Remembering Jim

 

REMEMBERING JIM by Nancy Carroll McEndree      

 

 

 

Jim was called White Chocolate. He lived among the homeless and transients on the streets in North Carolina.  These people were people with nothing but each other, so they took care of each other – they watched out for each other on the streets.  Life was hard and people living in these circumstances had to do whatever it took to live and exist.  However, they were loyal and made Jim felt like he belonged, a feeling he had seldom ever felt.  They gave him hope and through their faith in him, Jim was able to work toward happiness and find his place within the family of God.

 "Remembering Jim" holds from the beginning all the way to the very end.  It is an inspiring story, showing how hope can propel one’s life.  It takes the bands of an abusive childhood and reworks them into a better life as an adult.  I cannot think of anyone who would ever forget Jim after reading his story.

 

   

THIS LIFE I LIVE by Rory Fleek

 







THIS LIFE I LIVE by Rory Fleek

 

This is the love story between Rory Fleek and Joey Martin...but before you get there, it is the story of the life and evolution of Fleek.  He lays his life bare, walking the reader through an unapologetically mistake-laden life.  Through it all, there is still a light for him and he continues working toward it - that is, until he finds his soulmate and begins to settle into the life he had always dreamed of.

 

If you know the music and the story of Rory & Joey, you know there is no happy ending for this love story. But, nonetheless, it is a beautiful love story.

 

Rory is not a book writer; he is a songwriter.  His timeline is a little jumpy.  But, he doesn't need the timeline nor a novelist's skill to tell his story.  Even knowing how this story ends, it was almost impossible to put down.

 

 

DEAREST SAMANTHA: I LOVE YOU by Heather L. Smith

 

 

I went into this book excited to read it. Sadly, what I found was a disjointed set of chapters that brought little hope or encouragement. 

 

I love that Smith had the opportunity to publish a book - I am only sorry that perhaps she didn't have enough guidance and support through the editing process. 

 

Smith lost a child - she lost a home - she definitely has a story to tell.  But, with the lack of consistency throughout the book, her story gets lost.

 

I could not recommend this book to others, as it stands.  

Visit me at...

travelingthroughgrief


https://travelingthroughgrief.com/

COURAGE TO SOAR by Simone Biles

COURAGE TO SOAR by Simone Biles

I worried when I picked up the book that I wouldn't be interested. I fell in love with the gymnasts during the Rio Olympics, especially Simone Biles. But, I wondered what a young girl could fill the pages of a book with.  But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I could hear Simone's voice in the stories told. She speaks openly about her birth mom and early upbringing. I really like the way she told the stories that took us through her rise in the gymnastics world. She seems very open, even talking about her conversations  with her sports psychologist.  These gave an even greater insight to who she is. 

The book gets really rushed at the end. She takes her time talking us through her early years, and spends quite a bit of time on the 2011-2013 era, but after Worlds 2013, there's only a chapter or so before we're suddenly at the Olympics. It almost felt like they ran out of time or the book had to be a certain length and so they cut a bunch of stuff. There's almost zero material from 2014.i would have loved to know about some of her experiences after the Olympics.

It was great to have a peek into her life and hear her thoughts.  I loved reading about her successes and even her perceived failures.  If you are a fan of gymnastics or know someone who is, this is a great book!