I Beat The Odds - A Review

This post is in the 68th



Published at Imagineering


The NFL Draft ended yesterday at about the same time as I was finishing Michael Oher's book, I Beat the Odds. Oher (pronounced oar), was drafted in 2009 by the Baltimore Ravens and was the subject of the book and film The Blind Side.

I Beat The Odds tells a similar but slightly different tale than The Blind Side. Oher makes it perfectly clear that the Touhy family taking him in was just part of his dynamic transformation and not the only reason for his success. He does this repeatedly but not to take away the generosity of the Touhy's or to diminish the great changes that happened in his life because of the book and the film. He writes about the steps he took to get himself out of the ghetto and the life he was in because He wants others in his situation to realize that they don't have to be adopted by rich people to have changes in their life.



I really enjoyed this book. I have read many of the chapters out loud to my family and they enjoy it as well. This is an encouraging book and a must for anyone who works with or wants to help families in child services.

Summer Reading

Memorial Day weekend is this weekend. Many people including myself see the Memorial Day weekend as the beginning of Summer. Although business as usual will continue at The Izola Becker Home School through mid June, Memorial Day does begin my summer reading plan. I will be reading as many books as I can from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. I hope to read at least 20 books in that time period. A few years ago in my pre blogging days I wrote a So you want to page at Amazon. It was entitled So you want to make a Summer Reading list. You can check it out by clicking here.

If you're not much for clicking here I brought the guide to you:

Keep in mind this was written 5 years ago. So when I talk about the White Sox going to the World Series last in 1959, I was writing it a few months before they returned there in the magic season of 2005. Here we go:

It's summer and you've decided to have a summer reading plan. The question is what are you going to read. My suggestions are formulated for adults but there is really no reason that a student could not adapt these suggestions for their benefit.

I. Buy one book for the purpose of reading this summer and then read it!
One mistake many people make is to buy 8 or 10 books for their summer reading list and then not read any. Right around Memorial Day 2004 I waltzed over to my local Christian book store to find a book to start my summer reading on. I found a sale copy of How Good is Good Enough by Andy Stanley. I had never read anything else of his but the title intrigued me and besides it was short. I don't generally get books based on their size but when starting your summer reading on a short book is not a bad idea for getting that first book read.

II. Read a book that you already own but have not yet read. Once you have the first book under your belt it's not a bad idea to go with a book you own. I received Strength Down the Middle - The Story of the 1959 Chicago White Sox by Larry Kalas for a Father's Day present last year. I was born in 1964 so did not know a lot about the 1959 Sox and found it a very interesting Memoir about the Chi Sox last trip to the World Series.


III. Choose a book from one of your favorite authors that you have not yet read. Many people make the mistake that their summer reading list should be chalk full of books that they should read, and don't put enough books on their list that they want to read. I have been reading Bill Pronzinni books my entire life so I went to my local library and found a nameless detective mystery I had not previously consumed, Hard Case was an excellent entry in the nameless detective series. Which leads me to my next point:

IV. Choose at least one book based on something you just read from your list. I believe a summer reading list should be a living document. Having a preset list that you must adhere to can knock all the spontaneity from your summer. So after I read Hard Case I went to Amazon and looked at all the reviews for it. Many reviewers compared it with Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers. I promptly went to my local library and checked it out. I am so glad I did. Dorothy Sayers is now on my list of favorite authors because of it. For years people have been reccomending Thrones, Dominations to me, and based on how much I enjoyed Busman's Honeymoon, I went and made that the next book on my summer list.

V. Read a biography of a personal hero. Three summers ago I read the Ronald Reagan Biography, . Last Summer I read a biography on Eric Liddell the famous scottish runner and missionary. This summer I think I'll pick up Veeck--As In Wreck: The Autobiography of Bill Veeck. I think it is important to have heroes and even more important to know about them. Emulation is a lost art, and biographies, especially inspirational ones are a way to hone that art.


VI. Read at least one book that you think you should. As I suggested earlier having your summer list full of books you think you should read rather than those you want to read makes a drudgery of the entire ordeal. However the inverse can be just as dangerous. You want to challenge yourself on your reading list. So each summer I read a book that I should have read in high school. Last year it was and this year it will probably be To Kill a Mockingbird . This also falls under my next category and the book I am currently reading:

VII. Read the book if you've seen the movie. I am a big movie buff. So each summer I try to read at least one book based on a movie I've seen. I am currently working on The Three Musketeers .

VIII. Make your list as unique as you are. As you can probably tell from this guide, I am passionate about a wide variety of topics. My summer reading list reflects that variety. Last Summer I read The Dick Tracy Casebook: Favorite Adventures, 1931-1990 because I love comic strips. This summer many of my choices will reveal my interests. It would be difficult to live your life as who you are and then to read who you're not.

