Called for Life by Kent and Amber Brantly

"Called for Life" is the story of Kent and Amber Brantly who found themselves in the midst of the Ebola crisis in Liberia. The Brantlys along with their two small children, Ruby and Stephen, chose to life out their Christian faith in loving their neighbor by serving in Liberia. Kent was a doctor with World Medical Mission, the medical arm of Samaritan's Purse and in charge of the Ebola unit at a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. As he cared for the patients with Ebola, he also contracted the disease and is eventually airlifted to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is the first patient in the United States to be treated for Ebola.

This engaging story is not only about his battle with Ebola but about Amber and Kent, their courtship and marriage and their desire to serve in medical missions. Kent's battle with Ebola is described in detail to portray the horrible progress of the disease and its humiliating symptoms. The care he received from his fellow missionaries and health care workers in Liberia was truly heartwarming. As Kent prepared for his possible death, he shares his thoughts and feelings as well as the comfort and hope he has from his faith in Christ.

This is a very eye opening story about Ebola and the devastating progress of the disease. It is also a story of faith, hope, and loving your neighbor.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Still Life in Shadows by Alice J. Wisler

This is not your typical work of Amish fiction. Instead of a romanticized view of the Amish way of life, the author portrays some of the realistic problems that could happen in an Amish family.

Gideon ran away from his Amish family over 15 years ago and has adapted well in his new way of life as co-owner of an auto shop. He is known as the "Getaway Savior," a nickname he has earned by helping Amish youth leaving the Amish way of life adjust to a modern way of life. Even though he has escaped from the Amish way of life, he still bears the scars both physical and emotional from the abuse of his father and has a difficult time in developing meaningful relationships.

An autistic teen girl named Kiki enters his life along with her older sister Mari. He also gets reacquainted with his brother Moriah who has also left the Amish family they grew up in. Moriah has not adjusted to modern society as well as Gideon and brings a host of problems into Gideon's life.

Gideon struggles to help Moriah while feeling guilty and responsible for Moriah's poor choices. At the same time, he tries to come to terms with forgiving his abusive father and his need for forgiveness by God.

I enjoyed the story and the characters and felt they were for the most part well developed. The struggles were real and at times, heartbreaking. I would recommend this book for a different look at the Amish way of life.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for this review.

True Woman 201 by Mary A. Cassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss

This study guide is one of the most engaging I have seen. The layout and photographs are beautiful. Based on the guidelines for women found in Titus 2, the book is a 10 week study with 5 lessons to be done individually each week. Highly recommended for women of all ages. This review was offered in exchange for a free review copy by the publisher.