The Invisible Girls, by Sarah Thebarge

This book.  This is why I love memoirs.  To read these stories of real people feels like I'm adding them to my own life.  By reading them, I feel like they're becoming a part of my life, adding color and character and depth and sweetness.  I love these people.  I wish I could embrace them and tell them I know their story.  I wish I could thank them in person for sharing their lives with me.

I learned about this book at a job interview.  I never got the job, which I'm quite ok with - it would've been a move of desperation on my part to accept it, anyway.  But, this book...  I am so very glad I went to that interview.  The person I interviewed with and I were somehow on the topic of religion or people or something.  I can't remember exactly how this came up but she mentioned a woman speaking to the congregation at the church where she attends and how she wrote a book about her experiences.  I told her those are my favorite kind of books and made a note to see if my library had it.  They did and I am so glad.  What a sweet story of strength, courage, and survival.  But mostly about love.

I finished this book over a week, ago - I've been making notes as I read because it was something I had to digest a little at a time while trying to take it in all at once.

It's a brave woman's story of her unusual upbringing, followed by a change in her parents and their ways of doing things, which led to her well-educated future.  She alternately tells two stories - one of her battle with breast cancer at age 27 and the other of falling in love with a Somali refugee family. 

As I read of her battle, my heart just broke.  (This book made me cry almost every time I picked it up to read it.)  That she could not only feel so alone but BE so alone... I sincerely hope her "friends" read this and feel the guilt they deserve to feel and then some.  The people who were supposed to bring her meals and didn't, my gosh.  How could they? How could they? The visits stopped, communication stopped.  Her fiance left her.  It's incredible the way she made it through her lowest points.  She questioned God the whole time, wondering where He was or if He even cared and how could He let this happen to her?

But then - oh, then - she meets the sweetest family on the bus.  She cares for them, clothes them, feeds them, loves them... and in turn, they help her heal.  They help her find her purpose, they help her find God.  More, they help her see that He was there the whole time.  She likened her trial to a mother who happened to be a doctor she worked with.  Her daughter was sick.  The nurses had to hold her down to get an IV started and her daughter just cried for her, pleading with her to help her.  Yet, she stood by the wall and let the nurses do their thing.  When they were done with this traumatic event, the mother scooped her little girl up and reassured her that she was there.  She felt like God had done the same thing.  He had to let the trial do its thing.  But He was there, hurting along with her.  And when she finally got through it, He was there to scoop her up.  I can't put into words her testimony at the end (mostly because I don't have the book to reference and she put it so gracefully), but it was so great and so profound. 

This is definitely a book I would highly recommend.  It was so well-written and touched my soul.

Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

If you liked Fireproof, Courageous, Flywheel or Facing the Giants, you'll love this book.  I saw the movie trailer and couldn't get through it without tearing up.  If the trailer was so touching, I imagined the book would be just as great or even better.

It was.  It didn't take me long to read it - it was hard to put down.  It was incredibly touching and made me want to be a better person, showing God's love to any and all I meet.

The two men who wrote this book are real and their story is real.  Their lives were changed by Ron's wife, Deborah, who not only blessed their lives but the lives of so many.

I'm not going to give any spoilers, but this is definitely worth the read.  But only if you like true life inspiring stories and own some tissues.  Tissues are surely needed when reading this book.

I'm excited to see the movie.  I consider myself blessed to have made this story a part of my life.  I'm grateful to the authors for sharing it.

Here's a sneak-peak.  ;)

The Shepherd's Song, A Christmas Story by Larry Barkdull

I found this little jewel among my own collection; though, where it came from, I do not remember.  (Probably my mother-in-law.)  Whatever the case, I'm glad it was there for me to find, it was needed at this time in my life.

Mostly, I'd say this is for the religious person, as someone who isn't Christian might not appreciate it as I did.  It's just a short, sweet story about a shepherd, Joshua ben Levi, going through the hardest trial of his life.  His wife is eight months pregnant, has been bleeding, her water has broken and she's in heavy labor.  The baby hasn't moved for two days.  The midwives don't look hopeful for either life at stake.  Amid serious and painful contractions, Joshua's wife tells him he has to pray.  God will bless them this day. 

