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