Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

A phenomenally great book! Highly recommend this book. This is a biography of Louis Zamperini - really a remarkable man. He was kind of a scamp growing up. His brother took him under his wing in high school and encouraged him to expend his energies running. Louis becomes a great runner and makes it to the Olympics - held in Germany just before the start of WWII. When Pearl Harbor is bombed Louis signs up and becomes a bombardier flying in a B-24. Sent out on an assignment in the Green Hornet to look for another downed plane, they crash into the ocean. Only 3 survive the crash and Louis Zamperini is one of them. Two of the survivors manage to survive 47 days at sea with little rations and very little water. Sadly though they are not rescued by the Americans but are found by the Japanese. Phil and Louie become POWs. It is a remarkable story of courage, determination and survival. Often I have heard that the generation that fought in WWII was the greatest generation and this book really shows some of the reasons why - their courage and resilience - both on the part of those serving and those left at home to wonder and worry. It is heartbreaking to read what the POWs suffered through. Still, I think it is important to remember and to know so we can prevent this type of thing from happening again. 

It is amazing that Louie survived and that he made it back to his family. Still he wasn't whole. He had flashbacks and began drinking. His wife - an amazing woman of great courage and conviction - convinced Louie (maybe badgered him) into attending a sermon by Billy Graham -- and it changed Louie's life. He became a Christian and devoted the rest of his life to serving God! This book is a must read! It is a great story. 

Book review - Heaven is for Real

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

We did this book as a read aloud with the family. There are some very touching moments where I got quite choked up and needed a kleenex! The book is fascinating. We liked that he backed up his son's story with scripture. Very thought provoking! This is a wonderful book, well written - and of course our family believes that heaven is real. My sons really loved the book. 

The Road to Grace - Book Review

The long awaited third book in the series by Richard Paul Evans. 

Loved it - very good book. The book focuses on the need for the main character to forgive those that harmed him - not for their sake but for his own healing - to let go of the bitterness, hatred and resentment he was carrying around with him. I do have to say the ending - while their was foreshadowing so you weren't surprised exactly - I was still surprised (and maybe my reaction is truly along the lines of disappointment) that the author would add that twist into the whole plot line (don't want to give it away) and am wondering how this will be resolved in the next book. The series does continue but it is a wait - the next book is expected out in spring of 2013. 

Being George Washington, Book Review

Being George Washington The Indispensable Man, as You've Never Seen Him 

This is a biography of George Washington. It is a very good read. We did this as a read aloud with the kids. Along with getting quotes from George Washington himself, Glenn Beck also offers his own commentary on Washington. One of the things I found to be wonderful was to see that the fact George Washington had a very strong faith in God and that God led him throughout his life - this was not left out of the book. So much history has been revised to take God out and it was refreshing to see the truth left in - the fact our Founding Fathers were Christians - had a faith in God - that is the truth and it is nice to see it in the book. 

I found that the lessons that George Washington lived out and can teach us through studying him - these are great lessons for kids to know. This is from the book - on what it means to be George Washington (paraphrased from page 250):

1) "Being George Washington means a daily struggle between your heart and your brain; between instant gratification and enduring greatness. 

2) It means passing up awards, honors, or public admiration in exchange for real honor and the admiration of only those who know you best. 

3) It means looking out for our families, our neighbors, and our countrymen - standing for them when they can't stand for themselves. Choose small but real victories over false idols such as fame. 

4) It means putting country over party. 

5) It means becoming a leader. Not of a country or an army, but of yourself, your community, and your own family. It means taking personal responsibility for  your actions and holding those around your to the same standard. (Wow - isn't that awesome! I preach this to my kids - taking responsibility for their actions - even if that means having tough consequences. Unfortunately I have seen a lack of responsibility - a point the blame at others -- in our society. This is especially true in politics - both sides are always pointing fingers and blaming others. Never taking responsibility.) 

6) And being George Washington means accepting that this country was chosen for Divine protection because the struggle for freedom is worthy of God's protection. It means believing that miracles can happen to all of us because a great Author is writing the script!" (Amen!) 

The Heart Mender Book Review

The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews is a wonderful book. It is a book about second chances and the power of forgiveness to transform a person. The story takes place in present day with flashbacks to WWII. While the story takes place during war, it is more of a story about the people and how they heal through forgiveness. The story, although written as fiction, is based on real people, real events. It all began because Andy - the author - found some items buried in his yard. The nagged at his soul and he had to find the history behind the items. He wanted to find out about the people who those items belonged to. This was a very, very good. I highly recommend reading it. 

The Arms of Love - Book Review

I picked up this book to read because we are currently studying the American Revolution. This book takes place during that time period - and depicts the difficulty that the Quakers and Amish had remaining neutral. Some ended up going against their beliefs and joining the fight. Those that remained true to their faith and remained neutral were often criticized by others in the area. Sometimes they were harassed and sometimes they were jailed. The book was very interesting to read and I can only imagine how difficult it was for the Quakers and Amish to live during that time period. They came to America for freedom to worship God as they believed. The war for Independence would ultimately secure that freedom - yet they were caught in the middle - as their beliefs did not allow them to pick up a gun and join the fight. 

There were some interesting differences that I noted between the Amish of today and the Amish of  1777. In the book, it portrayed the Bishop as being in favor of learning - even for women to have higher levels of women. He viewed this as a good thing, although other characters in the book questioned the Bishop's reasoning on this. The Amish of today do not typically obtain an education past the 8th grade. Also, bundling was suggested as an okay practice and I do not believe that is a practice the Amish currently subscribe to today. Additionally, in the book one of the characters did a laying on of hands to heal a sick child. I have not heard of the Amish of today subscribing to this practice. 

I enjoyed reading and learning more about the Amish - and noting how their practice of their faith has changed over the centuries. The book was good but at the end it did get to be a bit much - most times the book ends with the marriage occurring - this went on --- and on their wedding night the bride gets bit by a snake and nearly dies. I just think that could have been left out of the book. It just seemed to be out of place with the entire rest of the plot line. Interesting time period to study though and I have not read anything covering the Amish during the Revolutionary War. So that was very interesting.

A complementary copy of the book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

The Walk series

Book 3 is now out!!! The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans ---
I have just ordered it from the library - can't wait to read it.