I've followed Jimmy Wayne's music career since his first album release and I'm in awe of his talent. I read his other book PAPER ANGELS and so it was with great anticipation that I was looking forward to WALK TO BEAUTIFUL. To say I wasn't too sure what I would find within the pages of this book would be an understatement. I was aware of some of his childhood and the walk he did, but was not aware of the events leading up to his walk. The first thought that when through my mind was,how could someone who had experience such horrendous acts as a child/young adult not only survive, but never give up? Just thought of the events that took place in his young life made me sick, I closed the book several times, crying and shaking my head. Thank God, when Bea and Russell Costner entered Jimmy's life. His story turned from a life of adversity to a life filled with love and opportunities. I've not read many real life stories of celebrities, but this this is not your typical rag to riches story. This is a REAL story of survival, the story of a young man who overcame more than I could ever imagine to not only become a country singer, but who uses that platform to help children everywhere. Jimmy's story is truly a WALK TO BEAUTIFUL. I encourage you to read this book, it will change you and just maybe make you MAKE a difference in someone's life. God Bless you, Jimmy Wayne.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE, GET INVOLVED, HELP A CHILD!

Walk to Beautiful is an unforgettable read in many ways. From a childhood immersed in abusive situations, being bounced from temporary foster homes, being faced with adult situations and choices while still a child, Jimmy Wayne swallowed the hurts and disappointments and kept plodding ahead. The fact that he survived to young adulthood can be attributed to sheer determination and the fact that an elder (unrelated) couple saw his need and unexpectedly (to Jimmy) reached out a hand to offer help and support. Thanks to that couple for probably the first time in his life..he found a home and the kind of loving environment that every young person needs to survive and thrive. Two people who lived their Christian faith (rather than just talking) set the young man they took in on the path to responsible adulthood and a faith filled life. Today, as an adult we see the results of their efforts. He is a country music star but he has not forgotten the rough years....the homeless, hungry, shelterless years when he barely survived. Jimmy knows then pain and agony that foster care children face both in an out of the system and he exposes those problems from his own life experience. As an adult, he has undertaken the mission of confronting all of us in our comfortable existence wherever we are with the needs of most vulnerable children in our society. No child should live in some of the circumstances he has faced...so he walked across the middle of our country...step by step...to bring our attention to children who need our help, attention and nurturing. Along the way he shares his life story,,,,pain and all....this is the reality. His music has had our attention and now his heartbreaking story will reinforce the message. His story is NOT an easy or a comfortable read but it is compelling and it leaves us with a compelling question, How can we help, what should we do and when do we start?

One of the best nonfiction books I’ve read in a while.

Jimmy Wayne, a country music writer and singer, was severely abused physically and emotionally, abandoned, and neglected his entire childhood. However, he had grit, hope, and love even though he was beaten down. God led him to a couple who believed in him. As an adult and former foster child, he cared about children in foster care and those aging out of foster care, and he made a pledge to help somehow. I recommend this book highly though some of the abuse is hard to deal with, and some parts described the depravity of immoral adults he endured due to his mother’s sickness and inability to care. Read it and ask what you can do.

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