I Am Second by Bender and Sterrett

I have to admit, it was the cover that drew me in first.  Clean, crisp white with just a boxy armchair and an intriguing title.  But once I read the snippet about the book, I knew I wanted to read it.  Bender and Sterrett bring twenty stories to life, complete with photos and QR codes which link to videos on the I Am Second website.  This book is a twenty-first century experience, multimedia, raw and real.

Each story was personal and honest, sometimes brutally so.  From famous athletes to former drug addicts, wealthy businessmen to reality tv show participants, the stories have a wide variety of components but one core message.  Jesus first, me second.  For every story in the book, there are links to one or more other stories just like it.  I did not take the time to explore the website, but it looks incredible at a quick glance.

I enjoyed this book, but more than that, I felt my faith was strengthened by it.  I believe the church is built up when we share our stories of meeting Christ and that is what this book is about.  It's not pretty or neat and it doesn't fit into the typical Christian box.  But it's real and I appreciated that.  I think others, Christians and nonChristians alike will appreciate it too.

This Thing of Ours by Cammy Franzese

With a subtitle like "How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage", it was hard to resist this book.  Cammy Franzese writes a fascinating memoir about her marriage to a former Mobster, Michael Franzese and details how they met, fell in love and married.  She writes of the struggles and triumphs of enduring over eight years of Michael's incarceration and his parting of ways with the Mafia while raising their four children.

I always enjoy memoirs, and this book was no exception.  Franzese did a good job of sharing both the positives and negatives of her life story.  I appreciated her acknowledgement that much of what she dealt with in life was due to consequences of choices made by both her and her husband.  Many people seem unwilling to accept that some hardships are the results of decisions made, not just bad luck or random circumstances.  Cammy Franzese does not waffle about taking responsibility, and I can respect that.

I thought the book was a bit light, but it made for an easy read.  Transparent and honest, it told the story well, even if some parts were a bit vague.  I was encouraged by the main story line, which is that God can change and use anyone; our past is not always an indicator of our future.  God is in the business of changing people and this is one of those stories.  Overall, it was a pretty good book.

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

I chose this book because I've read at least one nonfiction book of Arterburn's and I am familiar with his name and story from attending Women of Faith events.  I was excited to read a fictional story by him, figuring that his life story and ministry would enrich any kind of tale he might tell.

The Encounter tells the story of a man so burdened by his past that he is compelled to go in search of the answers to questions that have tormented him his entire life.  The setting is rich in detail, set in Alaska in the wintertime and the characters possess the range of emotions that I would expect from Arterburn.  The book was easy to read; in fact, I finished it in one sitting while on vacation.

This book was more like a short story, or an inspirational read in a magazine like Guideposts.  It was short, but sweet.  Although it wasn't too "fluffy", it lacked the depth and detail that a longer novel could have developed and I was a bit disappointed by that.  Given Arterburn's history and other books, I expected richer character development and plot.  However, the book was still a good story and a good light read for my vacation. 

Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive when I chose this book, Ascent From Darkness, by Michael Leehan.  I have always believed in the presence of evil and also in the entity of Satan, but to read a book written by someone who used to follow the devil was a step beyond what I had ever experienced.

Here in America, I think we often discount or ignore the spiritual world around us because it doesn't follow our rational rules and it can be a bit...scary.  But it doesn't cease to exist simply because we don't acknowledge it.  Michael Leehan's life story shows how very real this world is as it chronicles the significant events in his life, his decision to become a satanist and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

I was impressed by how the author conveyed his story in an honest way without sensationalizing it or portraying it in a way that made it seem strangely attractive.  He was careful to state how very lost, alone and unhappy he was, even as he kept pursuing it for the power he felt it gained him.  At many points during the story, I was reminded of the fact that the demonic world is very much alive and that as a Christian, I have access to power and light that can quell any fear that might arise at that knowledge.  I felt strengthened by this book, not freaked out as I had feared when I contemplated reading it.

The only thing I wished had been included was a chapter or two more about his life as a Christian, what he does for his ministry, experiences he has had as he's turned away from evil and pursued the Lord.  I felt like a lot of time was given to his time as a satanist (and rightfully so as it consumed a larger time period in his life) but I would have enjoyed reading more about changes in him from his perspective and from the perspective of people who had known him before and after.  Although a section was included at the end of testimonies from people who know him , it seemed most of them were from people he has gotten to know as a Christian. 

Overall, I think this is a book American Christians should read, and anyone else for that matter!  It will open your eyes to the truth of the spiritual world, to the fact that there is light and darkness, good and evil; they are very, very real.

One Call Away by Brenda Warner

I am a sucker for memoirs.  I am always quick to pick up a book with "memoir" in the subtitle.  And while I'm not a big football fan, I was interested in reading this memoir by Brenda Warner (wife of NFL star quarterback Kurt Warner). 

Multi-faceted is really the best way to describe Brenda Warner.  She has had a wide range of life experiences which she tells in such a way that I could hardly put this book down.  From her loving childhood to her Marine career, from her experiences with a special-needs child and divorce to being a mom of seven children including twins and the wife of a famous athlete, Brenda weaves her story in a light-hearted and honest way.  The pages of snapshots in the middle were numerous and great to look at. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I found the author to be very relatable and interesting, and the book was well-written.  I laughed out loud several times and I felt like she did a good job of not taking herself too seriously.  While I didn't find my life changed in any way, I was entertained and touched by her forthright portrayal of her life and experiences.

Love You More by Jennifer Grant

I am a sucker for memoirs.  I have an adopted son.  So I was quick to snap up the book Love You More:  The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter by Jennifer Grant.

Grant weaves facts and information about adoption, particularly international adoption, with the personal journey of adopting her daughter, Mia, from Guatemala.  The book chronicles the couple's early history as they build their family and how they felt called to pursue adoption.  Details about the adoption process are provided, in the context of their experiences.  The story ends as Mia is settling into life as part of the family, woven in to the place the family has created for her.

I have to admit, that while this book was well written, it wasn't what I was expecting.  The majority of the book was about the adoption process and facts about adoption in general.  I am an adoptive mother, but I couldn't really identify with much.  This probably has more to do with the unusual circumstances of our kinship adoption than the book, but I was still a bit let down to not feel a connection the way I expected.  I also would have enjoyed hearing more about who Mia is and the process of fitting her into the family.  Most of the book covered the process of actually adopting her, not how she adjusted, which was something I was interested in.  I did enjoy and relate to Grant's stories of parenting and lessons learned as she raised babies and toddlers born close together.

While I found this a well-written and interesting book, it was not what I was expecting to read.  I enjoyed it, though, and would definitely pass it on, along with some caveats.

Thunder Dog by Hingson

It has been awhile since I've picked up a book about 9/11.  In fact, the only ones I've read have been novels and I found them to be unrealistic and overly sappy.  This book was a breath of fresh air.  Thunder Dog tells the remarkable true story of a man who cannot see and the dog who guides him out of the burning World Trade Center.

The author has never been one to let his impairment hold him back and so when he found himself in the towers on that September day, hard at work preparing for a meeting, he reacted as he always did.  He simply made a calm decision, trusted his guide dog and was fortunate to make it out of the towers alive.

My favorite part of this book was how the author jumped from the story of his descent down thousands of stairs to the story of his life and how being blind has only been a small part of who he is.  I am a sucker for memoirs and found this one to be candid and interesting.  I am not a dog lover by any means, but I found Roselle, the author's guide dog to be completely endearing. 

Overall, a quick and easy read and an interesting story about one man's survival of 9/11.