Running for My Life

Running for My Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games by Lopez Lomong and Mark Tabb is not the first time I have read about the Child Soldiers who are forced to fight in war at a very young age. Lopez Lomong was kidnapped at the age of 6 years old in South Sudan in order to be trained as a child soldier. After his escape, he spent ten years as a refugee in Kenya where he spent a lot of his time running as he played soccer. At the age of 16, Lopez moved to America to be placed with a family. Lopez continued his love of running, and he began to think about running for American in the Olympics. In 2008 he ran for the first time in the Olympics and he will again be running in the 2012 London Olympics after he placed 3^rd in the 5000 meter qualifying race. I cannot wait to watch the Olympics and look for him as he races for the USA. His story was one that truly inspired me. He faced so many difficulties in his life, and he was able to overcome them to compete at the highest level in the sport of Track and Field.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Escapement

Escapement, in the 7 Hour Series, was the first book of its’ type I have read, and I ended up really liking the book by Rene Gutteridge. Matthew “Mattie” Bigham is either allowed to relive any 7 hours of his life or have his life extended 7 hours. During this choice, Matthew decides to extend his life 7 hours in order to plan the murder of his high school bully. Unfortunately, he uses those extra hours to do something negative with his life, but his plans do not turn out quite as he expected.

This was a very short book, which could easily be finished within a day or two. I liked the main idea for the story, but the main character was not someone I really found myself relating to. He seemed to be very bitter regarding the experiences he faced in School. With that in mind, I’m hopeful the other books in the series will have characters I can relate to since I liked the concept.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Gifted

The Gifted by Ann Gabhart tells the story of Jessamine Brady, who was raised by her grandmother after her father leaves her. Jessamine comes to live in a Shaker Village at the age of 10 years old after the death of her grandmother, so she remembers what life was like before living in the strict Shaker Community. Jessamine finds herself wanting to do things that are considered to be sins by those in her community as she sees the girls in the community of White Oak Springs with fancy dresses and parasols. She dreams of the outside world, and when she finds an injured man while berry-picking, she brings him back to her community of Harmony Hill to have his wounds treated.  

I liked reading this book since it was the first one I have ever read about the Shaker Community. I liked the character of Jessamine and the fact that she didn’t just go along with what she was told. She always questioned what other things were out there for her to discover. She is also very caring and brave as she risks the negative feelings of the community after she saves Tristan Cooper despite the fact that she may get in trouble for many of the events that occurred that day.

I really enjoyed this book, and it was interesting to learn more about the Shaker religion. In the future, I will hopefully get the opportunity to read more books by Ann Gabhart.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Gifted is available in July, 2012 from your favorite bookseller courtesy of Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.