The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life's Hard by Kara Tippetts ★★★★☆

Weathering the storm with grace

Non Fiction – Memoir – Christian

192 pages

Publication Date:  2014

In The Hardest Peace, Kara Tippetts, mother of four and a pastor’s wife, shows how even amongst the awfulness of stage-four cancer there can be beauty in pain and

how God can give us the peace and grace we need.  He can be our strength.

I admit I have been putting this one off.  Kara is my cousin-in-law and has been on hospice for the last few months.  So I have been unable to separate her book and, at the time, her impending death.  But with her passing this week I have decided it is time to put on my big girl pants and write this review.  Kara’s journey has been life changing for so many that it would be a disservice to memory not to pass it on.

I started getting acquainted with Kara’s journey from her blog, Mundane Faithfulness, ----when I could pluck up the courage- and I have to admit I had some misgivings about reading her book, but Kara ever the graceful lady, quieted my fears with softness of her approach leaving me unburdened by her story.  The superb writing had a very musical quality, and the ideas and impressions were so fluently expressed that I had a difficult time remembering to write comments for my review.  I also loved Kara’s powerful ability to turn a phrase and get an amazing emotional response.  This book is worthy of multiple read and I even was forced to pull out the hi-liter even though I hate to deface books.

I originally had more things about Kara and the specific things she writes on, but honestly this is all I can handle writing  right now without completely falling apart.  Thank you for your patience with me and please don’t let my lack luster performance deter you from looking into this book. 

Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson ★★★☆☆

A fan favorite

Non Fiction - Autobiography

224 pages

Publication Date:  2013

Written by the patriarch of the Robertson Clan and original Duck Commander and bearded star of Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson, this book shares what went into shaping Phil, his family and their business.

First of all, this book will very obviously appeal mostly to the Duck Dynasty fan.  Clean, quick flowing writing, with a good helping of fun told in Phil’s unique voice marks every chapter and direct storytelling, with straight-forward unabashed values (you don’t have to agree with everything he believes in to appreciate this story).  His story is a true American dream story.  Through gumption, hard work and God, Phil pulled together his life.  He came up from being dirt poor and making horrible life decisions to getting it together and creating a full, purposeful life for him and his family.  These are the kind of stories that fuel the American imagination.

Okay, one blanket statement for the technical duck stuff.  I am not a duck hunter, so I’ll be honest, I found those sections boring.  However, I could see how someone interested in those things would really like them.

Side Note:  I read this book before any the controversy surrounding Phil came up, but I have to say that doesn't change my view of this memoir, though it did give me pause for a moment before posting.  I chose to go ahead with it, because it just illustrates to me another example of our society’s intolerance toward different viewpoints.  Sure as humans we are all naturally judgey, but there is a line.  When does one aspect define a whole person be that Phil or someone who is gay.  I find it sad in our society that we have gotten to a point where instead of having an open dialogue – and yes I’m talking to conservatives and liberals alike – we call each other idiots and refuse to give each other the basic respect each human being deserves.  I don’t agree with many of my friends and family members’ decisions or even a lot of the world’s at large, but I also don’t need to agree with them.  I have enough to deal with just holding my own self and actions accountable (yeah, and my kids too of course - we are raising trying to raise responsible adults, people).  All I need to do is love them; the rest of it is between them and God.  

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer ★★★☆☆

Emotionally raw and articulate

Non Fiction - Memoir

333 pages

First published 1997

Literary awards: ALA Alex Award (1998), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (1998)

John Krakuer, a journalist sent to be a member of Rob Hall’s expedition to summit Mt. Everest, writes an emotional and reasonably accurate recount of the 1996 Everest disaster. Krakuer, lays out the series of events that ended in catastrophe, while trying to work out for himself what went wrong and what part he may have had in it.

Left in devastating position with no good choices on Everest and then dealing with survivor’s guilt afterward, Krakuer, really strives to be honest, but fair as he examines the different aspects of this catastrophic event.  This story played itself out on a world stage and has so many players involved and other factors influencing it, so to hear Krakuer views is fascinating.  He takes a rather brave and unabashed look at a tragedy he personally experienced and what he perceives as his own failings during the incident.  Well researched, nicely paced, and emotionally raw, Krakuer effectively articulates his thoughts and feelings connected to this horrific event and the fallout from it.  The story is well written and has fantastically vivid word pictures, though, I have to say that on occasion I did feel like the prose was a little choked by the amount of detail.

This rather graphic and Interesting introduction into a world I know very little about (you know, as a fan of staying alive and sufferer of from fear of hitting the ground with great force– though my husband’s claims that you are more likely to roll down the decline and die that way, thanks sweetie for that bit of lovely information– I personally have had little interest in mountaineering) has been pretty amazing and hasn’t changed my mind that I still don’t want to try it.  Frankly I am just awestruck by the amount a punishment a person is willing to purposely put themselves through and I can’t decide whether these mountaineers are crazy or just determined or both.

ISBN  0385494785 (ISBN13: 9780385494786)