With or Without Me is quite extraordinary. It’s poetic, written in such a way that it really draws you in, into your experiences and your inner life. It took me back to being a child and an adolescent and made me feel the way it felt then.

A mesmerizing, compelling story about loss, family, and faith… Magnis refuses to give easy answers about her difficult faith journey, leading to life-giving answers in ways a cuter treatment wouldn’t provide.

Magnis recounts with brutal honesty the depth of her loss.

Esther Maria Magnis addresses traditional philosophy and religion head on in this unflinching memoir, which details her difficult sojourn away from the Christian faith and then back to it. Amid the spate of personal deconstruction narratives of the past few years, readers will appreciate this German author’s distinct perspective. With or Without Me is essential reading for anyone who has ever doubted God’s goodness in the midst of personal loss.

Faith is like a piece of quartz that Magnis turns over in her palm, examining all its angles, the sharp edges and the shine. This lends With or Without Me a thoughtful and introspective quality, contemplative without being meandering... She deftly balances the transcendent and immanent as she recounts her walk towards God, yet never reduces her discussion of faith to abstractions.

Seldom have I read a Christian book that possessed such raw energy and passion. With or Without Me is an honest account of death, bereavement and grief which lays bare what it means to love and lose.

There are not many who dare to speak of God as unabashedly as Esther Maria Magnis.

I have not known anyone since Nietzsche who shows so shockingly what a catastrophe it is to not believe in God.

With or Without Me is utterly necessary. Breathtakingly honest with unflinching rawness, this book is a must read for anyone who has ever pondered the meaning of life.