Authors: Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrator: Thomas Gonzalez
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Audience: Ages 14-18 and Adults (While I do believe that this book is also appropriate for younger children because of its theme of compassion, I chose youth and adults because they would have some type of memories of the events of September 11, 2001 which may help them to gain a deeper meaning from the text.)
Summary: Kimeli, who was born and raised in a remote village in Kenya, has returned from America to visit his people. He is studying to be a doctor and was in New York City on September 11, 2001 to witness the terrorist attack. He shares this story with the Maasai people of his home. These people were once fearsome warriors but now live peacefully as nomadic cattle herders. Cows mean life to these people and are treated as sacred. Kimeli offers to give his only cow to America. The elders respond by offering a total of 14 cows to give as an offering of comfort and peace. A diplomat from the US Embassy in Nairobi comes to accept the gift. These healing cows are being cared for by the Maasai people and are a symbol of hope.
Literary elements at work in the story: The plot of this story is its primary literary element. A group of people thousands of miles away from America gracefully reach out to a people they do not know to offer peace and comfort in the wake of tragedy. The illustrator gives power to the words of the story through beautiful and detailed illustrations which make the plot come to life for the reader.
Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic ability: This story does an incredible job of illustrating how two distinctly different cultures can be brought together due to tragic circumstances. We so often as Americans see ourselves as “mighty and powerful ones” whose strengths and abilities cannot be matched. September 11th showed us that is not the case. Compassionate people from a culture completely different from that in which we live come alongside Americans with a gift of hope and comfort. The concluding words of this story say it best: “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”
Theology: God’s love is steadfast and God’s mercy for God’s children will never come to an end. As God’s chosen people, we are called to show the same love and compassion to others as God has shown to us. Hope does not fail us because of the love God has given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Faith Talk Questions:
What do the illustrations tell us about the relationship between Kimeli and his people?
Why is the cow life to the Maasai people?
How does the author’s choice of the words “it has burned a hole in his heart” illustrate Kimeli’s reaction to September 11th?
What is the importance of the cow in the story?
What do you think the diplomat from the embassy is expecting when he comes to meet with the Maasai elders?
What is the message in the final illustration and the concluding words of the story: “Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”?
In the dedication in the back of the book, Kimeli (W.K.N) speaks of children as being the “peace of the world”. What do you think that means?
How can we be the “compassionate diplomats” that Kimeli speaks of in his dedication at the end of the book?
Review prepared by Marcia Rauch, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2006
I’d been looking forward to reading this book for some time. I bought Volume 1: The Beginning some time ago at an incredibly cheap price, courtesy no doubt of some intricate global book industry policy structure, and was instantly engrossed by such a different way of telling. So- what to do? Relish the series and honour its author’s vision by reading it in its intended order starting with Volume 1? Or jump ahead into Volume 2, which after all, is the period that I am more interested in, and go back to Volume 1 later? In the end the exigencies of library renewal periods and the imperative to actually write this section of my thesis (as distinct from doodling around reading it) won out, and so Volume 2 it was.
I was reassured in reading the Foreword that perhaps I would not be too hampered by not having read Volume 1. He reprises some of the main themes, and speaks of how he is going to pick them up and introduce new themes in this second volume. He gives a good overview of the argument of the book and how the chapters contribute to these larger themes.
