5 of 5 stars *****
An honest book about the life of Jesus, the Nazarene, and his impression made during his day and ever since. The book is so compelling because it is not trying to prove the divinity of Christ nor is it trying to disprove it. The painstaking efforts of author, Bill O'Reilly, and co-author, Martin Dugard, craft an excellent read based on corroborated evidence from historians of the day, Roman, Greek, and Jewish as well as the NIV Bible. Accounts written by these sources cover the life and predictions of the life of Jesus. The authors point out that there is not a man who, without an organization behind him, has influenced the world, with his message of love, as much as Jesus.
5 out of 5 stars *****
Catapult back in time to Nazi Germany and experience life through Death's eyes and how a little girl copes through it all. The writing is superb. The narration is wonderful. Enjoy how durable the human spirit is in the face of death at any moment. Discover how words become soothing comfort for the soul. The Book Thief takes one through a grievous time of antisemitism, hate, and despair when families are torn apart and possessions are scarce. Through it all, a young girl is saved by her compulsion for books which starts before she knows how to read. The relationships she shares are deep and profound. She becomes orphaned early in the story and her foster parents provide for her bodily needs while her books take care of her spiritual needs. The reader cannot help but feel each genuine bond she forms as she establishes a new life. Loss is not done with her, however, and new growth occurs out of its reemergence. Miraculously, reading saves her life more than once in this incredible story which she eventually writes.
5 of 5 stars *****
Profound book that tests one's faith as a four year-old boy's recall of heaven tests his parent's. The contemporary setting with trials that society places on a struggling family make this story, based on a true account of events, pertinent to everybody who reads or listens to Todd Burpo's rendition. This listener particularly liked the poignant revelations that occur through the little boy's eyes. The message of kindness, understanding, and love permeate the characters via this child's memory of events and the people he meets during an operation that almost cost him his life, and another vision, while at home, when he met a sister he never knew he had. A word to describe the extraordinary events that occur throughout the book is miraculous. The uncanny ending leaves this audience a believer, one touched by the words that convey divine intervention in the telling of this heart-warming story.
