Traveling through life is like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle without having the cover of the box for reference. You can approach it from many angles, still no matter how hard you try, in the beginning it’s frustrating because you haven’t put enough pieces together to see the bigger picture. Thirteen-year-old Molly Marcelli’s life was like that. She was bullied by Jessica, her used-to-be best friend. Jessica was extremely popular. Molly used to be popular but everything changed. Then, after a disaster at camp, she took an insulin overdose hoping to end her loser life. Instead, she found herself in the hands of Paul, an angel, who was determined to change her path. In his company, Molly visited the lives of several people she thought she knew. She was shocked to learn their secrets and through their struggles learned why life is so important. Piece by Piece is about self-worth. It explores the topics of sexual assault, suicide, eating disorders, prejudice, and bullying with twists and turns that leave readers cheering for their own lives, no matter the hardship. Jessica was the queen of seventh grade and I was her favorite target. She hated me. I hated her more. It wasn't my fault that she and Jason got caught but she was going to make sure I paid the price. It seemed like there wasn't any hope. Still, the overdose was a mistake. Instead, I was given an opportunity to look in on the world I left behind. I got to watch the struggles of my friends. Megan, Jessica, Sofie, Tommy, Julian, Hannah, and Mason... all of them had problems bigger than mine . How could I have been so wrong about everything? Please let me go back. Wendy Naarup's PIECE BY PIECE is a beautifully woven coming-of-age story. The evolution of Molly from self-defeated and judgmental to confident and compassionate resonates with teens and adults alike. Your life is important...it's just that simple. Wendy Naarup is an adversity expert and proclaimed work in progress who's living life one mistake at a time. She's a summa cum laude college graduate who spent many years in corporate america before shifting her focus to writing, speaking, and consulting . She speaks to high school and college students, women s groups, and advocacy groups about being centered, about loving the gift of their own unique lives, and about becoming the best possible version of themselves. She believes that the adversity we face in life can ultimately make us better people. Wendy is a competitive triathlete , winning her age group at Ironman Wisconsin in 2007. She went on to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in 2008. It was the journey to those events that gave her perspective and helped transform her life. She's also a PEO who volunteers at a sexual assault crisis center and serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin chapter of the National Speakers Association. However, more important than anything else in Wendy's life is the great privilege of mothering her three children.