Which is a good thing, because I have to admit that during the reading of the book, I kept berating myself for not “getting it”. Despite the title, which suggests a political text, this is a book about imagination, experience and ideas- all intangible entities that are best seen through their expression in individuals’ actions. I enjoyed his vignettes and careful interweaving of the experiences of men and women, convicts and intellectuals, but I kept feeling as if the bigger themes were running through my fingers like sand. In a review of the book, Ged Martin observes that
The reviewer too must soar to catch the author’s winged heels: this is a pointillist history…Atkinson’s meaning flows subliminally and is not easily pinned down. As he enigmatically puts it: ‘ vivid things are to be glimpsed merely on their passing our window.’ (p. 286)
I’m relieved to read this: I was beginning to think that perhaps I was being particularly thick. Within the parameters of his large, important themes, the detail is written almost as a stream of consciousness that meanders between ideas. An example- Chapter 13 Railway Dreaming, which was perhaps my favourite chapter. He starts the chapter speaking of the democratic settlement- a three sided concept with politics on one side, commerce and enterprise on the other, and the way government worked as the third section. He talks about systems, which are exemplified by gynaecology as a form of objective tenderness, and studies of inner-urban slum life and disease where disease was often caused by water supply. Australia was now a richer place; chemistry and consumerism led to the development of glass bottles; glass and iron was used in London’s Crystal Palace and also in railways- Dickens wrote of ‘railway dreaming’ and the Moonians. Railway dreaming in Australia included ideas of federal co-operation; there was thrill and terror in train-travelling; and Australia’s first serious train accident occured in 1858. Mrs de Courcey, a travelling piano-teacher was injured in it. She needed to work because her husband was ‘deranged’, and she said that she herself became ‘deranged, almost, for a time’ from the injuries she sustained. Lunatic asylums were developed; a leading physician was Frederick Norton Manning, who was an apostle among the lunatics of Queensland. Queensland itself was a kind of hallucination; and then follows a potted history of the development of Queensland.
I found myself just letting go, swept along by this assured and insistent whirlpool of ideas, but often found myself gasping for air, wondering where on earth I was going. It was with almost a sense of relief that at I turned to the Afterword and discovered that, really, I had understood the direction after all. Turning back to the Foreword at the start of the book again, I found that, yes, he had done all that he had promised and more and that yes, there was an argument there had I had followed, almost without realizing it.
This series is written after thirty years reading, study and talking. The period of time covered in this book (from about 1820s to about 1870s) is very much Atkinson’s ‘patch’, given his work on Push from the Book which accompanied the 1837 volume of the Australians series. It has been likened to Manning Clark’s opus in its vision, and as with Clark it is a creative, idiosyncratic and personalised sweep that tells much, but certainly doesn’t give you “what happened and when”.
The book itself is divided into three sections, each prefaced by a description of insects in Australia to highlight a theme: a locust swarm “Still they Kept Coming”; the noise of cicadas “Their Method of Utterance”; and the disturbance of tightyly packed insects in a decayed log of wood “The Masses Unpacked.” The final image of the book is of a log that contained two ant nests: the first forming a thick crust, which when broken open revealed a complex labyrinth of ant-architecture.
The two ant-nests, old and new, might be taken to stand for the two generations that are described in this volume- the generation that coloured life around the 1830s and that of the goldrush years and after. The notion of an intricate way of life given over and replaced by something new certainly matches what I say here. At length, the habits of earlier days seemed to be, in the minds of the young, as dried up and useless as Moore’s “great city”. The Europeans in Australia made for themselves another mental habitation, like the ants. Like the ants, moreover, they were gatherers from the world beyond, living by traffic and communication. In rehousing themselves they drew their main materials, all that coloured glass, all those entrancing ideas, from Britain and the United States. (p. 339)
The poetry of his narrative, the bravery of his history-writing, the aurality of his perspective (because this is a ‘noisy’ history) are all breath-taking in their novelty and audacity. I did enjoy the book once I reached the end of it, a bit like reaching the end of a water slide. It was a long climb up; I wondered on the way down whether I was going to go over the edge; and probably- probably- I’d like to climb up and do it again.
Some other reviews:
Ged Martin review- I can’t get the link to work but it’s a PDF document that should download at www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/ras/article/download/288/346
Paul Pickering http://www.api-network.com/main/index.php?apply=reviews&webpage=api_reviews&flexedit=&flex_password=&menu_label=&menuID=&menubox=&Review=4493
Summary: Come Sunday is the story of a young girl’s joyful celebration through the Sabbath day. This book would make an excellent baptism gift for children of any age.
Literary Elements at Work: Come Sunday is Nikki Grimes’ recount of young LaTasha’s journey through the Sabbath day. Using poetry, Ms. Grimes moves our young worshipper, and consequently us, from the breaking of dawn to the closing of dusk on this re-creating day. Each movement of her Sabbath sojourn is given its own poetical verse. For example, LaTasha’s day opens with “Come Sunday, Mommy wakes me up with whispers. LaTasha, honey, she says to me. Time to shed dawn’s cozy quilt. Come on, Sweet Pea. Open up those eyes.” and closes with “Now I lay me down to sleep…” Additionally, Michael Bryant’s bright and vivid illustrations in water color lend an ethereal landscape for LaTasha, and consequently us, to travel along as we traverse this most holy day.