IX. Read something based on someone else's recommendation. Some of my favorite books are books that I would have never chosen for myself. In the Summer of 1990, I had to read Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and Night by Elie Wiesel along with 7 other books for a 4 week literature class. I would have never chosen either of those books in a million years if I was picking on my own. I am very happy that they were both shoved in my direction. Again,there should be tension on your reading list from reading what you are interested in and enjoy to experimentation and expansion of ones horizons.

X. Read!!!!! I made a decision last year after enrolling both my children in summer reading programs to have a reading plan for myself each summer for the rest of my days. We unplug our T.V. each summer for the purpose of going on long walks and enjoying each others company in the fine Illinois summer weather. Reading is definitely part of that summer tradition and I think it should be part of yours as well.

Starting this Friday I will post a mini review for each book I finish this summer. I will also post a Mr. Linky each Sunday for anyone who wants to link their book reviews here. Let the reading begin!

Next Time: Films

Poems for Children Nowhere Near Old Enough to Vote.

In preparing for our unit on poetry I checked out many volumes from famous poets. Being from Illinois, Carl Sandburg came to mind. Carl Sandburg lived from 1878 to 1967. Poems for Children Nowhere Near Old Enough to Vote is a volume of his work found and published after his death. I like everything about this book: the title, the introduction, Istvan Banyai's clever illustrations, and especially the poems.

The poems are about body parts and common objects. There is simplicity and logic in them. The first four lines of "pencils" gives us a glimpse of this:

Pencils are to hold when you write.
Pencils come loose unless you hold them.
One pencil writes many thousand words, if you know the words.
Pencils too pointed break their points and then laugh at you.

I enjoyed sharing these poems with my kids. I think the benefited from seeing how to look at familiar things from differing perspectives. In another of his poems, Sandburg describes music by saying, it is when your ears like what they hear. If poetry can be described as when your eyes like what you see, I would have to say Poems for Children Nowhere Near Old Enough to Vote is pure poetry.


Next Time: Sickness Disease

Book Review Blog Carnival - 35th Edition

This is my first shot at hosting the Book Review Blog Carnival. My special thanks to Clark Bjorke, who runs this fortnightly literary lovefest like a well oiled machine, for giving me a chance to drive the zamboni. I'll try to do him proud.

A quick explanation of format before we commence with the reviews. I have divided each review into 4 components. 1) Title, Author, Reviewer and blog information. 2) A picture of the book being reviewed. 3) The reviewer says, which is a place where I include the remarks the reviewer included with his submission. Not every reviewer included comments. 4) Review Nuggets where I have included a quote from each book review. Also, there were a few literary based submissions that were not exactly book reviews. I include these at the end of my post in a section I call, beyond reviews.

BIOGRAPHY

Hold the Roses by Rose Marie reviewed by Rick Sincere at Book Reviews by Rick Sincere

Rick Says: My project for 2010 is to archive all of the book reviews I have written over the past 30 years on a single blog site. This review -- of Rose Marie's memoir -- is a sample I unearthed from 2003, previously published in The Metro Herald.

Review Nugget: Hold the Roses—a chatty memoir by radio, TV, Broadway, and nightclub star Rose Marie—is fascinating but flawed.


Clark Bjorke presents American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia by Joan Biskupic posted at I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book!

Review Nugget: Outspoken and opinionated, Scalia has not hesitated to "tell people what they don't want to hear." This biography focuses on his most colorful, written opinions and public remarks, of which there are plenty.

NOVEL

KerrieS reviews BLOOD BORN by Kathryn Fox posted at MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

Kerrie says: Australian crime fiction author who is up there with the best. Forensic physician Anya Crichton risks her own life in her search for justice.


Review Nugget: There is no doubt that this is a novel that can hold its own in the world market of this genre.

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood reviewed by Clark Bjorke at I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book!

Clark says: The second in a two book trilogy, The Year of the Flood explores the consequences of climate change, genetic engineering, religious cults and corporate irresponsibility in a future nobody could love.

Review Nugget: Atwood has extrapolated on climate change, genetic engineering, privatization of government functions and corporate irresponsibility and immunity, all trends we can see today, to create the distopian future of The Year of the Flood.







Nicole presents The Swan Thieves, by Elizabeth Kostova posted at Linus's Blanket.

Review Nugget: Kostova’s writing is a reader’s dream. The rich language is descriptive of characters and setting, and I was seamlessly folded into Andrew Marlowe’s quiet life as a psychiatrist and dilettante artist, which is suddenly disturbed by the curiously urgent need to delve so deeply into treating this particular patient.

