Audio Books

And There Was Light (book review)

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Last year I came across Jacques Lusseyran’s story by reading a collection of his essays. Before I left on my Christmas road trip last week while looking for an audio book to listen to, I was thrilled to find Lusseyran’s memoir, And There Was Light. What a story to listen to during this season of the year!

In my 2024 Library posting that you’ll find tomorrow, I’ve called this book the most thought-provoking book I read this year. Here are five reasons:

  • Lusseyran convinces you he can see light despite being blind
  • Lusseyran and his young friends lead a significant Nazi resistance in France
  • Lusseyran shows you the power of words, both spoken and written
  • Lusseyran reminds you of the strength of the human spirit whose foundation is faith in God
  • Lusseyran proves odds can be broken

There are so many quotes worth noting from this memoir. That’s one downfall to listening to it-unable to highlight them. However, I’d encourage you to listen to it rather than read it. Andre Gregory’s narration draws you into the world of a blind child who grows into a hero, a choice he made so all would be drawn to the light.

If you are a lover of history, check out this book.

If you enjoy World War II stories, check out this book.

If you are clueless like I was about the French resistance, check out this book.

If you wish to better understand the world of the blind, check out this book.

If you wish to shine light into the dark, check out this book.

Children of Jihad (book review)

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The library is my friend. These days it’s because of the audio books available there-“there” meaning the Manatee Central Library just blocks from the church office.

My routine so far this year has been to get an audio book, listen to it while driving around town, return it as soon as I’m done and immediately get a new one. In selecting a new one, I am content to take the first one that grabs my attention. 

The last one to grab my attention was entitled Children of Jihad. I’m guessing it got my attention because of my recent travels to the Middle East. This writer, Jared Cohen, had travelled there-much more deeply than I had or probably will and for completely different reasons. The cd jacket cover said Cohen’s reason was to try to understand the spread of radical Islamic violence by researching Muslim youth. Attention grabbed.

Published in 2007, this book recounts Cohen’s travels for a few years starting in 2004. Cohen was 23, a Rhodes scholar wanting to learn about global affairs by witnessing them firsthand. His travels took him through Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. He visited villages, cities, universities, and even unknowingly drove through the heart of an insurgency war zone landing him in Mosul.

His tales are mind blowing, mind shifting, and even mind altering. He reveals a perspective that only comes from firsthand encounters and perspectives. He challenges, like any good journalist, both sides of the story. In this case, the one side of the story includes the locals he met while the other side includes those back at Oxford and in his home state of Connecticut. 

Again, I haven’t travelled like Cohen. My encounters in the Arab community have been in the bubble of ministry here in the States and in one country where Cohen didn’t include his research. But I agree with his assessment. We don’t have all the story if all we know is what we see on American news. We are not being respectful to the citizens of the Middle East and their relatives around the world when we lump them all under the same profile. We should lower ourselves and engage them to really appreciate their personal story and to respect them as we respect ourselves.

This book will cause you to pause. To rethink. To revisit. Maybe even to confess. If you care to do such developmental work, Children of Jihad can be a tool for you.

Road trip with Michael J. Fox

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I picked Michael J. Fox up at the Central library, then we took a quick road trip to Georgia this weekend. He did all the talking. He said a lot of interesting things; some I expected, others I didn’t.

I expected him to talk about showbiz, New York, Parkinson’s disease (Muhammad Ali), and family.

I didn’t expect him to talk about Oral Roberts, Jehovah’s Witnesses, ballet, and raising his kids Jewish.

This one-sided conversation was worthwhile. I learned a lot. He’ll be back at the library this week if you’d like to let him chat you up.