Scripture: Exodus 20:1-2, 8-11
Theology: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…” God has already freed Israel to be free for God and one another. The Ten Commandments are not hoops to jump through so that one may be free. Rather, they are a description for life in community with God and one another because one is already free. When turned around into ten hoops to jump through in order to be free, the Ten Commandments become fetters that bind, and one is no longer free. I knew a woman who hated Sundays. Honoring the Sabbath had become a hoop for her and her family to jump through in order to achieve freedom. When she was a little girl, Sunday was a day of “no”—“no card playing,” “no knitting,” “no playing outside…”“no,” “no,” “no” and “no.” In the Reformed tradition honoring the Sabbath is a day of celebration – a joyous response to the freedom God has given us in Jesus Christ. We say “yes” – “yes” to dressing up, “yes” to going to church, “yes” to singing the hymns, “yes” to saying what it is we believe, “yes” to celebrating the gifts of God. The Ten Commandments are predicated on its preamble. “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” They are boundaries given to the free. Let’s celebrate!
Faith Talk Questions:
One Sunday, walk your child(ren) through his or her Sabbath day along with LaTasha. Wake your child up by reading LaTasha’s wake-up poem. Read with your child about the “Blue-Haired Ladies” as you enter church. Who do you and your child(ren) see sitting in church? Blue-haired ladies? Pink-haired ladies? No-haired gentlemen? Tell your child(ren) who you saw in church when you were a little girl or little boy. Did you see blue-haired ladies? Did gentlemen wear hats? Did ladies wear gloves? Did you go to church when you were a child? If not, when did you start going to church? Who took you to church? What did you wear to church when you were a child?
Read with your child(ren) “On the March.” What kind of instruments does LaTasha’s church use for music and singing? What kind of instruments does your church use for music and singing? An organ? Piano? Drums? Guitars? Which instrument is your favorite? Which instrument is your child’s favorite? What are your favorite hymns? What are your child’s favorite hymns? Have a hymn sing in the car (or on the bus, or on the walk) on the way home from church.
Read about LaTasha’s offering. Why do we give money to the church? What does the church do with the money we give?
Tuck your child(ren) in on the Sabbath night as you read “Lights Out.” What nighttime prayers did you say as a child? What nighttime prayers do you say with your child(ren)?
Paradise Baptist church is the name of LaTasha’s church. What does “another day in Paradise” mean? Is there any other meaning? What is the name of your church? Do you wonder why? Guess? Ask your minister. What is your favorite part of the Sabbath day? Why? What is your child’s favorite part of the Sabbath day? Why? What was your least favorite part of the Sabbath day when you were a little girl or a little boy? Why? What is your child’s least favorite part of the Sabbath day? Why?
Share LaTasha’s Sabbath story with the entire family—grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors. Then have everyone share his or her own Sabbath story. Write, paint or color your own Sabbath stories.
Review prepared by Kim Lee, MACE, Entering Cohort Fall 2007
If you aren’t familiar with Wendy’s Musings of a Bookish Kitty site, don’t be put off by the whimsical name. Her book reviews have made her one of the most thoughtful, thought-provoking, and sincerely useful book reviewers on the web. She tells it like it is, so we were honored and thrilled by this review:
Forcing his head up into the deluge, Clark peeled back an eyelid and squinted. The heavens had paled to a deathly green, with clouds rolling and tumbling, black as midnight with fire boiling inside. A great sheet of white lightening ripped the sky so violently that Clark felt it vibrate through his hair to his heart and down into his bare feet, warm against the mud. [pg 11]
The Fairest Portion of the Globe by Frances Hunter
Blind Rabbit Press, February 2010
Fiction (Historical); 421 pgs
Visit our "Buy Now" page to save on a set of both our novels.
A recent death in the family motivated me to pull out the family tree my husband and I began working on years ago. It had been a year or two since I last looked it over or given it a much needed update. I found myself reading through the names, going back through our families’ histories. One branch of my family, I can trace back to Virginia (and Germany before that) during the late 1700’s, which is the time period of Frances Hunter’s novel, The Fairest Portion of the Globe. As I read the novel, I could not help but imagine what the life of my ancestors must have been like in early America.
