Whether you’re preparing to leave for the World Race or just want some good titles to check out this summer, here are some books to add to your list:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Perhaps Carolyn See of The Washington Post put it best when she said of this memoir, “Everyone in the world should read this book… We should read it to learn about the world and about what it means to be human.”
One of my dearest friends, herself a writer, recommended this book to me and I’m so glad she did otherwise I likely would never have picked it up because I’m not really into war stories. This is a story about humanity more than it is about war.
Ishmael Beah is from Sierra Leone and he writes of his experiences during major political upheaval and unrest in his country. He finds himself orphaned and wandering through unfamiliar land before being forced into brutal combat against people of his own nation. He tells his story with so much introspection and truth that it’s hard to put down even though the subject matter is vile and unthinkable.
If your Race route includes Africa, then this is a must-read. Getting a glimpse of the world through Ishmael’s eyes will hopefully ignite sorrow and then compassion in you.
The overwhelming take-away for me was that you just never know what people are going through. The forward of the book was especially sobering for me when Americans (not knowing what Ishmael had been through) referred to war and wartime violence as “cool.” Take your time reading this and, perhaps more importantly, take your time thinking about what incredible obstacles can be overcome in this life.
*bonus recommendation: Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio (parts of this movie were filmed in Mozambique where I lived for a month on my Race)
The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge
This is a book about identifying and honoring your own heart and its desires so that you can better understand who God wants to be in your life. It’s a book about loving yourself and receiving God’s love for you. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that there is a heavenly Father who wants us to live a full and abundant life, so this book will expound on that concept and reaffirm your value as a child of God.
If you want more good things in your life, please read this book with an open mind!
