The Amish will never forget the date of Oct. 2, 2006, when an armed man shot 10 girls and then killed himself in the West Nickel Mines School, a one-room schoolhouse in an Old Order Amish community in Lancaster, Pa. Five of the girls died—and the nation grieved.

Since then, many stories have been told of the Amish community’s responses, which emphasized forgiveness and reconciliation. Now, seven years later, the shooter’s wife breaks her silence and tells one story from that tragedy that has not yet been told—her own. 

Marie Roberts Monville, with Cindy Lambert, offers her perspective in One Light Still Shines: My Life Beyond the Shadow of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting (9780310336754, $22.99). Zondervan releases her book this month.

Monville journeyed through many dark days in the aftermath of the massacre. As she faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles and grappled with her questions, God reconstructed everything she believed about herself, her faith and Himself.

Despite the difficulty she experienced, she believes that God keeps his promises.

“In the days following the shooting, I could’ve only talked about the places of seeming defeat within my life,” she said. “God redeemed my life, breathing hope to the hopeless, healing to the broken and freedom to the captive.”

To order, call Zondervan at 800-727-1309.