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Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard

Jun22

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream by Adam Shepard.

I’m going to buy a copy of this book for a young man I know, who in addition to making what I consider very foolish decisions about his spiritual life, is also stuck in a dead end job and not at all sure how to move on and begin doing more than living from paycheck to paycheck. My friend wants to go back to college, but he can barely afford to pay the rent and his car payment each month. He feels trapped. The book won’t change his spiritual condition, but it might inspire him to change his economic and physical status.

Adam Shepard started out lower on the economic scale than my friend is now. He decided, after graduating from college, to try an experiment. He would take twenty-five dollars, a sleeping bag, and the clothes on his back, and go to a randomly chosen city to start life with no friends, no credit rating, and no safety net. He chose Charleston, South Carolina out of a hat and took the train to that fair city. Once he got there, he headed for the nearest homeless shelter (which didn’t turn out to be too nearby). His goal was, by the end of a year, to have a car, a furnished apartment, and $2500 in the bank.

The book would be an inspiration particularly to young people just starting out in life and perhaps to those who are working to bring themselves up out of poverty after bad decisions or bad luck or some combination thereof have put them there. I want to give a copy to my friend because he’s discouraged about his future, and I want him to see what hard work and determination can do. The book is just one guy’s experience. The details of where Mr. Shepard got a job and what he did to save money and to make ends meet won’t work for everyone. But the general principles of working as hard as you can, overcoming setbacks with persistence, and making the most of the opportunities you have are good for anyone, anywhere.

Did Mr Shepard meet his goals? Yes, and he did it in ten months, not twelve. He did it with very little help from the government (food stamps) and with a great deal of self-discipline and stubborn resolve. The language in the book is sometimes crude, the language of the streets where Mr. Shepard found himself, but the message is worth the skimming over language I had to do. I think you’ll find it worthwhile, too.

The Headmistress at The Common Room compares Scratch Beginnings with Nickled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Voices of the Faithful, Book 2, compiled by Kim P. Davis

Jun3

Inspiring Stories of Courage from Christians Serving Around the World

When I received a copy of this book of daily devotional stories from Thomas Nelson’s Book Sneeze Program, I planned to use it to read aloud to the urchins each day about missionaries and their service. I had hoped to form a habit for our family of praying for others outside of our immediate circle and of caring for God’s people around the world.

It didn’t happen –for lots of reasons, mainly my lack of discipline and my faulty memory.

Nevertheless, I would still like to share this book with my family, and maybe if I can get my act together we’ll start this summer. I did browse through the book and I’d like for my yound students and disciples to hear about:

Danika who at age 90 heard about the gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time—and at 94 years of age, believed in Him.

“Ratko” who came to English club to cause trouble and learned that God’s plan was to make peace with estranged sinners.

Daniel who prays daily for and writes letters to hundreds of missionaries around the world.

Walmiy who patiently endures the hardships of life in a hot, desert climate in order to share Jesus with the the nomadic tribal people living there.

And there are 362 more stories in this encouraging, convicting book. The missionaries who share their stories in the book and who live out the gospel all around the world are Southern Baptist missionaries working under the auspices of the International Mission Board of the SBC, but the stories and the people in them transcend denomination. If you are a Christian and you want to be challenged to live a life of sacrifice and service to the Lord, read these stories. If you want your children to be challenged in the same way, read the stories to them. Then, pray together, like Daniel, that God will continue to work through the missionaries of the International Mission Board and other missionary agencies to reach our lost world with the gospel good news that God is in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.

I’ve talked myself into starting tomorrow.

Disrupting Grace: A Story of Relinquishment and Healing by Kristen Richburg

Jun1

I have my own share of family, well, not secrets, but things that are too painful and raw to talk about or to blog about. I can’t imagine writing a book about my own wounds, even after they someday, God willing, are healed. Nevertheless, that’s what Kristen Richburg has done in this book, and I admire her honesty, even though it’s almost too painful to read.

Disrupting Grace is about attachment disorder and about an adoption that didn’t last. Of course, the operative question going into this true memoir of an adoption gone terribly wrong, is how? How could anyone give away their own child, adopted or not? Why would anyone give up their own child, no matter how damaged or disturbed?