He gathers his sacrificial lamb and reluctantly leaves his wife to walk to Jerusalem to the temple there to pray.  Before he leaves, his father offers him words of comfort as he, too, lost his wife during childbirth.  He tells him God did not abandon him that day, but the question remained - would he abandon God? Even now, as I type this, I cannot think of this without tearing up.  This was read in a moment in my own life when I was facing a trial that I felt I was alone in facing.  I refused to pray as I didn't feel I was getting any help.  After reading this, it was as if my Heavenly Father was reminding me that He really was there, but I needed to ask myself that same question.

*sniff*

Anyway, he travels to Jerusalem and ends up facing a journey he had not anticipated.  I'm not going to give it all away because, really, this book is worth seeking out and reading.  Truly. 

In the Dark Streets Shineth, as told by David McCullough

This was a sweet little Christmas book.  It took me all of 10 minutes (or something like that) to read, but it was really nice.

What I especially liked about this book is the message given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Christmas Eve 1942, right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  He spoke of hope and faith and Christ and prayer and God.  He said we have to pull together as a country.  He said we have to rely on this season, the Christmas season, and Christ and our Heavenly Father to get us through this tough time of war and turmoil....words Obama will never utter.  Words he should read and take an example from.  A message our country sorely needs now, more than ever.  We may not be at war with the world in the usual sense of the term, but we're at war with ourselves, in our very own country.  Everyone fighting for the right to be who they are but not being able to do so without "offending" someone else.  A reminder of why we have this country in the first place, why it was fought for time and time again.  A message about values that are all too quickly being forgotten. 

Anywho, that's my opinion, I loved the book.

Let's remember today the people who, once upon a time, fought and died for our freedom.

Madman, by Tracy Groot

To say this book was good would be a huge understatement.  Good just doesn't cover it.

By the cover, you'd think it was dark.  It had dark parts, but not so dark that I had to put it down.  It was intriguing... interesting... thought-provoking.  It was so well-written, there weren't any dull parts.  Usually in books I read, it seems there are parts where the author feels the need to describe the scenery, or what someone's wearing... this author did this while telling the story so as not to lose the attention of her audience.

This book was not just about a man gone mad, but how he got there, the man who wanted to find out how he got there, the woman that mad fell in love with who happened to be the madman's sister, several scholars who tried logic to help the madman find himself again, the madman's son, the mother of his child who happened to aid in his madness and a very surprising ending that I certainly was not expecting.  Once you get to the end, if you're a Christian, or anyone who knows the Bible at all, there's this moment where you literally find yourself with your jaw hanging open because it all fits together but you never saw it coming and you know exactly what is happening from that point on.  Not that you're ever left wondering what's going on... Though the author weaves a bit of mystery into her story, she artfully brings the pieces together all throughout so everything makes sense.  She doesn't leave her readers hanging till the very end... although, like I said, the ending is completely unexpected.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, because really, if you're a reader, this is totally worth your time.

For anyone who is Christian, finds Greek mythology fascinating, or just wants a very good book to read, I highly recommend this one. 

My Life for the Poor, by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I have never read a book that was so short but took me so long that I enjoyed so much.  I think it took me so long because as I read it, I tried to absorb what I was reading in attempt to make it part of myself.  In reality, it's only 107 pages long, so it could possibly be a quick read for somebody.

