First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corp Poster Boy Won My Heart and a Third World Adventure Changed My Life
by Eve Brown-Waite
Author Website: www.evebrownwaite.com

Available in hardback, paperback (releasing April 2010) and Kindle. Broadway, 2009; ISBN: 0767929357; 320 pages.

I've heard writers and editors talk about the "red line of death." It's the point in a story that causes the reader to shut the book. Either the story progresses too slowly, is too confusing or simply no longer holds the readers interest. This book has a red line of death.

I loved it at first! It was funny and witty and offered a sweet, interesting story. I could relate to the main character (who, since this is a memoir, is actually the author). She showed a lot of spunk. The book seemed well-written and flowed nicely.

Then she lost me. It wasn't that the book became too confusing; rather, I just got bored. The plot seemed too redundant. The characters didn't evolve. At least not within the first 130 pages. What was entertaining and challenging became depressing and cliche. The delightful edge became rote.

It's not that I didn't like the book. I did -- but I couldn't finish it. This title has rested untouched next to my bed, bookmark firmly in place, for more than two months. What's worse? I have no motivation to finish it. I simply don't care what happens in the last half of the book.

Final Thoughts: This is a great candidate for a library book. Parts of it are really great -- I laughed out loud in places! -- but, ultimately, the book disappointed me. I wouldn't pay full price (a hefty $24) for it.

Generation Hex
by Dillon Burroughs and Marla Alupaoicei

Available in paperback. Havest House Publishers, 2008; ISBN: 0736924019; 176 pages.

Did you know Wicca is the fastest growing religion in the United States? Some predict it will be America's third largest religion by 2012, outranked only by Christianity and Judaism. This book explains the origins of Wicca, reasons for its rise in popularity, what Wiccans believe and how Christians can engage these lost and searching souls in discussions that point to Truth. It's a short book, only 160 pages, but packed with valuable, easy-to-read (and understand!) information, from interviews with people who practice Wicca to facts from around the globe and plentiful Scriptural supports. I was shocked as I read it at how uninformed I've been.

This post-modern culture in which we live elevates relativity; we honor choices and encourage tolerant communities. This environment makes Wicca attractive to hungry souls. While the religion does hold some foundational beliefs, the rest is very pick-and-choose. What's right for you may not be right for the person next door. There is no hell. Everything good thing you do will come back to you in triplet. You have the power to change things. Celebrate life. Protect the earth. Do harm to none.

There are many good and true beliefs held by Wiccans, but what they hold that is not true can destroy their souls. To quote Richard Howe (as quoted in Generation Hex): "Jesus' command to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations invariably includes witches. In order to do so, it is necessary that we understand who they are and what they believe."

Final Thoughts: Pick up a copy of this book. You can read the whole thing in one afternoon. Take this opportunity to learn more about what we and our children may soon face (if we haven’t already) and how we can reach out to those who need to know the Truth.

Escape
by Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer

Available in hardback, Kindle, Audio CD and Audio Download. Broadway, 2007; ISBN: 0767927567; 432 pages.

I admit it: I have watched every episode of Big Love to date. Polygamy fascinates me. It also confounds me. I want to understand how Rachel and Leah or Sarah and Hagar or even Michal and Abigail and so many other women of the Old Testament shared their husbands. How did they do it? What was it like for them? I have trouble sharing my kitchen; I would never survive having to share my husband.

To quote the cover: "I was born into a radical polygamist cult. At eighteen, I becme the fourth wife of a fifty-year-old man. I had eight children in fifteen years. When our leader began to preach the apocalypse, I knew I had to get them out." This book is mostly an autobiography, but it's an alert about the inner workings of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the shocking and often news-worthy side of the Mormon Church).

The preface details the night of her escape, but chapter one begins with her birth. The author tells of her relatively normal, though somewhat abusive childhood; how she raised in a "royal" family of FLDS and taught religion from her very first breath, always aware of her priviledged position on Earth. Chronologically she records her life, her marriage into an extremely disfunctional family and the power struggles within her house and her community. As her life became more restricted and the rules of her religion more extreme, she felt the need to escape and devised a plan to do so. The book continues through their assimilation to life outside the cult, how she obtained full custody of her children (According to FLDS law, mothers have no right to their children, but bear them only as gifts to their husbands and as paths to salvation for themselves.), and how she finally found love.

Introduction over. I didn't finish the book. After 235 pages I had had enough. The book covers a very interesting subject and an amazing story, but the writing is just awful. I felt like I was reading an 8th-grade book report. It was a facts-based, unemotional retelling of what happened. "We went here. I said this. He said this. We had sex." The author seems completely unattached. What's worse is she fills the historical account with modern commentary, telling us why what so-and-so did was wrong or how this event that happened then contradicts her expectations now. The memoir is filled with contempt. Rather than a victor's story of "I am stronger because of what I survived," this story is a bitter victim's tale of "I'm better than my past and I never should have gone through this." I consent she has reason to feel this way, but her story would have been so much more effective if she had offered a personal, but objective view instead of telling the readers what to think.