Well, all I can say is, that after reading the book, I understand how a family could come to such a decision, and I believe Ms. Richburg when she says that relinquishment was the most loving decision her family could make in the interest of all concerned. From the book’s preface:

“I have two children. I used to have three. My third child didn’t grow up and leave home; she didn’t die. I relinquished her. I stood before a judge and said that I was no longer able to meet her needs. She is living with another family now and has a new last name. . . .

How did I get here? Were those five years a dream? Aren’t adoption stories supposed to have happy endings? . . . What are families to do when despite all their efforts, their child isn’t thriving, and the rest of the family is coming apart at the seams?

Sometimes I wish I could erase my adoption story. Most of the time I am thankful I can’t. I know there was a purpose for all of it. And my life will never be the same.”

I believe in adoption. I know many, many happy, well-adjusted adoptive families. However, we live in a broken world. And just as I believe in marriage and yet know that sometimes divorce is a last option, I can also see that in some situations the only “solution” might be to place a child, adopted or not, in another family where he or she has a second chance to bond and grow and be loved.

This story is important for families who are considering adoption, for those are supporting adoptive families in prayer and encouragement, and pastors and counselors who might be confronted with difficult adoptive situations. I found it fascinating, and although I hurt for both the Richburg family and for the little girl they adopted, I was also able to see God’s grace and mercy through the pain of a very difficult journey.

Kristin Richburg’s website gives links to resources for adoptive parents in addition to more information about the author and the book.
Here’s a bibliography of resources about attachment disorder.

Nonfiction Monday: Pythagorus and the Ratios by Julie Ellis

May24

Today is “Nontraditional Nonfiction Monday,” as declared by host Travis at 100 Scope Notes. Problem is, my reviews are always sort of non-traditional (scroll down to read my musings on writing book reviews). So, how does a non-traditional book reviewer write a review that’s nontraditional for her?

I got it: farm out the review to Engineer Husband. Engineer Husband is an expert on math and kids, having helped out in the math education of eight urchins (no math majors yet, but he’s still hoping). The book is part of a series called Math Adventures, and I was sent a copy for review.

Without further ado:

Pythagoras and the Ratios is the story of how young Pythagoras helps his cousins prepare for a musical contest by tuning their musical instruments (pipes and lyres). Hearing the difference between the pleasant sound of his own pipes and the unpleasant sound of his cousin’s leads Pythagoras to make observations about the ratios of length of the six pipes in the instrument. By means of measurement and simple mathematics, Pythagoras makes an important discovery and verifies it by modifying his cousin’s pipes so that they are in tune with his own. He next applies his newly-discovered principle to tune the lyres of his other cousins, also with good results. Beautiful color illustrations compliment the story line that includes the following character-building elements: children’s responsibility to obey their parents in completing assigned chores, the helpful attitude that Pythagoras displays toward his cousins, the thankful spirit that Pythagoras shows toward his cousins for their help with one of his chores, the optimistic attitude that Pythagoras displays in response to disaster when he breaks his own instrument in rushing to the musical contest, and, of course, curiosity coupled with observation and the use of mathematics to see relationships that help us understand and explain nature. The author includes a brief scientific explanation at the end of the book.

And that’s how an engineer writes a book review. Just the facts, m’am.

A Walk With Jane Austen by Lori Smith

Apr21

I’m a Jane Austen fan myself, maybe not quite so much as some others I could name including the author of this book, but I definitely get the attraction. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy coming out of the water after a swim, check. The whole chemistry between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, check. Marianne and Elinor in Sense and Sensibility and the contrast between one sister’s reserve and the other sisters’ romanticism, check. All of Austen’s female protagonists and their struggles with relationships with men in particular, check. Emma and Mr Knightley! Yeah, I get it. And I would absolutely love to take a trip to England and “walk where Jane Austen walked.” (Or where C.S. Lewis walked or JRR Tolkien, Charles Dickens, the Brontes, Shakespeare, etc. I’m an Anglophile.)

