I recently read two books. They are very different, yet they share a common theme of stepping out of one’s comfort zone, traveling to new and different places, and learning about oneself and one’s world.
The first book is The Courage to Go, by Emily Dobberstein. (Creating Space for Wonder, 2020). Emily is a twenty something who sets out on an adventure of self-discovery. A lost love and a disenchantment with the conservative evangelical religion in which she was raised are the motivation for her cross country journey of discovery.
I always admire people who can step out of their comfort zones and do something new—new travels, new careers, or new ministries. Emily leaves her home of Boone, North Carolina and travels to Texas, Arizona, and California. She visits Yosemite National Park, and the Grand Canyon. Her book records her adventures, her struggle to move past a lost relationship and a journey to deconstruct and reconstruct her faith. During this journey she reconnects with her brother and with friends. By the time she returns, she is a changed person. Yet, she still continues her journey.
I found this book interesting, but not exciting. I could certainly identify with her efforts to grow in her faith and understanding of God. There was much of her book, though, with which I simply didn’t connect. I think that younger (millennials) and women (rather than men) will find this book more informative and helpful for their own lives. For them, I heartily recommend this book. Others may want to pass on it.
A Second Book
The second book is A Name for Herself, by K.A. Van Til (Eugene, Resource Publications, 2020). The book records the immigration of a Dutch girl and her family to the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The girl is the grandmother of the author.
Stories of immigrants to the United States, regardless of their national origins, are heartwarming and inspiring. The immigrants experienced so many hardships and overcame so many obstacles. We complain when we endure morning traffic jams in our air conditioned or heated cars. They endured over two weeks traveling to the United States in the smelly, unsanitary conditions of steerage. We feel we have accomplished a noble task when we have mowed our lawns. They had to clear fields in order to produce a crop that would keep them from starvation.
This book is filled with such stories. It also includes stories of love, laughter and families. It is a book that tells how immigrants molded a nation. The book also describes how the life of the author’s grandmother was shaped, how she learned about herself and how she had an impact on the lives of others.
A Name for Herself is a good read. It is inspiring because it highlights that life of a “common” person. She did not become president, or CEO or even college educated. She did, however, leave a mark on the lives of those around her and she made a name for herself.
I recommend this book for those who are interested in the history of the United States from a more personal point of view. It is a book that is heartwarming, inspiring, encouraging and challenging. You will have its mark upon you when you turn the last page.
I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. 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.