Bob Fife was raised in a small Ontario town by a Christian mother and an unbelieving father. The tensions made for a dysfunctional home and an uneasy life. But the book that Fife writes as a parent of an abandoned adult child is probably not the book that advocates or adversaries --and there will be many on both sides of this debate--might expect. His book is more memoir than expose' and more plain talk than advocacy or bible thumping repentance. Fife speaks from the perspective of a mentor-which he now is, more about that later.
He talks plainly about being molested by a teen he cared for and trusted as a child to being married and having children and even to abandoning his family to pursue his lifestyle. But in this book are no "poor me" or even "terrible me" testimonies so much as "i am who i am" and "i did what i did" rembrances.
Fife recalls intimate conversations at the beginning of his explorations with homosexuality as well as confrontations with the people who thought they knew him and whom he thought he knew. The book, though small, only about 200 5x7 pages, is like being a fly on the wall for much of Fife's unedited life as as a married, but out and gay man who still has not found himself.
The book, which was provided free of charge for an objective review is worth the cost for anyone who has questions about "how homosexuality can happen to someone raised in a (mostly) Christian home and how a married man can be openly homosexual. Of course it won't answer all questions because this is one man's account of his own experiences and is not a peer-reviewed scholarly article on homosexuality. Think of it as one witness account of what happened to and through his life and how he responded to it.
The book jacket states it best: "For those seeking to deal with their same-sex attractions, not celebrate them, Bob's fascinating story points a way to grace and redemption."
More than one-fifth of US households with children have at least one child with special needs. Raising a child with special needs is spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically challenging. As a former caretaker of both children and adults with special needs, I am intimately aware of the trials of working with someone who has this diagnosis and the constant and never-changing nature of their caretaking.
Authors Drew and Green are both parents of special-needs children and therefore also speak from a place of experience and knowledge. A book for parents of children with special needs, while informative, would more than likely have been as exciting as a peer-reviewed paper on watching grass grow. So the authors decided to offer a devotional in the form of "Spiritual Nourishment for Parents of Children with Special Needs."
Each entry opens with a salient bible verse, includes a personal or near-personal story and concludes with a prayer and "Digging Deeper" questions that are relevant to the day's topic. For a caretaker going through the ringer there is such a thing as too much, but "Refresh" is just enough. It is akin to having a Christian friend who is available with a listening ear and a handy (but not browbeating or bible-thumping) bible verse that hits the spot when one needs it.
Provided to this author free of charge in exchange for an objective review, the book is small enough to fit into purse, or briefcase so that--like that Christian friend--it is readily available when needed...and it is much needed. I highly recommend it even for those who are not genetically connected to a special needs child.