So, I enjoyed A Walk With Jane Austen, even as I cringed a little when the author shared with us her innermost feelings and thoughts, her insecurities, and her love life. It was transparent and brave, but also a bit too introspective in some places. Also her season of life is not mine. Ms. Smith is 30-something and single, wanting to love and be loved, often comparing herself to Jane Austen and to Austen’s characters. I’m 52 and married with eight children. I could understand Ms. Smith’s stresses and obsessions but I’m just not there.

That said, I think my daughters, ages 18, 20, and 24, would enjoy this book. The Jane Austen aspect gives it some weight and keeps it from becoming just the emotional ramblings of an evangelical Christian spinster. And Ms. Smith does have some good insight into the single life, courtship among evangelical Christians, and the evangelical culture in general. She writes about things that many of us are afraid to say: why are so many Christian single guys so weird? What is the balance between loading one’s emotions onto other people and being so reserved/repressed that you never share anything? What do you do if you’re “in love” and he’s not? Why do guys so often send such mixed signals? If he’s not willing to commit as soon as you are, do you exercise patience or move on? Are there any Mr. Darcys around anymore? Can any guy live up to Jane Austen’s male leads?

Lori Smith is a good writer, and I did develop an interest in her and in what happened to her after the end of the book, enough so that I looked her up on the web. What I found is a bit disturbing and curious. She had a blog called Jane Austen Quote of the Day, but it hasn’t been updated since November, 2008. And her other blog, Following Jane, also has lain dormant since November 2008. Her twitter feed was last updated November, 2009. I can’t find any more recent information about Ms. Smith on the web, although with such a common name there could be stuff that I missed, and since she had just been diagnosed with a rather serious disease at the end of the book . . . It was enough to make me stop and pray for Lori Smith, even though I don’t know her really. The book was good enough and intimate enough to make me feel as if I do.

Texas Tuesday: Apparent Danger by David R. Stokes

Apr20

Apparent Danger: The Pastor of America’s First Megachurch and the Texas Murder Trial of the Decade in the 1920’s by David R. Stokes.

I get a lot of emails from publicists pitching books that I might want to review here on the blog. Mostly, I don’t respond because a) most of the books just don’t sound that interesting to me, and b) I don’t like being pressured to read a book and write a review on someone else’s time schedule. However, when I received an email about Apparent Danger, I took the bait because I am interested in Texas history, particularly Southern Baptist history in Texas, and the book was about the notorious J. Frank Norris, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth from 1909 until Norris’s death in 1952.

What I knew about Norris before I read the book: He was the pastor of FBC, Fort Worth. He got thrown out of or left the Southern Baptist Convention with his church. He was a real, live “fundamentalist.” He was involved in some kind of scandal or something?

What I learned from the book: J. Frank Norris was much more than just a run-of-the-mill pastor of a large church. He was a celebrity with aspirations to become the religious and political leader of the fundamentalist movement after the death of orator and politician William Jennings Bryan. The “scandal” I vaguely associated with Norris was really more than one scandal, but the biggest one was that he shot and killed an unarmed man in his church office —and was subsequently indicted and tried for first-degree murder. (And we think we have outrageous behavior among the clergy nowadays!) Of course, the book goes into much more detail about Norris, the murder, the trial, Norris’s relationships with Fort Worth’s finest, almost everything you’d ever want to know about Fort Worth and its politics and culture in 1926.

And I ate up every word. The picture that Mr. Stokes paints of this larger-than-life preacher and his strange reaction to criticism and controversy is fascinating. I kept trying to figure out what made J. Frank Norris tick and why so many people were so devoted to him and to his church for so long. That I never completely understood or got answers to those questions was not the fault of the author so much as the subject. Pastor J. Frank Norris didn’t seem to want to be understood so much as feared and followed and obeyed and admired. He was virulently anti-Catholic, associated with the Ku Klux Klan if not a member, and yet he spent a lot of time visiting in the homes of his six thousand church members and and seemed to see himself as a crusader against the evils of alcohol, gambling, and immorality in general. But he didn’t see anything immoral or even questionable about his shooting of Mr. D.E. Chipps in cold blood in the church building on July 17, 1926.

