When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury
What I like about this author is that her stories always seem to have a happy ending. What I don't like about this author is that her stories always seem to have a happy ending... kind of a conundrum for me! Kingsbury does a great job in dealing with hard issues and Maggie's depression is a timely topic for 2021 after a year of digging out of the pandemic. Depression is generally linked to anxiety, anger, rejection and loss; and Maggie is dealing with all of these, stemming from a past experience of hurt and pain. The author's Christian perspective provides a good foundation for facing depression in a Biblical way. The dialogue is real and the quickly sent prayers in the middle of the mess show us how to keep our communion with God honest. However, having lived through difficulties and knowing that God doesn't always answer our deeply wrenching prayers, made me skeptical of how all the pieces fit so quickly together. Could Maggie sort through all of her past in such a short time? And do the broken pieces of our lives get resolved so perfectly? Although my skepticism shows, I really did enjoy this read and what Kingsbury tried to tackle...it certainly pulled at my heartstrings with accompanying tears of compassion.
40 Acres and Maybe a Mule by Harriette Gillem Robinet
Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 1999, this 120 page juvenile fiction book packed a powerful punch. During the Reconstruction Era, previously held slaves were freed by Lincoln's Emancipation. General Sherman's promise of 40 acres of land to farm gave them much hope.
Unfortunately, those 40,000 freedmen who gained 400,000 acres of land in the South found it taken away and given back to the original planters by President Johnson, Lincoln's successor, who was a southern sympathizer. This book is the story of 2 brothers who lived through this hopeful venture and proved that they could be successful farmers. Told by the youngest brother, I was touched by the difficulties they faced and how teamwork among many different homeless freedmen created a new "family" unit. The support and caring between this group and a neighboring white family was a picture of what 2021 America could look like.
Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio
Another very realistic fiction story about two women in Afghanistan, an American aid worker and her Pakistani interpreter, who forge an unlikely friendship as their two worlds collide in the violence of Kabul. This author masterfully draws us into the lives of real families who are ravaged by war, and how very much alike women are even though separated by very distinct culture differences. These courageous characters are bound together in the fight for voiceless women, and in this fight they find common feelings, common responses, and common goals. Unforgettable.