I never knew much about Mother Teresa, other than probably what the rest of the world knows about her.  After reading this book, I have half a mind to model my life after hers.  She truly was a wonderful, most unselfish, spiritual person.  The things she did for so many people and her beliefs are so incredible! As I read this, my mind began to grasp what it truly means to be Christ-like.  This woman was such an example of Christian behavior.  She truly believed that the things she was doing to and for others, she was doing to and for Jesus Christ.  She often quoted the scripture that says "If ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  She had such a clear perception on what true poverty is, what true hunger is.  She encourages us all to help the poor around us, first in our homes, then in our neighborhoods, and so on.  She says the worst disease on earth is that of loneliness, feeling unwanted, feeling unloved and teaches how we as God's children can cure this disease by reaching out to those around us.  Her mission, her life, was devoted to helping people come to the realization that God loves them, that they are His children.  She never asked for money.  She had such great faith that if the Lord wanted it done, He would provide, and He always did.  So many people have welcomed her and her "co-workers" into their lives and their countries and provided so much for her work.  She has been joined so willingly by so many "sisters" who have the desire to serve and live their lives as she does, as the poor does.  She literally gave up everything she had for this sacred calling.  Other religions and non-Christians have helped her work progress.  It was amazing to read her story, her thoughts, her firm beliefs, and to be influenced by such greatness.

I've never had a hero before, but I do believe I have found one in Mother Teresa. 

***Now I can FINALLY start my new RPE book!***

My Hands Came Away Red, by Lisa McKay

This was an amazing book, I'm sad it's fiction.

Six Christian teenagers find themselves on the same team for a mission trip to Seram, Indonesia to build a church for a small village on the island.  After a week of being there, a holy war breaks out among the Muslims and the Christians.  The teenagers witness as the pastor and his wife are killed from the hidden safety of the jungle.  Along with the pastor's two children, they hike with what food and goods they can carry for two weeks through the jungle, facing malaria, hunger, massive fatigue, animal attacks, a voyage to another island resulting in a shipwreck and near drowning, among other things.  Their faith is tested as they see the horrors of war and escape near execution themselves in a Muslim village.  When they're finally rescued by the very same army that is causing some of the chaos and death and taken back home, they use the photos they took and the interviews they performed and notes they kept as well as their haunting story to let the world know what is happening in an attempt to stop the terrifying acts of inhumanity.  They build bonds that nothing can break and begin the journey to healing by the end of this captivating tale.  I couldn't put it down once I began.  I can't imagine what it would be like to face such trials... the author definitely did her research when she put this story together.  The details she relays sound so real it's almost like she got them from real survivors who had to face something like this.  It was a wonderful book and I recommend it highly.

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

This book was nothing short of amazing.  I loved it so much, I'm going to obtain my very own copy - and I don't do that with just any book.  I'm a library girl unless the book is RPE or something worth reading more than once.  This is definitely one of those books. 

As a Christian myself, this book meant a lot to me.  I have read several Holocaust survivor books before, but none of them came close to this one.  Yes, they were sad and it's unimaginable that someone could be filled with such hate and do such horrific things to other humans and it's beyond incredible that someone could actually survive that, but this woman and her family, her sister, especially, gave a whole new meaning to the phrase "triumphing over evil".  The most recent survivor book I read, the man turned his back on God.  This woman's faith and the faith of her family is so awesome.  She managed to see the smallest and sometimes most ugly things as blessings.  I'd like to think I have the ability to see the good in the bad, but going through what this woman and so many others went through, I wonder if I would still be able to come out of it with as strong a spirit? This woman did, and so much more did she accomplish in her life, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it all.

Corrie ten Boom's story takes place in Haarlam, Holland, where she and her family live and own/run a watch/clock repair shop.  As the germans start to take over parts of Europe, including her part, she finds herself becoming the hub of an underground operation aiding the flight and hiding of many Jews.  She and her family have a special love for God's "chosen people" and have no hesitation in doing this great and dangerous work.  After a while, they're found out and are arrested.  She goes from prison to prison, somehow never being seperated from her sister, and finally ends up in a concentration camp.  She experiences the direst of circumstances but meets and befriends many along the way while sharing the word of God.  The miracles she encounters and the prayers she's been answered can only strengthen one's testimony that God's hand truly is in all things.  Even when Corrie fails to see Divine intervention (which was rare), her sister never fails to remind her.  I loved how things weren't so much a matter of faith with them, but a matter of fact.  It truly is an inspirational book and will stick with you and perhaps even strengthen your own spirit while giving you a strong dose of perspective.

If you haven't read it, do.  It's worth it.  You'll not regret it, I promise.