For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in history. When I was in school, I had a particular fondness for U.S. history. To this day, I still enjoy visiting historical landmarks whenever I travel. In recent years, my interest in history has taken a more broad form. I am drawn to the history and cultures of other countries, sometimes more so than my own. And yet, my interest in U.S. history has narrowed some. I find myself interested more in 20th century history. It shows in my fiction reading. I am not sure why that is exactly. Perhaps something to explore at greater length another time . . .
It’s been years since I last read a book set in early American history. When the authors approached me to review The Fairest Portion of the Globe, I felt a spark of excitement that took me back to those days when I couldn’t get enough of early U.S. history.
Frances Hunter is a writing team of two sisters, Liz and Mary Clare. The Fairest Portion of the Globe is their second novel, sort of a prequel to their first book, To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark, but readers do not have to read one to enjoy the other.
The authors take great pains to create as accurate a history as possible and yet also make the history come to life for the reader. It is a novel, after all. There was nothing textbook about it. It was an engaging and suspenseful book to read. I originally had written my own summary of the novel to include with my review, but it ended up being a bit too long. I think the authors sum it up best on their website:
La Louisiane–a land of riches beyond imagining. Whoever controls the vast domain along the Mississippi River will decide the fate of the North American continent. When young French diplomat Citizen Genet arrives in America, he’s determined to wrest Louisiana away from Spain and win it back for France—even if it means global war.
Caught up this astonishing scheme are George Rogers Clark, the washed-up hero of the Revolution and unlikely commander of Genet’s renegade force; his beautiful sister Fanny, who risks her own sanity to save her brother’s soul; General “Mad Anthony” Wayne, who never imagined he’d find the country’s deadliest enemy inside his own army; and two young soldiers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who dream of claiming the Western territory in the name of the United States—only to become the pawns of those who seek to destroy it.
From the frontier forts of Ohio to the elegant halls of Philadelphia, the virgin forests of Kentucky to the mansions of Natchez, Frances Hunter has written a page-turning tale of ambition, intrigue, and the birth of a legendary American friendship—in a time when America was fighting to survive.
There are several story threads that run through the novel, and quite a few characters to follow, but I was never lost or confused as to what was going on. In fact, I was quite intrigued by each of the characters’ stories. My favorite, however, involved George and William’s sister Fanny. Fanny is married to Doctor Jim O’Fallon, George’s good friend and right hand man. He is the one who is able to keep George sober and has a gift for dealing with the political aspects of putting together an army. Jim is well liked and respected by the Clark family. Knowing how much her brother relies on Jim, Fanny is afraid to tell anyone about the other side of her husband, his darker, more violent side. I ached for Fanny. She was such a good-hearted young woman and yet she was trapped, feeling helpless and alone. Jim is one of those characters I was truly hoping would get what he deserved in the end the more I read about him.
Andre Michaux, a botanist from France whose wife died in childbirth, was another character who stole my heart. He is completely out of his element, tasked by Citizen Genet, the French diplomat, with helping General George Rogers Clark put together an army to take against Spain. He merely wants to explore and study the flora and fauna of the New World, going further west.
For me, one of the most intriguing characters in the novel is General James Wilkinson, a proud man who is trusted and respected by the Clark brothers. He has his secrets, however, and like Lewis, I never quite trusted him, unsure of exactly what he was up to.
As a mystery reader who often figures out the whodunit pretty quickly, there were quite a few surprising twists in this novel. I never knew what would happen next. Well, except for the ultimate outcome. The novel is based on actual historical events after all. Even so, I learned quite a bit I hadn’t known before and even spent some time doing my own research.
The novel did get off to a slow start. I am not sure that could be helped, given the need to set the story up. Once William Clark was introduced, the story picked up, and it really took off for me when Meriwether Lewis appeared on the scene. I really liked both Clark and Lewis, and enjoyed watching the friendship bloom between them. Some of my favorite types of stories are origin stories, and The Fairest Portion of the Globe related the origin of the two great explorers’ friendship and eventual partnership.
Lewis and Clark are legends in American history. They’ve always seemed a bit larger than life as a result. The authors offer a more personal glimpse into their lives, as well as into the Clark family, reminding me that they were real people with real fears and failings.
