Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Encounter-Sometimes God Has to Intervene (Review)

"How do you tear down a wall you've been building most of your life? One brick at a time."


The topic of adoption and orphans  will continue to crop up on my blog because this is the month we as a nation focus our awareness a bit extra to those topics. Great timing for this book review!

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn was a short work  of fiction based on two true life stories. It packed a powerful emotional punch for me. Given the fact that I could relate to the character in one aspect, and then again for my husband (adopted as an infant) and one of my sons- soon-to-be adopted. I will, in fact, keep this book for him to read someday. I feel that strongly about the lesson of forgiveness, and the damage of bitterness it portrays.
I hate to give stories away, so I won't, but really, the dear little character of Ada broke my heart and made me cry. I read the book in a day, and had to hide in another room for the end, because I was wiping tears like mad, and I hate to cry! The compassionate side of me just really wanted to jump in the book and take care of Ada when she was still a young woman. The story is basically a young woman alone, abandoned by her lover who leaves her broken-hearted and pregnant. A true-to-life story for way too many, huh? That's something I like about the book- it could be any of us.

The setting is in Alaska and I liked that it was written in such a way that you know the author has really spent time there. Down the line after struggling for a few years she gives her darling boy up. She has no family to help her. She has made some obviously poor choices I get the idea she is a little unstable...The boy ends up in a home for children. Jonathon grows into an angry boy and the result is the boy grows into an angry man who has become toxic and ruins his closest relationships because he acts out of his bitterness. He has decided to hate his mother and he suffers terribly for that. He has no idea who she is...only that the hatred is eating him up. His pastor sends him back to Alaska to deal with the root of bitterness. The story starts there. I'm not going to spoil it and tell more- I think you should read it!

There are questions to ponder in the back, alone and with a group.
Listen to a portion of the audio book on YouTube here.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. 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

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