Reclaiming the "L" Word by Kelly Fryer

Finally, we have a “reader friendly” book that reminds us of what it means to be Lutheran. Ms. Fryer is a lady Lutheran minister who has been in the middle of some heated membership fluctuations. She refers often to Martin Luther’s vision for this church that is named in his honor. And, although the roadblocks Luther worked to destroy are different from those facing Lutherans today, he challenged many of the same taboos that we hear so much about now.

Luther reminded us constantly that this is the “Welcoming” church – open to all – non-judgmental – loving and all embracing. Pastor Fryer lays out five strategic behaviors that she believes could unite Lutherans and give them the courage to stand at the foot of the cross to meet Jesus whose love accepts us all. She points us to Luther’s words, “while God could have come to us in all kinds of ways, God chose to come down here to meet us in the most unlikely place of all: On the cross, in the face of an outcast and a stranger, who suffered there and died.” The author believes God had to do all this because we had made such a mess of things. She fears we may be doing it again. reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers DVD

This is a difficult DVD to review. Many subjects, many opionions, and many "authorities" hit you in the face fast and furiously and then move on to something else. The basic question as I see it seems to be "Why are Christians losing their credibilty?"

What do you see happening in the 'Christian Community' that would encourage you to want to be a part of it? Do you see love, compassion, understanding, conversation?What is the real threat?..Ecology..Sexuality..Politics.. Dr. Campolo says it is none of those things. What is it then? Are confessionals and foot washing the answer? Then why do it?

As we watch the attendance at old, traditional churches dwindle in alarming numbers and as we see new and different churches springing up everywhere, perhaps it is time to ask Jesus' followers what, indeed, are you doing to our Lord?
Reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

"Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom

Just imagine that Pastor Shoffner calls you to his office and tells you he would like for you to prepare and deliver his eulogy. Of course, we aren’t talking about any time soon but still - - a daunting assignment. This is exactly what happens to Mitch Alban in Have a Little Faith.

After he gets over the shock, Mitch realizes that he needs to know more about his rabbi if he is going to be able to write intelligently about him. So he begins a series of visits – they don’t even live in the same town – that take Mitch to some strange places – including the I Am My Brother’s Keeper Ministry. He meets a 400 lb. ex-con preacher and a man with no legs while finding out his rabbi (who sings constantly) has a life beyond the temple.

Will Mitch be ready when the time for a eulogy arrives? What will he say about his old rabbi? This little book has lots of “Aha!” moments so keep your pencil handy. Given to the CVL by Nina Shell

The Amethyst Heart by Penelope J. Stokes

A gripping story of several generations beginning in 1853. It deals with civil rights issues, family difficulties, and the importance of having Christian faith in one's life. The following quote sums the main point of the story in my opinion.
"But there's also strength in diversity. I believe the Lord has called us to reconciliation--not just reconciliation with God, but with one another as well. God commands us to gather the outcasts and welcome them in. And that means those of us who are not among the outcasts--us white folks, who have privilege and power and presige--must lay down our power, must willingly share it with those who have none. No one is free while anyone is in chains."
This book opened my eyes to see how important it is to accept others reagardless of our differences. We are all His children and deserving of His love.
Submitted by Peggy Duncan

Sybil's Choice by Iris Sechriest

This true story is taken from the author's own journal. When her daughter, Sybil, a young woman with two grown children and a one month old grandchild, was diagnosed with brain cancer, Mrs. Sechriest accoomopanied her daughter to various doctors to learn of the forms of treatment available.

Sybil eventually chose an alternative method of treatment offered by a clinic in Florida. This treatment used an extract from the Aloe Vera plant. In order to do this, she moved from her North Carolina home to St. Petersburg, Florida, accompanied by her mother and her brother

This is the story of their journey, with all its ups and downs. This review is submitted by Norma Frank.

*The author's brother, Pastor Sonny Bolick, donated "Sybil's Choice" to our library. He and his wife, Rose, will shortly become members of HTLC.

Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortensen

Greg Mortensen's new book resumes the story of keeping his promises-this one made to the Kirzhig horsemen he met in 1999 who rode into Pakistan to secure his help to bring a school to remote northeast Afghanistan. Many other schools were built and many obstacles overcome before that promise could be kept. One crisis-making this book an even more timely read-involved responding to the devastating earthquake in the Kashmir in October, 2005. Told in the first person and almost as dramatic as Three Cups of Tea, Stones into Schools is a powerful reminder of what a sense of empowerment can produce.

Barbara Thomas
Stones Into Schools is available in the Christus Victor Library

"The Help" by K. Stockett

This is a first novel by Jackson, Mississippi native, Kathryn Stockett. The author sets her story in her hometown but moves the timeline to 1962. She uses the voices of 3 women, one white 22 year old, and two black women who courageously set about to change racial and gender attitudes in their community through their collaboration to write a book revealing the truth about relations between employers and the women they hire to serve in their homes. Readers of this well-written fiction will discover or perhaps recall how things were in the South of this decade of turmoil and emotion. Stockett unleashes humor, tension and hope to entertain and inspire us from the first page to the last.

Judy Shirley

Refuge by Dot Jackson

Dot Jackson’s Refuge resonates with anyone who has ever suffered loss, experienced joy tinged with grief, or longed to break free of social expectations. Jackson, a former journalist and columnist for The Charlotte Observer, has written a splendid first novel which depicts the spontaneous escape of Mary Seneca Steele and her children from a life of falseness and unhappiness in Charleston, SC. Set in the early part of the 20th century, it is a vivid tale of love, intimacy, and mystery.

Steele seeks refuge in the North Carolina mountains, homesick for a past and a place she doesn’t even know exists. Jackson allows Steele’s “refuge” to unfold in an unhurried plot that takes its time to unwind, slowing the reader to its lingering pace. Along the way, the reader savors the language of the storytelling, the haunting descriptions, and the insightful passages, often rereading along the way.

Ultimately, Mary Senena learns that family ties are the most important of all, that blood runs true, and that a place to belong to can be at the heart of living and loving.

Rufuge has rated numerous five star reviews and the reader feels a sense of loss when the last page is turned. It is a beautiful, wonderful love story. Reviewed by Helen Fowler

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah’s Key is a compelling historical novel that is both a gripping modern-day tale and an indictment of the Vichy government against the French Jews in WWII.

One story tells of Sarah, a ten year old Jewish girl, and her family. They are wrenched from their beds by the French Police during a Gestapo ordered roundup that sent families with children to the Ve’lodrome d’Hiver, a huge indoor sports stadium. This shameful event which took place on July 16, 1942, eventually sent 13,000 men, women, and children to concentration camps and ultimately to their death.

The other story, which is told in alternate chapters, describes Julia, an American journalist, and her quest for answers to the questions she encounters during her time France. While living there during 2002, she is covering the anniversary of the Ver d’Hiv for her paper when she stumbles on some chilling here-to-for unknown facts. It is this discovery that starts the interweaving of Sarah’s story and Julia’s story and changes Julia’s life forever.

This is a well-written book, (now found in the CVL) that will stay with you long after you finish it. Reviewed by Beth Whicker

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This book is actually a dual biography of Daniel Burnham, the architect of the 1893 World's Fair and of Dr. H. H. Holmes, the diabolical killer who had his own horror chamber next door to the fairgrounds.

There is plenty of colorful back drop for the main story, including fascinating anecdotes vividly describing harsh life in 19th Century Chicago. The lasting impact the Fair had on America include the Ferris Wheel, Cracker Jacks, Shredded Wheat and many more. The author's description of the Herculean effort put forth by numerous architects, builders, politicians, etc. lead the reader to a true appreciation of these "can do" spirited individuals.

Then there is the darker story - told in alternating chapters - of Dr. Holmes, a charismatic young doctor with blood-curdling obsessions. His house of horrors stood in the shadows of the great triumphs of the Fair and contained its own killing chamber. The Holme's murders and the investigation that finally brought him to justice provide the perfect companion to the architectural accomplishment going on next door.

