Shawn Smucker, a middle-aged father of six who drove for Uber and Lyft when writing was slow, wanted to help the Syrian refugees. Writing a book about their situation was a way he was uniquely equipped to help them, so Lancaster’s Church World Service arranged for him to meet a Syrian refugee named Mohammed. When […]
52 Books in 52 Weeks
Review: Broken Pieces and the God Who Mends Them by Simonetta Carr
Simonetta Carr, beloved author of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, was confused and apprehensive when her eighteen year old son Jonathan asked her, out of the blue, “Mom, is this a game?” She answered him nervously. A bit later he still seemed perplexed and told her, “I don’t understand this extension.” Thus began […]
Review: How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff
Everywhere we go, we are presented with statistics about things to buy, things to do, the economy, politics, health issues, polls, wages, and more. But sometimes these statistics contradict each other, and what then? This famous little book by Darrell Huff is a humorous explanation of the ways truth is misrepresented with statistics….. … All […]
The Christian Greats Challenge
My friend Carol is hosting an online reading club this year: “Christian Greats Challenge: Past and Present.” Carol is an Australian homeschooling mom who writes the most delightful and thoughtful book reviews. She planned this challenge’s categories partly to counter what C. S. Lewis calls ‘chronological snobbery’, defined as ‘the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual […]
Review: Made for the Journey by Elisabeth Elliot
As a young woman, Elisabeth Elliot worked hard to prepare for her first missionary experience, learning and reducing to writing the Colorado’s language in the jungles of Ecuador. Because she was doing what God called her to do, she fully expected God’s blessing on her work. After all, that’s the way the world works, right? […]