A Review of Silent Partner!

I was married to a man who had lied to himself for a good part of his life, who lied to others for the rest of it, and who lied to me in word and in deed, in mind and in body, in acts of commission and omission.--Dina Matos McGreevey

...over the last two years my faith has grown and my spiritual practices have deepened.  Otherwise, I could not have survived.  Faith, or at least my faith, is not passive.

I know that I'm a stronger person now than I've ever been or thought I could ever be.--Dina Matos McGreevey

In 2004, Dina Matos McGreevey's world fell apart.  Her husband, who was the Governor of New Jersey at that time, confessed to Dina and the world that he had been having an affair with a man.  Dina had noticed some of her husband's deceptions, but had no idea how many there were and that many of them started when they began dating and lasted throughout their marriage.

I saw and was drawn to Dina's story after seeing it on an episode of, "Who the Bleep Did I Marry?"  I found out that even though she did stand next to him during his public confession, she separated from him soon afterwards.   I was impressed with her strength of character that she displayed throughout it all.

Again, just like when I read Christi Paul's book, I could relate to some of the things that Dina shared in her book, Silent Partner.  It was therapeutic and encouraging to see how she coped and was able to successfully move on with her life.

A Review of Raging Heart!

Raging Heart by Sheila Weller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when I heard that O.J. Simpson had been found not guilty in his murder trial.  I was in shock, I had heard about all the evidence and couldn't fathom how he wasn't convicted.

So, when the books started pouring out I decided to read them to figure out what happened.  I read 2 of them soon after, and the other 3 right when O.J. attempted to publish his "confession, that wasn't really a confession." 

The 5 books I read on the O.J. Simpson case were: Evidence Dismissed: The Inside Story of the Police Investigation of O.J. Simpson, Without a Doubt, Murder In Brentwood, How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret, and Remorse and If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.

Yet, in reading all these books on the case, I never really read a book that described O.J. and Nicole's lives before the murders.  Weller's book is wonderful in giving you a vivid and detailed account of their lives and their marriage.  It helped me to understand the dynamics a lot better and even helped me to learn even more about domestic violence. 

View all my reviews

Previously:
  Posts on or related to O.J. Simpson

Navy Seal Sniper Chris Kyle--American Hero!

As a testament to the gratitude of the American people, nearly 7,000 attended Chris Kyle's memorial service today.  Kyle is an American hero for all that he has done for our country as a Navy Seal sniper.  Taya Kyle, his beautiful wife, spoke about him at the service:

Slain ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle was a devoted husband, father and friend who will never be forgotten, his widow told mourners at his memorial service Monday.

Taya Kyle said she was broken but that the family will “put one foot in front of the other” to get through their grief. She told her two children that they will remember Chris Kyle’s silly side, Texas twang and prayers they prayed together.

“Chris, there isn’t enough time to tell you everything you mean to me and everything you taught me,” she said through tears.

Its sad that he died trying to help another soldier.  I think thats a testament to the kind of guy he was.


I first heard about Kyle when he was on O'Reilly's show for his book, American Sniper.  I fell in love with him when he had to punch Jesse Ventura for bad-mouthing the war, Bush and America.  Of course, what really broke the camel's back was Ventura saying that the Navy Seals deserved to lose a few guys, and this was all at an event connected with the funeral of some Navy Seals.  Classy!

I had wanted to buy Kyle's book before, but now I can't wait to buy it and read it.

May God bless and comfort Kyle's many family and friends!!

A Review of Argo!

I was skeptical about how Hollywood would portray the Iranian hostage situation, but I went to see Argo anyway and loved it.

I was in the 5th grade when Americans from the U.S. embassy in Iran were taken hostage.  I remember it well, because I had a phenomenal teacher that year who made sure we were informed about current events.

Argo tells the little known story of the 6 people who escaped from the Embassy and took refuge in the home of the Canadian Ambassador.  The story has been called the Canadian Caper and a TV movie was first done on it in 1981, entitled  Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper.

The 6 men and women were in great danger because it was only a matter of time before the Iranian militants would discover that there were some people missing from the embassy.  A CIA agent then comes up with a plan to get them out of Iran.

I really liked the movie and am impressed with Ben Affleck's ability to direct.  The only part that I didn't like was at the end when Jimmy Carter started talking.  Also, it is rated R because there is a lot of language.

If you can handle the language, it is a great movie.

A review of "Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt"

I read somewhere that in order to be walked on, you have to be lying down.  Well, I wasn't going to lie down any longer.  I knew in that moment that I had to find the power God had given me.  And I had to learn not just to stand in it but to stand tall.--Christi Paul

Christi Paul is currently a TV anchor for HLN and TruTV.  I have always liked her, so I was thrilled when I found out that she is a Christian. 

I discovered Paul's book, Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt when I was looking at the Free Kindle daily deals.  The Free Kindle site lists different books that are free for that day only.  I am so glad I found it.


Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt: Christi Paul from Tyndale House Publishers on Vimeo.

The book shares Paul's personal story of surviving an abusive marriage.  Yet, she doesn't stop there.  She talks about how she got out and the process she went through.  Throughout the book she shares how her strong faith in God empowered her to make it through.  It is truly inspirational.

My story isn't as bad as hers, but it was amazing how therapeutic the book was for me.  I felt like I was getting free counseling as I read it.  I was able to process and journal a lot of the steps she shared about how to heal. 

I highly recommend this to everyone, but especially people who have dealt with verbal abuse.

Previous Reviews:
Frances Perkins
The Help
A Place of Yes!
John Adams
1776
My Grandfather's Son
Stephen Mansfield's Books
Stori Telling

  

A Good Day to Die Hard!

Amazingly, Bruce Willis returns yet again for an unprecedented 5th sequel in the Die Hard series, entitled A Good Day to Die Hard.

When the 4th movie came out in 2008, I did a post on how much I love Bruce Willis and the Die Hard series.  Willis is a conservative, so not only is he a great actor, but he also has brains too ;-).

I am looking forward to seeing A Good Day to Die Hard when it comes out on February 14th.

Previously:
Yipee-kai-aye!

2013 Book List--Part 1

I'm hoping to write reviews of 3 of the books below.  Condi's book was especially good.  Right now I am reading Rove's book and it is fascinating.  My respect for him is even greater now.


2013 Book List
1) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
2) Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt--Christi Paul
3) The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression--Amity Shlaes
4) A Journey Through the Life of William Wilberforce: The Abolitionist Who Changed the Face of a Nation--Kevin Belmonte
5) Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family--Condoleezza Rice
6) Frances Perkins: First Woman Cabinet Member--Emily Keller


Previously:
2012 Book List
2011 Book List
2010 Book List
2008 Book List

A Review of "Frances Perkins: First Woman Cabinet Member"!

"In her senior year she was elected class president.  Perkins was a nonconformist who sometimes broke rules--such as 'lights out'--when she wanted to talk.  This may have annoyed the school administration, but she was good-natured and popular with the girls, who called her 'Perk' or 'Perky'.  A few students agreed with her father that she talked too much and labeled her the 'loquacious linguist.'"--A description of Perkins during her college years

I loved the above quote because it reminds me of me, "loquacious linguist" ;-)!

I don't think I've ever read a biography about a liberal Democrat. But, after reading The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression I wanted to learn more about the 1st woman to hold a cabinet position.

While I don't agree with Frances Perkins' "progressive" and socialistic ideals, I do have great admiration for her. First, she was the 1st woman to achieve a cabinet position. Second, she believed in social justice and helping the poor. Third, she juggled a career while having to deal with a bi-polar, alcoholic husband.

Perkins paved the way for other women to excel in politics, that alone is worthy of admiration.

Previous Reviews:
The Help
A Place of Yes!
John Adams
1776
My Grandfather's Son
Stephen Mansfield's Books
Stori Telling


   

A Review of The Help!

I am a big fan of movies/books when they are about people taking a stand for what they believe in, righting wrongs, fighting for a cause and bringing about some type of justice.  The movie, The Help is based on the book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and both are exactly what I just described.

I saw the movie first and was both horrified and inspired.  It was hard to comprehend that racism/prejudice was still so rampant in the 60's.  It helped me understand that certain areas of the south definitely took much longer than other areas of the U.S. in realizing how wrong racism was and seeing it for what it was.

In college, I took classes on combating racism/prejudice and I remember at that time being shocked at how there was still a strong stigma against interracial dating in the 70's.  While racism/prejudice still exist, we definitely have come a long way.  Yet, it saddens me that it took so long.

I watched the movie numerous times and decided it was time to read the book.  I was happy with how closely the movie followed the book, but as always, the book added a lot more rich, detail.  I especially liked learning more in depth about Abilene's faith in God.  It was amazing to see when you looked at what she had to endure in her life.

Obviously, I highly recommend both the movie and the book.

Previous Reviews:
A Place of Yes!
John Adams
1776
My Grandfather's Son
Stephen Mansfield's Books
Stori Telling

Kisses from Katie!

Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption is the true story of a 19 year old woman who left her comfortable life in America to care for God's children in Uganda.  Hugh Hewitt says it well: 

At the age of nineteen, Katie Davis left the upper-middle-class life to move to Uganda, start a nonprofit organization, and begin the adoption process for thirteen daughters who needed a mother. She is an inspiration and a testament to what God will do when one is willing to be used.

In the past couple of years God has given me a passion for Africa and its orphans.  So, when I came across Katie's book, I was so inspired.  Her blog is always a source of encouragement.

Take the time to read her book and support Amazima Ministries, it will not only make a difference in your life, but in the lives of others.


Links:
Katie's Blog
Amazima Ministries
Buy Katie's Book