Christian Retailing

Book Reviews CR Dec 09 Print Email
Written by Production   
Thursday, 17 December 2009 01:08 PM America/New_York

StillStandingStill Standing

Carrie Prejean

Regnery Publishing

hardcover, 202 pages, $27.95

978-1-596-98602-2

Prejean, former Miss California and Miss USA runner-up, gave the answer "heard round the world" last year when questioned by gossip blogger Perez Hilton about her stance on gay marriage. After offering her unpopular opinion, Prejean's career trajectory changed, a journey she details in Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks.

Prejean speaks openly about her Christian faith and how she was encouraged to keep it under wraps by pageant officials even before being confronted with the infamous question. She details the fallout from her answer, including her firing from the Miss USA organization, meetings with Donald Trump, the surfacing of nude modeling photos and even the leaking of her parents' divorce papers to the press. Prejean doesn't set herself up as a victim or a hero, however, but rather someone who shared unpopular views with an angry audience.

With endorsements from Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter and a foreword from Sean Hannity, Still Standing is poised to appeal to a conservative political audience, but offers spiritual lessons in addition to cultural analysis.

—DeWayne Hamby

Points_of_PowerPoints of Power

Yolanda Adams

FaithWords

hardcover, 256 pages, $19.99

978-0-446-54578-5

In Points of Power: Discover a Spirit-Filled Life of Joy and Purpose, recording artist and radio talk-show host Adams
offers stories of encouragement and hope in Christ.

Using examples from the Bible such as Joseph and Daniel, and individuals like Billy Graham and Chris Gardner, as well as her own life experiences, Adams relays uplifting stories of what it means to live a life focused on God and surrounded by His grace. She encourages readers to walk in obedience, freely confess shortcomings to Christ and allow Him to work in their hearts, so that they can live a life of power and purpose.

Points of Power is full of short stories and life-application questions, and is useful for the busy reader desiring spiritual growth.

—Heidi L. Ippolito

Happy_SpouseHappy Spouse...Happy House

Pat and Ruth Williams with Dave Wimbish

Standard Publishing

softcover, 224 pages, $14.99

978-0-784-72356-2

Author and sports executive Williams and his wife, Ruth, offer marital advice in Happy Spouse...Happy House: The BEST Game Plan for a Winning Marriage. "BEST" is an acronym for Bless, Edify, Share and Touch.

The authors devote several chapters to each action.Though most of the principles apply to both spouses, Pat usually speaks to the male reader, while Ruth's segments target wives. One section could belong in a different book, as the authors devote nearly a chapter to choosing the right mate.

Most of the advice will be familiar to readers of marriage books, but the couple offers their own unique slant to keep it from becoming cliche. The understated premise of the authors' qualification is that they have between them 19 children, and both work in full-time careers requiring travel.

—John D. Leatherman

AnAmishGatheringAn Amish Gathering

Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Barbara Cameron

Thomas Nelson

softcover, 400 pages, $14.99

978-1-595-54822-1

With the backdrop of the Pennsylvania countryside, fans of romance fiction will enjoy sharing in the lives of Leah Petersheim, Rebecca Miller and Amanda Graber in this three-novella collection, An Amish Gathering: Life in Lancaster County.

Opening with "A Change of Heart," Leah teaches readers how to be themselves and follow their dreams. In "When Winter Comes," readers will learn from Rebecca how to overcome grief and fear, and know true forgiveness. Finally, in "A Place of His Own," Amanda is an example of a true friend who never gives up on the ones she loves.

Each novella centers on following God's will, and when it's least expected, He sends the right person to help. These heartwarming stories show humorous complications in courting while spotlighting lessons in true love. Extras include recipes, a glossary of Amish terms and a Reading Group Guide.

—Nicole Anderson

StartSomewhereStart Somewhere

Calvin Nowell with Gayla Zoz

Tyndale House Publishers

softcover, 224 pages, $14.99

978-1-414-32331-2

Christian recording artist Nowell offers Start Somewhere: Losing What's Weighing You Down From the Inside Out as an encouragement to anyone who has ever felt trapped by unhealthy patterns.

Nowell shares memories from childhood that seem to have planted the seeds that would later grow into a lifestyle of secret sin. Overindulgence in food was the sin that eventually took over, though he managed to function for years keeping up the appearance that he had his life together.

But at his breaking point, he began to understand that God had wonderful plans for his life that he would never see unless he submitted his food addiction to Him. The process of changing his routines was difficult, but the most significant transformation was the one that took place in his heart and mind.

Readers will find Nowell's honesty and transparency touching. Though the topic of weight loss is central to the book, its themes are global and applicable for all readers.

—Bonnie Bruner

Forgotten-GirlsForgotten Girls

Kay Marshall Strom and Michele Rickett

IVP Books (InterVarsity Press)

softcover, 175 pages, $16

978-0-830-8373-1

Author and speaker Strom and Sisters in Service founder Rickett are on a campaign to give voice to the voiceless victims of crime and depravity around the world: young women.

A follow-up to Daughters of Hope, which told the stories of persecuted Christian women, Forgotten Girls: Stories of Hope and Courage puts faces to the statistics of millions of persecuted girls throughout the world. Christian or not, young women are trapped in a cycle of poverty and oppression that Christians in the West—those who often have the resources and voices—have the ability to help.

Five sections—physical life, education, sexual protection, prison and war, and spiritual life—cover the gamut of issues oppressed women face today. While the book's stories are touching, and at times overwhelming, the authors are careful to infuse them with action steps the average person can take to help make a difference.

Forgotten Girls may not be a book readers want to read, but those who are interested in social justice will find it a helpful guide to awaken passion and educate them on the issues of global persecution that seriously affect women and children.

—Cara Davis

Becoming-LucyBecoming Lucy

Martha Rogers

Realms (Strang Book Group)

softcover, 304 pages, $10.99

978-1-599-79912-4

In Becoming Lucy, the first entry into historical fiction from Strang Book Group and the first installment of the "Winds Across the Prairie" series, Boston heiress Lucinda Bishop's world is shaken when a tragic carriage accident takes both of her parents. She moves to her aunt and uncle's ranch in Oklahoma Territory, where she must find a way to face her grief and adjust to a primitive land.

Meanwhile, she and one of her uncle's cowboys fight a growing attraction for one another—for her, because he does not share her faith, and for him, because of a hidden and shameful past. When he becomes a Christian, he reveals his past and returns to Texas to face the law, leaving her to continue life in the wilds of Oklahoma wondering if he will return.

Becoming Lucy is populated with sweet, earnest characters whose simple faith in God remains strong even through horrendous circumstances such as the death of loved ones and the loss of most of their earthly possessions. The story takes a satisfying route to a happy ending, and Rogers' debut historical romance will appeal to fans of the genre.

—Allison Hyer