I thought the book, again, was wonderful in its detailed and comprehensive view of the time period and of the particular circumstances of Chipp’s death and the subsequent trial of J. Frank Norris. At the same time I very much wanted to know who Norris was and why he did what he did. Did he really believe what he preached? Was he a charlatan out to make a buck and enjoy his power over the masses? Was he ever sorry for the events of July 17th? What did his children think of him? Or his grandchildren? If he didn’t really believe the Bible, how did he sustain such a ministry for a lifetime? If he did, how did he square his actions with Jesus’s commands to practice peace and humility and lovingkindness? How could a Christian man ever feel justified in killing another human being, even in self-defense? (Oddly enough, George W. Truett, pastor of FBC, Dallas, during the same time that Norris was in Fort Worth, accidentally shot and killed a friend in a hunting accident, and it nearly ended his ministry. Truett was deeply depressed by the accident and only recovered after much prayer and encouragement from his congregation and family.)

I found this article, A Tale of Two Preachers, by author David Stokes linked at his website, and it added some to the story. But still I came away from the book wishing I knew more about this man, Doctor J. Frank Norris. (He received an honorary doctorate from Simmons College, as my alma mater, Hardin-Simmons University, was called back in those days.) How could he continue on for twenty-five more years in the ministry at the same church without ever revealing his heart? Did he have a heart? Did he preach the gospel, or just so much legalistic, racist, anti-Catholic nonsense? Was it all so mixed-up that you couldn’t sort it out? What really sustained Norris, besides Kipling’s poem If, a poem he had posted on his study wall and could quote by heart?

Apparent Danger is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of fundamentalist Christianity, of Fort Worth, of Texas Baptists, or of religion in the 1920’s. It reads like a fresh news story and seems to be well-researched and sourced without having the story itself get bogged down in footnotes and minutia. Recommended history.

Semicolon Book Club for March

Mar1

The theme for the Semicolon Book Club for March is biography/autobiography, and the particular selelction for this month is David McCullough’s Mornings on Horseback, a biography of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. The subtitle is “the story of an extraordinary family, a vanished way of life, and the unique child who became Theodore Roosevelt.”

I very much enjoyed reading McCullough’s biography of John Adams last March, and I expect to enjoy this book just as much. TR is one of my favorite historical characters.

Come back to Semicolon after Easter (April 5th) for discussion of this most excellent biography.

President’s Day for Kids

Feb12

Monday, February 15th is Presidents’ Day, so I thought I’d re-run this list with a few additions. Have a happy holiday!

Leetla Giorgio Washeenton by Thomas Augustine Daly.

More Washington Poetry.

O Captain My Captain by Walt Whitman.

White House site with mini-biographies of all 44 U.S. Presidents.

More information on the Presidents for President’s Day.

Recommended Children’s Books about the Presidents:

The Buck Stops Here by Alice Provensen.

So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George and David Small.

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull.

A Book of Americans by Rosemary Carr and Stephen Vincent Benet.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the White House: Foolhardiness, Folly, and Fraud in the Presidential Elections, from Andrew Jackson to George W. Bush by David E. Johnson.

George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin.

George Washington’s World by Genevieve Foster.

George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz.

Dangerous Crossing: The Revolutionary Voyage of John and John Quincy Adams by Stephen Krensky.

John Adams: Young Revolutionary by Jan Adkins. (Childhood of Famous Americans series)

Abigail Adams: Girl of Colonial Days by Jean Brown Wagoner. (Childhood of Famous Americans series)

A Picture Book of Thomas Jefferson by David A. Adler.

The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz.

Young John Quincy by Cheryl Harness.

Old Hickory: Andrew Jackson and the American People by Albert Marrin.

William Henry Harrison, Young Tippecanoe by Howard Peckham. (Young Patriots series)


Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered
 by Barry Denenberg.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson.

Abraham Lincoln for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities by Janis Herbert.

If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln by Ann McGovern.

Unconditional Surrender: U. S. Grant and the Civil War by Albert Marrin.

Bully For You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz

The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America by Albert Marrin.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: Young Military Leader by George E. Stanley.(Childhood of Famous Americans series)

Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns: A Reporter’s Story by Wilborn Hampton.

