My Top Ten Books from 2014

-I don't think any of these books came out in 2014, but these are my top 10 out of the 62 books I read last year.

My Top 10 Books from 2014!
1) Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of Divorce-Kristin Armstrong--This is by far the book that ministered to me the most while I was going through my divorce.  So much so, that I have bought it for other friends going through the same thing.

2) You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a more Fulfilling Life-Eleanor Roosevelt--A friend was reading this book and bought a copy for me so we could read it together.  We read it in January and it was an awesome book to start my year off with.  Eleanor inspires people with her words and in the way she lived her life.  She was an incredible woman.

3) Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight-Karl Rove--Rove is an amazing man on so many levels.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about him in his candid book and about what went on in the Bush Administration.

4) Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer-David Reichert--Reichert is a man who never gave up on finding the Green River Killer (who turned out to be Gary Ridgeway) and thus bringing some measure of justice and closure for all the victims' loved ones.  This was an inspirational story on not giving up on a just cause.

5) Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10-Marcus Luttrell--The book and the movie about this true story made both of my Top 10 lists.  An incredible story about some amazing men, true heroes indeed.

6) Smokin' Seventeen-Janet Evanovich--No top 10 list is complete without a Stephanie Plum book on it.  Evanovich's series on Stephanie Plum makes me laugh out loud, reader beware if you are reading this in a public waiting room, people will think you are crazy.

7) Sleepers-Lorenzo Carcaterra--I saw the movie about this years ago and didn't realize it was based on a true story.  I found the book in a thrift store and ended up reading it right away and not being able to put it down.

8) Escape-Carolyn Jessop--This is the book that started all of my research on the FLDS and the many brave women and men who escaped the FLDS's clutches.

9) Frances Folsom Cleveland-Susan Sinnott--I found all the first ladies that I read about this year to be fascinating, but I especially loved learning about Frances because I didn't know much about her and there were a lot of firsts for her and her husband in the White House.

10) Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People-Sarah Bradford--A wonderful book about an amazing woman.

Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People (A Review)

Behold here, in the little negro girl, the future deliverer of hundreds of her people; the spy and scout of the Union armies; the devoted hospital nurse; the protector of hunted fugitives; the eloquent speaker in public meetings; the cunning eluder of pursuing man-hunters; the heaven guided pioneer through dangers seen and unseen; in short, as she has well been called, 'The Moses of her People.--pg. 14

-Harriet Tubman's life has always been an inspiration to me. This book, written while Harriet was still alive, is a gem in many ways. Bradford (who knew Harriet well), shares her views and other esteemed people's views of her and her character. 

God had a great work for her to do in the world, and the discipline and hardship through which she passed in her early years, were only preparing her for her after life of adventure and trial; and through these to come out as the Savior and Deliverer of her people, when she came to years of womanhood.--pg. 16

 -The more I learn about Harriet, the more amazed I am by what she was able to accomplish.   And this book in particular shares her strong faith.

Brought up by parents possessed of strong faith in God, she had never known the time, I imagine, when she did not trust Him, and cling to Him, with an all-abiding confidence.  She seemed ever to feel the Divine Presence near, and she talked with God 'as a man talketh with his friend'.  Hers was not the religion of a morning and evening prayer at stated times, but when she felt a need, she simply told God of it, and trusted Him to set the matter right.--pg. 23

-After Harriet escaped from slavery, she went back 19 times to rescue other slaves and was always successful.  She brought over 300 slaves north to freedom.  This, along with a whole host of other major accomplishments, is astounding. 

-Frederick Douglass had this to say about her:

Excepting John Brown--of sacred memory--I know of no one who has willingly encountered more perils and hardships to serve our enslaved people than she has.

The Civil Rights Movement--Part 1

-My most recent research project was on the FLDS.  I read 8 books about them and watched movies and documentaries.

-Now, I'm studying the Civil Rights Movement.  Recently, I watched the series The Sixties on CNN. There was an episode entitled, A Long March to Freedom, that described the sit-ins and the Freedom Rides. I decided I needed to know more.

-Several years ago, I watched the movie, The Help and read the book.  It further opened my eyes that it really wasn't that long ago, especially in the south, when people were openly racist.

-I realized after watching The Sixties episode, that I didn't know enough about the Civil Rights Movement, especially during the 50's and 60's.  I wanted to learn more about the sit-ins and Freedom Rides.

-I've read Women in the Civil Rights Movement by Judy Hasday and Freedom Rides: Journey for Justice by James Haskins.

-I'm in the middle of listening to The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff.  I'm learning a lot from all angles about how the Civil Rights Movement took shape.

-I've almost finished reading Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People by Sarah Bradford.  I discovered this book as suggested reading in Hasday's book.  I've read a lot about Harriet Tubman in the past, but this book is a fascinating account by someone who actually knew her well and quoted others that knew her well.  I've always thought of her as a heroine, but this book has increased my respect for her and my amazement at what her faith in God enabled her to accomplish.

-I will continue reading and watching documentaries and movies on the subject.  Stay tuned for more to come.

Links:
CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Sit-Ins
Freedom Riders Foundation
Civil Rights Museum