GRAPHIC NOVEL

Diana Hall reviews Marked by Steve Ross at damascusmoments.

Review Nugget: Fast-paced, terrifying… this graphic re-imagination of the gospel of Mark in a contemporary fictional setting is clever and deep.

NON-FICTION

After The Stroke: My Journey Back to Life by Mark McEwen reviewed by Sparky Bates at Accidental Reads

Review Nugget: Although I have had some personal exposure to friends and family who have experienced relatively minor strokes, reading this book made me acutely aware of how little I really knew.










June Tree presents A Parent's Guide to Wills & Trusts by Don Silver posted at The Digerati Life.

Review Nugget: This book will help you make sense out of what you may feel is a complicated subject. The six page glossary in the back of the book is probably worth the cover price of the book alone, with some of the more complicated terms described in easy-to-understand language.






Viviana Widjaja reviews Learning Early by Dorothy Eidon posted at Resources for Moms and Kids

Review Nugget: This is the parenting book that will give you a complete guide about your child’s learning during the first 5 years, from newborn to preschooler.







Adam presents Interview: Jane White, author of “America, Welcome to the Poorhouse” posted at RabbitFunds.com.

Adam Says: In America, Welcome to the Poorhouse, Jane White sounds a strong warning to the nation’s citizens that change is needed in order to retire with enough in the bank. White uses this book in order to promote specific political changes and bills that she is sponsoring in Congress.

Review Nugget: Although White does an excellent job of raising the right red flags, there are several flaws in the changes proposed in her book. For the most part, I found that her argument lacks a strong understanding of economics as well as a false sense of entitlement.



Jim presents Career Comeback by Lisa Johnson Mandell posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Review Nugget: I liked the book because it was both practical and realistic. . . . It’s good practical advice from someone who recently went through the job hunt roller-coaster, . . .

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Craft Stew reviews Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions by Maxine Anderson posted at Craft Stew.



Craft Stew says: I’m a big fan of technology books written for kids. I first discovered them when I homeschooled my son for 7 years.

Review Nugget: If, like me, you’re a crafter who enjoys bringing a bit of technology into her projects, take a look at Amazing Leonard da Vinci Inventions.

BEYOND REVIEWS

Emily Moser presents The 50 Best Free Online Comic Strips You've Never Heard Of posted at Graphic Design Degrees.







Sandra Lopez At Best Colleges On Line Dot Com presents The Evolution of The Book




Well that wraps up the 35th edition of the Book Review Blog Carnival. Two weeks hence, the show moves on to the capable hands of Deanna Dahlsad. Click here to submit a review.



Next Time: Carnival of Homeschooling: Library Week Edition.

A Serious Call For Help.

The Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Alasandra's Homeschool Blog. I urge you to stop over and check out her cat and dog edition. Next Week I am hosting. If you home school I encourage you to submit a post. Especially if you never have before. Submission ends Monday night. But the more time you give me, the better off it will be for all of us.

Speaking of time, this is a busy week for me. I am trying to restore order to a chaotic home school class room, prepare my classes for our home school co-op that starts Monday and prepare 2 blog carnivals that I am hosting next week: The Book Review Carnival on the 17th and the Home School Carnival on the 19th. As a result I will not be posting here again until Saturday.

• Click here to see the current issue of the Home School Carnival. Click here to submit an article for the issue I am hosting on the 19th.
• Click here to see the current issue of the Book Review Carnival. Click here to submit an article for the issue I am hosting on the 17th.

Next Time: Six Word Saturday

The New Year in Review

I posted this a few days ago. But I just decided the word I want to get out, might get out well as a half dozen words. So, here is a subtitle for this post, Six Word Saturday Style . . .

I need your book reviews, Please

It may seem a little early in the year to review it. But it is never too early to review some books. On January 17th I will be hosting the 35th edition of the book review blog carnival. The 34th edition is now up at Book Dads. It's just skipping from one Dad to another when I take the helm of the fortnightly carnival later this month. In the mean time I am looking for submissions. If you have reviewed a book on your blog recently and have not submitted it to a previous book review blog carnival edition, now is your chance. I know a lot of my followers review books at their place from time to time, this would be a great time to share with the class. You can submit a post by linking here .

Next Time: 1 year ago today ...

African Tulips

Today's review is Glory Road: The Journey of 10 African Americans into Reformed Christianity. At this time, I do not attend either an African American church nor a church that is based solely on the doctrines of Grace. I would have to say having attended both kinds of churches in the past, I would be very comfortable in either of those institutions.

The basic structure of the book is that each of the ten men pictured on the cover is given one chapter to tell their story. Interwoven through their life story and conversion experience is how reformed theology has impacted their life and ministry.