The author is such a diligent researcher in addition to being an excellent storyteller that you will feel like you are reading highly imaginative fiction but everything is True. Found by Becky Simpson

"A Perfect Day" by Richard Paul Evans

Have you ever made a promise and wondered later how you could keep it? Maybe you didn't want to keep it or maybe you wanted to but too many things got in the way?

This is a story of what begins as a perfect situation, goes through difficulties and temptations. But, like all good stories; there is a happy ending. This is the kind of book you want to read for relaxing and turning off your own problems for a while. You may learn something, but, if you do, that is just an extra bonus. Reviewed by Peggy Duncan

"Blue" by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Joyce Moyer Hostetter, Catawba County author, delivers in her novel "Blue" a warm and moving story set in 1940's Hickory, through the words of a 13 year old girl, Ann Fay. It was a time of war and crippling disease that could easily have broken the spirits of our community and neighbors but in her historical fiction, Mrs. Hostetter relates tha truth of how the courage and strength and caring hearts of our people gave rise to a miracle here on Lake Hickory.

Ann Fay's life is turned upside down with the departure of her father who is off to fight in the war and she is left with much hard work to help her mother with the home and family. The situation is made even worse when one of her siblings falls gravely ill with polio. She is then mother and father to her sisters, as her mother has to stay at the makeshift emergency hospital with the sick child. Her story is entertaining and delightful at the same time as it is touching and poignant.

Mrs. Hostetter's faith and wisdom (not to mention her superior literary talent) shines through in her writing, making us proud of those who came before us but also showing us the strength that lies within us all to rise above adversity and fear to victory over chaos. Reviewed by Judy Shirley

Comfort by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

There's no sequel let down when you read "Comfort" the heartfelt continuing encounter with "Blue"s Ann Fay as she struggles with polio, her father's return, segregation and even a burgeoning interest in boys. Add to that a naive country girl's intimidating adventure into the Warm Springs, Ga. hospital scene made famous by President Franklin Roosevelt.

"Comfort" confirms that Ms. Hostetter can observe and research the human condition and events and then skillfully personalize them into the lives of her characters. Each one, even minor characters like the "strange" Otis, becomes alive and resonates in the reader's heart. The frustration generated by her father's post traumatic stress disorder is intensified by our knowledge that such a thing was unheard of before WWll.

The author - sometimes gently, sometimes "in your face" - takes us into Ann Fay's life as her boundaries expand and intensify. "Comfort" is more than a sequel; it is the stand alone examination of a young teenager's life on many levels. Reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall

Before he knows him better, Ron has trouble believing Denver's comment that homeless life on the streets of a big city is a step up from his life growing up in Miss. This is true in part because, for Ron, childhood was a joyous time and the plush life of an affluent art dealer he now enjoys seemed to fall in his lap. The author allows each man to to tell his story in alternating chapters.

But, this book isn't just about Denver or Ron. It is about the partnership between Ron's wife,Debbie, and God. And then they all came together. Watch how Debbie uses love and unselfish caring to bring about change in both men and, in fact, everyone who knows her. When Debbie discovers that she has cancer, she charges both men to pick up the torch. Who will step up and who will be lost? What is the future for these unlikely three? What is God doing?

Have your hi-lighter handy to mark moments that you want to go back to and remember. Find out why Denver needs to know if Ron is a "catch and release" fisherman. Then there's the new interpretation of the "seed cast on the ground". Read this one as soon as you can get your hands on it. It's on order now for the CVL. Recommended by many, reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

The Blue Bottle Club and Leota's Garden by Stokes

Both of these books cross generation lines and tell stories that demonstrate how these generations are interwoven. This author always presents a very personal study of her characters that allows the reader to jump in and feel both their joy and their pain.

In the "Blue Bottle Club "we meet a group of girls who huddle together on a cold Christmas day of their senior high school year and drop a slip of paper into a cobalt blue bottle. On each slip they have written their hopes and dreams for the future. As so often happens, the years bring some totally unexpected twists and turns into each life and, as you read, you become personally involved and often surprised at what happens to each girl. Sometimes, you are almost afraid to reach the end for you know there will be both disappointment and heartache at life's end. During the demolition of an old building, the bottle is found by a reporter who realizes she has the makings of the story of a lifetime.

