While the world watched - Summer Reading Program

I've just finished number 4 on my list... While the world watched by Carolyn Maul McKinstry. It wasnt' my favorite story. Being as I was not alive during the civil rights nightmare of the 60's I was reading history I knew very little about. Historically I was facinated by the story and disheartened by how little was done for so very long... But the story was difficult to follow. She went in no particular order and I was constantly wondering where this event fit in the overall story. I had to often refer to the timeline in the front of the book. I also felt the placement of letters or excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were distracting. She quoted so many of his speeches, yet not always by the copy of the speech. Maybe an appendix in the back of the book, listing his speeches would have been better? A good read for the historical facts and first hand accounts from Carolyn Maul McKinstry a surviver of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing.

Her daughter's dream - Summer Reading Program

WOW! What an incredible book. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I got angry. The characters were so realistic. Rivers has done it again. I was drawn into the story and couldn't put it down. There were enough twists and turns in the plot that I wasn't able to "predict" what would happen next. You must start with the first book, "Her Mother's Hope" before "Her Daughter's Dream" as they trace the family for 5 generations. All to often we find that family history repeats itself, as was the case in this story. Marta said in her journal, "we try to do a little better than the previous geneneration and find out in the end we've made the same mistakes without intending. Instead of striving to love as God first loved us, we let past hurts and grievances rule." I walked away from this series challenged to examine my heart, my motives, my words. One line I particularly liked was "It's not about what you've done. It's about what you're going to do now." May we examine ourselves, ask for forgiveness where needed, and let Christ shape our future.

Tyndale's Summer Reading Program

Tyndale has a Summer Reading Program in which you get rewarded with free books. For every 5 books, from their list, that you read and review on social media sites you earn a free book. I signed up and will be sharing my thoughts over the next few weeks. check it out at http://mediacenter.tyndale.com -Cindy