Sometimes a book with 10 different authors can feel segmented and difficult to follow. Anthony J. Carter the editor and one of the 10 essayists does an excellent job imbuing the book with a cohesive energy.

Many of the authors discuss the acrostic TULIP which explains the 5 points of Calvinism (Calvinism, Reformed Theology and Doctrines of Grace are all used interchangeably through the book,) T stands for Total Depravity , U Unconditional Election, L limited atonement, I Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. The authors do a good job of putting meat on that flower. So I will gladly let them unpack it for you.

I told my wife that the theology in this book was readable. She took that as a slam on the writing, when I meant the exact opposite. Some theology books read like stereo instructions. When Louis Love Jr., for example, uses theological terms like soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) or says regeneration is monergistic (the work of God alone) he defines those terms immediately. Instead of referring to the 5 solas and the TULIP acrostic, Anthony Bradley defines them in easy to follow terms.

The ten authors came from varied backgrounds and came to embrace the doctrines of grace in different ways. Four distinct elements permeate these journeys:

1) Modern day authors and preachers like J.I. Packer, James Montgomery Boice, R.C. Sproul, John Piper and others had an influence on these men's theology through books, magazine articles, radio programs and conferences.

2) The historical impact of men such as John Calvin, John Bunyan, John Owen and others (some not even named John) had a steadying influence in their journey.

3) Reformed Theology had a practical and personal application to their lives and was not just some academic discipline.

4) As Anthony Carter implies in the title of the afterward these men are black, reformed but foremost Christian.

When I first heard of Glory Road I was intrigued. Now that I have completed my journey of digging into this excellent tome, my initial curiosity has blossomed into a deep respect for this assemblage of pastors. I really appreciated the fine appendix that will give those interested in pursuing these matters further, books and authors (like those mentioned above) a suitable starting point.

I hope you found this review helpful. This is just one of many fine reviews being featured at the 23rd Book Review Blog Carnival at Bart's Bookshelf. To see all my Library Thing Early Reviewer reviews click here.

Next Time: Trying New Things

Guest Post by Amy Roller - Book Review

Dave's been promising a garden update. Our home garden is doing fine, tons of tomatoes on the horizon. But the following book review is more pressing at the moment. :)

This all came at me from left field, but now I want to run with it. Last week, we went to Hinsdale, IL for a field trip with some other homeschool families. My dad grew up in Hinsdale, so I was familiar with the area, and knew the location was right near the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. I had no idea what we were going to be doing, but I thought it was a farm tour. It ended up being a tour of a lovely woman's garden at her home. It was a two hour tour, that flew by, during which we encountered the most beautiful layout of God's creation that I've ever seen. And the lovely woman, Trudi Temple, was a treasure to behold. I just wanted to stand next to her to absorb her life force. Prior to this field trip, I had never heard of her, and knew nothing about her other than her passion for gardening (i.e., she spends three weeks in the fall/winter uprooting tropical plants to bring them inside for the winter, then another three weeks in the late spring, replanting them into their homes.) When we got home, I re-read the email we received about the field trip, and it mentioned something about the book this woman had written. I didn't even know her last name! My daughter Emma said, "I think it's Temple, because there was a sign on the house with that name." So I went to Amazon and looked her up. Lo, and behold, she has written a book that appeared to be about gardening. From the cover, it looks like it's going to be chock full of gardening tips, secrets, and how-to's. I was in for a surprise. Actually two surprises. If you know me at all, you know I don't buy books, I get them from the library. I ordered this book from the library, and when I got the call that it was in, I was very excited. Dave said he'd stop by the library on the way home from running other errands. When he got home, he presented me with a signed copy of her book, my own copy. I was happy, because I knew it would contain pictures to remind me of her beautiful gardens. However, her book, Trudi's Garden, is hardly about gardening at all. It's a tale of a young girl growing up in war-torn Germany, and the sheer determination it took to survive, thrive, and live an amazing life. And she is the founder of Market Day! I grew up on Market Day that my mom ordered. I couldn't believe it, I had listened to this woman talk about life and her garden (they can't be separated) for two hours, and she never mentioned Market Day. You know, that fundraiser at schools, churches, and park districts? She started it to raise money for missions, to help people, and even though she doesn't do much of the operating of Market Day anymore, she still raises money for solar ovens for Africa by giving tours of her gardens. This woman is amazing, and the book is a precious gift. It even includes some delectable-looking recipes from her childhood, which I will hasten to try! It is co-written by Laurie Bohlke, and I highly recommend that you all order it immediately from your library!! Or even do what Dave did, drive down to Anderson's Bookshops, in Naperville, and get a copy. If you're not in Illinois, go to their website and order a copy! This is a must-read!

Next Time: Reading Programs