"Leota's Garden" covers three generations. After a violent rift with her own daughter that separates them for many years, Leota's grand daughter enters her life and tries to put things right. How can one generation understand another? Sometimes helping another with their relationships can help you sort out your own.This story involves both neighbor, relative, and love relationship that are so timely in today's world. These books are recommended by Marcia Gniadek

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Journey with Hannah on a thrilling search for the true story of a rare illuminated manuscript that dates back to the 15th Century. Hannah is an expert rare-book conservator doing a fairly routine study until she discovers a series of tiny artifacts hidden in the ancient binding - an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. What could they mean?

In an effort to unlock these mysteries, Hannah takes us to Bosnia during WWll, Hitler's Germany, inquisition era Vienna, and then Barcelona and Seville. Her investigation at times causes her to doubt herself as well as the man she loves. This novel, inspired by a true story, will grab you and hold you tight. Skipper Smith first suggested this book to me and then Mickey Shuford agreed that it is Brooks' best yet. reviewed by Shirley Cunningham

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle was a real page burner. From one childhood memory to another, the book was hard to put aside. This is a memoir of a dysfunctional family told with humor, sadness, knidness, and pure innocence. The children of Rex and Rose Walls were moved from place to place around the country and exposed to situations that make you wonder how any of them survived, much less thrived.

From the alcoholic father who instilled a love of astrology to the mother who lamented that the maggots on the leftover ham had a right to live, the story is one of survival, love and, finally, realization of their own abnormality. Mr. Wall's succes in life is one of personal motivation that cannot go unrecognized!

It was not unusual for the four children, their college educated mother, and their highly intelligent father to sleep in their car or outside in the desert - under the stars. Their travels covered Phoenix - where their mother inherited a house - and then up to West Virginia. Often hungry, the family looked for food in left over school lunches.

You will definitely want to stick with the Walls to discover with them their own redemption. Reviewed by Sue Mayfield

Pope Joan by Donna W. Cross

This historical novel takes place in Europe during the Dark Ages. It is the story of a young girl's struggle for an education through her older brother and circumstances following his death. The plot is fast-paced, educational, and filled with adventure and difficult situations. Disguising herself as a man, this girl rises to become Pope and rule Christianity.

To this day, there is controversy as th whether this scenario is factual or mythical. Be sure to read the Author's note...Protestants and Martin Luther are mentioned in the case against the existence of such a woman. This book is an excellent read for men and women. Reviewed by Mary Ann Taylor

River of Mercy by Sheila Walsh

It isn't unusual for young brides to find immediately that their new mother-in-law is very jealous of the girl who stole her son away. What is so moving about this true story is the way this bride is compelled by God to change all that. In spite of almost unforgettable snubs and tirades, Sheila is able to draw on her strong faith anf forgive totally. The result is a friendship and a bond that is at the same time heart wrenching and full of warmth.

This book is recommended especially for anyone who is struggling with similar circumstances with close family members or with anyone who has brought unnecessary pain into your life. Sheila's attitude and compassion is a handbook for all who are caregivers for the terminally ill within their families. "River of Mercy" is recommended by Karen Kahill

Soul Searching by Christian Smith

This book, written by a Sociology Professor at UNC, Chapel Hill,who is also the principal investigator of the National Study of Youth and Religion, outlines the findings of this goup's research. It opens with contrasting case studies of two religious teenage girls. Although their backgrounds are somewhat similar, their life outcomes are strikingly different. Other chapters examine three religious types of teenagers and the influence external factors have on the religious lives of teenagers.

Although some findings are shocking and disheartening for religious communities, there are also many windows of hope for engaging youth in faith for these communities to explore. Smith explains that adolescents are not aliens but simply young people who should be related to the same way one would relate to any child of God, with dignity and respect. This book is a must read for all religious youth workers and religious communities. Reviewed by Ryan Ray