Ronald Reagan: Young Leader by Montrew Dunham. (Childhood of Famous Americans series)

Semicolon’s 12 Best Nonfiction Books I Read in 2009

Dec28


I don’t read as much nonfiction as I do fiction. I’d like to balance that out a little more in 2010. Can anyone suggest some excellent nonfiction titles for my TBR list? I’m especially interested in history, British and American, Christian inspiration that is really, really worthwhile, and science titles for dummies.

Heaven: Your Real Home by Joni Eareckson Tada.

Heaven by Randy Alcorn.

The topic for our church’s women’s retreat in February was Heaven, so I read both of these books in preparation. The reading and the study of the topic in the Bible created in me a renewed desire to see my Lord face to face and glory in His presence. Semicolon discussion of both books here.

Washington: The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner. Semicolon review here.

John Adams by David McCullough. Semicolon thoughts here and here.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor. Semicolon review here.

I read three biographies of presidents and the one about Alexander Hamilton this year, and I enjoyed all four books thoroughly. I plan to keep on with the presidential biography project, and my next book to read is American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by John Meacham. Then, I plan to go back and pick up on Monroe and John Quincy Adams.

The Deadliest Monster by Jeff Baldwin. I read this one for the class I was teaching in the spring at our homeschool co-op, and it gave me new insight into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and into the genre of horror literature as a whole.

Amazing Grace: The Story of America’s Most Beloved Song by Steve Turner.
Hymn #2: Amazing Grace

Abide With Me: The World of Victorian Hymns by Ian C. Bradley.
I read these two in conjunction with my Top 100 Hymns Project, such a good memory of 2009.

Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity by Lauren Winner. Ms. Winner is a gifted writer, and I’d like to read something else of hers this year.

Hitchhiking Vietnam by Karin Muller.
Semicolon review here, along with a list other books about and set in Vietnam.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Semicolon review here.

Best Nonfiction Book I read this Year: John Adams by David McCullough. I recommend it to everyone, and if you can’t or won’t read it, at least watch the mini-series by the same name based on the book.

Texas Tuesday: Make Way for Sam Houston by Jean Fritz

Nov17

General Sam Houston: “We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for the contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: none is at hand. We must now act or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father’s name.”

Sam the Ambitious Politician: “Were I the nation’s ruler, I could rule it well.”

After Sam’s baptism, November 19, 1855: When a friend remarked he guessed Sam had all his sins washed away now, Sam replied that he hoped so. “But if they are all washed away,” he said, “the Lord help those fish down below.”

“The people want excitement, and I had as well give it as anyone.”

Newspaper headline announcing Sam’s arrival in town for a political appearance: “The Hero of San Jacinto is Communing with the People!”

Sam’s advice to his son: “It is a matter of great satisfaction to me to hope that my children will be in circumstances to receive a good education. Mine was defective and I feel the inconvenience, if not the misfortune of not receiving a classical education. Knowledge is the food of genius, and my son, let no opportunity escape you to treasure up knowledge.”

Old Sam the Prophet (as the Civil War began): “Let me tell you what is coming. Your fathers and your husbands, your sons and brothers, will be herded at the end of a bayonet. You may, after the sacrifice of countless millions, win Southern Independence . . . but I doubt it.”

Houston’s last words, July 26, 1863: “Texas . . . Texas. Margaret . . .”

Jean Fritz is a fine biographer, and Sam Houston is a fascinating subject. What more need be said? Still, I’ll add a few details for those of you who need a little more encouragement to pick up this Texas Tuesday pick.

Houston was the George Washington of Texas, but he was a much more flamboyant character than George was. Houston served as governor of two different states (Tennessee and Texas), was a congressman from Tennessee, was elected president of the Texas Republic twice, was a senator from Texas, and was indeed the Heroic General who led the Texians to independence in his victory over the army of Mexican general and dictator Santa Anna.

Houston and his third wife, Margaret, had eight children (just like me and Engineer Husband). Margaret was a good influence on Sam Houston; she got him to give up alcohol which Sam admitted had become an addiction and a hindrance to his ambitions. She also took him to church regularly, and he eventually received salvation and was baptized.

An adult biography I’ve seen recommended is The Raven by Marquis James, but if you just want an introduction to a colorful Texan hero, you can’t go wrong with Jean Fritz’s one hundred page account of the life of Sam Houston.

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