Final Thoughts: I'm going to keep looking. I want to learn more about the topic, but am thoroughly disappointed with this book. There has to be a better one available.

Stirring Up a World of Fun
International Recipes, Wacky Facts & Family Time Ideas

by Nanette Goings

Available in paperback. New Hope Publishers, 2006; ISBN: 1563099195; 125 pages.

This book offers fun ways to incorporate some new foods, interesting facts and great biblical truths. Each chapter features a different region of the world (Africa, Asia, South America, Western Europe, etc.). Within the chapters, sections are divided by country. Obviously, not every nation in the world is represented, but the author does a good job including many of them (over 50 countries) from every corner of the planet. Each page consistently offers four sections:

• The Recipe -- Most have few ingredients and simple instructions. Icons highlight which recipes kids can help prepare and which they can do by themselves.
• Did You Know? -- This section offers interesting facts about one of the recipe's ingredients, the nation of origin or a Bible story that relates to this food or people group.
• What Can You Do? -- Here readers find a project or activity that ties in with the recipe or facts just learned. Sometimes it's a game or conversation starter; sometimes it's a craft or science project.
• What Does the Bible Say? -- This is a Bible verse (with reference) related to the food or lesson. These make great memory verses or the start of simple meal-time devotions.

I like this book, but I wish it were more internationally focused. Let me explain.

Of the 100 recipes included, seventeen of them are from Canada or the United States. I don't need to buy an international cookbook to make apple pie, brownies or blueberry pancakes. I don't understand why almost 20% of the book is devoted to foods we already eat and know how to make.

The "wacky facts" are not always related to the country listed. For example, Vinete, an eggplant dip from Romania, doesn't mention anything about Romania or the people there. Instead it talks about Thomas Jefferson and how he brought eggplant to the United States.

Final Thoughts: My intention was to use this book to teach my children more about missionaries and the countries where they serve. It really isn't aimed that way, but it's still a fun book to have around.

Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture

by Mary E. DeMuth

Available in paperback. Harvest House Publishers, 2007; ISBN: 0736918620; 250 pages.

Do we need another parenting book? Well, this is a different kind and so the answer is yes --- but not any more. Mary has done a fantastic job looking at parenting outside of cultural definitions. This book is not about modern vs. postmodern parenting, though she does touch on that. This book is about consistent Christ-filled parenting in spite of the culture. It is a timeless resource for parents of this generation and many to follow.

What is meant by "authentic parenting"? Rather than brutal honesty, it is simply a lack of hypocrisy. Christianity in America often favors the picture-perfect family. Appearances matter. We want everyone to think we've got it all together. We also cling to our sub-culture, our Christian bubbles, rather than engaging the lost culture around us. Well, the truth is we're human and so no one has it all together. Secondly, Scripture tells us to be in the world, but not of it. We can't be in it, if we refuse to acknowledge it. Mary's book encourages believers to be authentic, not just in their Christianity, but in their parenting as well.Authentic parenting (as detailed in this book) is conversational in nature. Children and parents learn together and from each other (a truth laced throughout this blog and my writing from the beginning). Parents create a haven where children can be children safely. They seek out the treasures hidden in their kids and encourage them with optimism.

"Whatever we believe, we will pass, overtly or subliminally, to our children, who will then use what we have taught them as a filter through which they will view all of life," (p. 49). The difference between this book and other parenting books discussing culture is the persistence of absolute truth. As Christians we know experience may be relative, but truth is not. Society is moving closer and closer to having no definition of truth whatsoever. But God is truth. He is the definition. As Christian parents, we must instill the knowledge and respect of this Truth in our children while preparing them to live in a culture that refuses to acknowledge it.I highly recommend this powerful book. You can read an excerpt from the book by clicking here.

Here is a glimpse of Mary's heart via quotes from this book: "What bothers me [is] all the pontificating. It's as if we've lost Jesus in the midst of our very intellectual discussions about postmodernity. ... And all the while we write and talk and parent, using words, but not living them out. ... Jesus is a person. He is more than mind. He is even more than words. Perhaps we do ourselves a disservice by if we allow our minds to intellectualize everything. I preach this to myself. I love words, make a living from them. But I don't want to be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. I don't want to forget Him -- He who rescued me from myself, sin, hell. ... I pray that [when asked how I feel about Jesus] my heart would be so knitted to His, so grateful for His life, that all I can do is weep. Or maybe laugh." (pp. 54, 55)

Final Thoughts: A must-read for Christian parents whether culturally savy or not. Definitely recommended.