A Grace Given (Kent Gilges)

A Grace Given: a Father’s Love for a Dying Child (Kent Gilges)

Scepter Publishers , $14.95;

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A Grace Given is at times heart-wrenching, at times enlightening, at times humbling, and throughout, beautiful. The book is a remarkable testament to a couple’s faith and trust in the midst of a parent’s worst nightmare–learning that your child has a terminal illness and watching her suffer at the very earliest stages of her life. Kent Gilges writes vividly of the struggles he and his wife, Liz, went through as part of that journey. In so doing, he offers an honest glimpse into the heart of a man struggling with his faith as he tries to accept why God gave him such a cross to bear. And that glimpse draws you in to join in the pains and the joys along the way.

The author highlights the many people he met along the way through this journey. From the other parents in the hospital who were going through the same things that he was with his daughter, Elie. There were the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who did all that they could to save her life and to let her lead as full a life as possible. Kent’s boss back in Michigan who allowed Kent to work when he was able, and who found ways to provide benefits to Kent, Liz, and Elie during Elie’s sickness. There was Fr. Mike, the parish priest back in Michigan who reached out to Kent like a brother and befriended his family during this time. There were the local men like Randy Dunn who stopped by the Gilges house to help him remodel and to offer their prayers, despite not knowing his family at all.

Yet running throughout the book is Kent Gilges’ growing relationship with another Person. Gilges’ relationship with God is the consistent thread running through the book. “God has, at various times, been a merciful God who gave me my child for longer than He had originally planned. At others, I have complained about God snatching away my first child’s promise.” The unrecorded dialogue between Gilges and his God are one of the more powerful aspects of this book. Almost in the same breath as a father describes his lost opportunities to call upon the intercession of Pope John Paul II, he also reveals his deep abiding faith that led him to desire that intercession in the first place. Gilges’ story of faith, and that of his wife, Liz, is an inspiration worth reading.

In exchange for an unbiased review, the author received a complimentary copy of this book.

 

One reason books are so important…

This short article is worth reading, if only to encourage you in your efforts to expand your personal library. I’ve seen this phenomenon in my friends and my own daughters. It reminds me of a quote attributed to Erasmus: “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”

Flight of the Earls (Michael Reynolds)

This is the first book I’ve read by Michael Reynolds and it leaves me wanting to read the next installment around July 2013. The Flight of the Earls (not the historical event) is a story about one girl’s escape from Ireland to America at the outbreak of the potato famine. Relying on her own ambitious nature and the guiding hand of Providence, she leads her brother Seamus and friend Pierce to the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan and the promise of a new life in a new world.

Clare’s life changes dramatically once in America, but extends well beyond the shores of America as Clare learns more about herself and her extended family. In the process, she learns about her need to rely on God when there is nothing else that is solid and unchanging.

Reynolds’ development of Clare as a character is intriguing and reason enough to read the book. As a historical novel, Reynolds paints a compelling picture of an important era in Irish history, and the history of America. Clare represents an entire people who came to America looking for something more and became the first of many generations of Irish Catholics to immigrate. The historical details are vivid and enrich the novel’s storyline as the characters develop in the midst of a tragic time in the history of Ireland.

The book is a good introduction to historical fiction for those who have not been exposed to that genre. Reynolds’ second book will be a welcome addition to the series and will make for a good summer read. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with a rich historical background.

I received a complementary review copy of the Flight of the Earls in exchange for an honest review from the Maximus Group.