Meriwether Lewis is a bit of a wild card, an ensign in the army and newly assigned to William Clark. In his first introduction to his commanding officer, Lewis nearly shoots Clark off his horse (one of my favorite scenes). I confess that I developed a little crush on Lewis. He is sharp and not much gets by him. He seems like the kind of person who would make a good friend, trustworthy and honorable even if a little hotheaded. William Clark, on the other hand, is more levelheaded, although no slouch either. He is a strong leader and really cares about the men under him. He is also very loyal to his family.
I felt so bad for George Rogers Clark, William Clark’s brother. He’d done much for his country, only to be left high and dry in the end. He put so much of himself into his new mission, including sobering up. Like his brother and the rest of his family, I wanted him to have some of that old glory. Yet I could also see how this new situation could end up like it did before. What if the French didn’t follow through with money and back up? It all seemed a little too shaky from my perspective, especially given what I knew about Citizen Genet from the beginning chapter.
It was interesting seeing America through the eyes of the characters, discovering what life must have been like in 1794, the year the novel is set. The beauty of the land, all that open space, the hardships the people endured, and the life a soldier led (The very thought of picking maggots out of my food turns my stomach).
There was one passage in particular that had me running to my computer to do a little research. Lewis, at one point in the novel, is reading a book and, from the description, I knew it had to be a real book. While we can’t really know if Lewis ever read that particular book, just from the descriptions of his character–his curiosity and his love for learning–I imagine that he very likely would have enjoyed reading. And when books are scarce and there’s a lot of downtime, what’s a soldier more likely to read than a popular novel? I finally broke down and e-mailed the authors asking for the title of the book since my own rudimentary search turned up nothing. That little excursion has piqued my interest in that particular book now as well.
I confess that I nearly turned down the opportunity to read The Fairest Portion of the Globe. I was a little intimidated by the fact that the novel was about such prominent historical figures–silly I know. And I also worried that reading the novel would feel too much like homework. Yet, there was that spark I talked about earlier, of revisiting a time in history that I once loved and had such a curiosity about. I took a chance and am so glad I did.
Frances Hunter’s The Fairest Portion of the Globe was not only informative, it was also entertaining. I got misty-eyed, I chuckled, and I even held my breath (oh my gosh, that ending!)–and that’s even knowing a bit about how history would play out.
Rating: (Very Good)
And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win a copy of The Fairest Portion of the Globe (open to U.S. residents only, I’m afraid) here.
Hiroshi gets a second chance at figuring out his family.
Y’know how you can tell I’m not feeling too well? When I’m not posting, not because I’ve been more busy than usual, but because I haven’t been reading as much as usual. I’ve had a rolling migraine since the beginning of last week and yesterday I blew up at work over our sustained silent reading books. (Try to censor my students’ reading and just see what happens.) That said, it may seem like I’ve read a good bit considering I’m about to post about six books, but my reading is usually punctuated by magazines and short stories. And for the past couple of weeks, it hasn’t been.
Jonathan and I skirted competition (a la Maka-Maka) when we first encountered Jiro Taniguchi’s A Distant Neighborhood at the Borders near my work. Long story short, for a fleeting moment we thought that the second volume was a rare find so I scrambled to buy it, although I suspect that may have been Jonathan having a bit of fun at my expense. In the first volume, 48-year-old Hiroshi Nakahara boards a train and ends up in the town he grew up in as a 14-year-old boy. Hiroshi relives a chunk of his school career and quickly finds that he never knew his family quite as well as he thought. In the second volume, Hiroshi is determined to prevent the abandonment of his family by his father as he continues to learn more about his parents’ history and dynamic. A nice story, art that makes me think of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, but I don’t expect it to serve as anyone’s gateway drug.
I also finished reading all four volumes of Steven Seagle’s American Virgin, which I have been excited about for quite some time. … Okay, now ask me if it lived up to my expectations. I actually love the premise: rock-star Bible thumper Adam Chamberlain crusades for virginity and his religion until all of the messages he claims to have received from God crumble around him. Adam must decide where his faith is in reality and what kind of person he wants to be. When the woman God “promised” would be his one true love dies in a terrorist act, Adam is left wondering if he is supposed to be without love – and completely celibate – for the rest of his life. What begins as a classic revenge story quickly turns into a gender-bending quest for Adam’s REAL real true love – no, really this time – and ultimately a reunion with his biological father. It feels a bit choppy, but even if you start to get lost in the middle, it is ultimately worth the read.
This is another book that not only tackles a subject of interest to me, but also ends just the way I would hope. And if you know me, you might guess that this leaves Adam a little ragged, a little weary, but still clinging to a variation on his original ideals. You also may guess, if you know me, that it’s a little open-ended. Read the series of four volumes for the ending if for no other reason. By the end you will thank me – just not so much in the middle.
March brings two exclusive events with special Monks visiting UrbanEdgeYoga:
*** March 6th (Sat): ‘Snow Dream Walk’ with Bhaktimarga Swami, the Walking Monk. Join us for a walking meditation and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/513/snow-dream-walk-with-the-walking-monk
*** March 14th (Sun): Happiness Hunt-bring back that smile with Vaisesika Dasa, who comes all the way from San Jose to share with us a life time of spiritual experiences. Join in for this Krishna Fest and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/710/happiness-hunt-bring-back-that-smile/
Events for the week of Mar 1st:
* Tue 2nd, Forever Young, Yoga stretches and relaxing chants: Join us for an evening of yoga asana practice, mantra meditation and spiritual discussion. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/745/forever-young-yoga-stretches-for-body-and-mind/
* Wed 3rd, Power and art of forgiveness: Time cannot be reversed and what’s lost can’t be got back. So how does one reconcile the feeling of injustice and where do you find the strength to forgive and move on. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/783/power-and-art-of-forgiveness-2/
* Thu 4th, Vegan Cooking Classes – soups and salads: There is an art to cooking these delights and our in house expert, Shyama, will share these secrets in a structured classroom environment with you. Check details http://urbanedgeyoga.com/769/vegan-cooking-classes-soups-and-salads/
* Fri 5th, Friday Fun @ 5 PM: We offer a unique opportunity to explore the inner world of calm and tranquility through an amazing Asthanga yoga workshop to end your week. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/799/asthanga-yoga-%e2%80%93-feel-the-power/
* Fri 5th , Power of the mind @ 6.30 PM: Since time immemorial, the mysteries of the mind, its powers and tricks has enchanted philosophers, thinkers, saints and scientists alike. Check details and RSVP at http://urbanedgeyoga.com/757/powers-of-the-mind-conscious-sub-conscious-and-the-unknown/
Check March’s calendar at www.UrbanEdgeYoga.com Delicious vegan dinner will be awaiting you at all of our events!
*** Quote of the week: The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another. (Bhagavad-Gita as it is).
Get your own copy from http://urbanedgeyoga.com/spiritual-books/
Regards,
Mangal-arti
This review may come as a bit biased. I’ve never read anything by MFK Fisher that I wasn’t absolutely delighted with. So it will come as no shock, I’m sure, that I’d highly recommend the tiny tidbit that is Consider the Oyster. Fisher has considered the oyster, to rather great extent in such a slim book, and each word I read made me wish for the Milford Oyster Festival, where I first slurped down a raw oyster.
Even if you’re not a seafood or shellfish aficionado, though, pick up this book. It’s a quick, entertaining read. The chapters are short, succinct, and succulent morsels, fat with recipes, ramblings, history, science, and more.
I have now considered the oyster, and found it to my liking.
Name of Book: Come Sunday
(Very Good)
I also finished reading all four volumes of Steven Seagle’s American Virgin, which I have been excited about for quite some time. … Okay, now ask me if it lived up to my expectations. I actually love the premise: rock-star Bible thumper Adam Chamberlain crusades for virginity and his religion until all of the messages he claims to have received from God crumble around him. Adam must decide where his faith is in reality and what kind of person he wants to be. When the woman God “promised” would be his one true love dies in a terrorist act, Adam is left wondering if he is supposed to be without love – and completely celibate – for the rest of his life. What begins as a classic revenge story quickly turns into a gender-bending quest for Adam’s REAL real true love – no, really this time – and ultimately a reunion with his biological father. It feels a bit choppy, but even if you start to get lost in the middle, it is ultimately worth the read.