Positive Grace by Deb Haggerty

Deb’s Dozen: 12-Word Summary – Beyond all dreams, love is born, can flourish, and overcome all obstacles.Tweet

Set in the late 1890s, Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden tells of a young woman, Anna O’Brien, who works in the Maps Department of the Library of Congress. The book also relates the story of Congressman from Maine, Luke Callahan. Beyond All Dreams is their story.

In the 1890s, the few women who were fortunate enough to work for the U.S. Government served in a probationary status. Fear, of being fired from the job of her dreams, kept Anna quietly working as a map librarian. Extremely good at her tasks, she was given the assignment of doing research, both cartographic and general, for young Congressman Callahan.

For Luke, meeting Anna was a coup de foudre, or strike of lightning—love at first sight. For Anna, Luke was a threat to all she held dear. She did not want to end up like the infamous woman who fired from her job for kissing a congressman. Besides, she disliked the man who’d had the audacity to snap his fingers at her to get her to bring him the information he wanted quickly.

Camden draws us in with elegantly and realistically drawn characters. They are both flawed, but talented. I was also amazed at the wealth of information woven into the story about cartography, and about the Library of Congress when it still occupied part of the Capitol Building. The mechanical pen was first manufactured in the 1890s as was the flashlight or electric torch. Hearst and Pulitzer warred with each other to provide the best press coverage of events of the day. McKinley was President and Teddy Roosevelt the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Beyond All Dreams paints us the picture of those times prior to the birth of the new century.

You will want to read about the brave librarian with the raspy voice and the brash young congressman used to getting his way. You’ll love their story and how the story evolves despite all odds.

Elizabeth Camden is the author of six books, with a RITA Award, a Christy Award, and a Daphne du Maurier Award to her credit. She and her husband live in Florida – Elizabeth actually is a research librarian during the day and writes her novels by night. You can visit her website at www.elizabethcamden.com.

I was given a copy of Beyond All Dreams by Bethany House in exchange for my candid review.

Deb’s Dozen: 12-Word Summary – Jacob loves his sister–his faith is strong. Jesus honors strong faith.Tweet

Shirley Amendt, whom I met at the Writer to Writer Conference in Hershey this January, is a poet with a great love for children. Her book, Jacob’s Prayer, is a wonderful poem that is illustrated beautifully by Kimberly Merritt.

She tells the story of Jacob, a young boy of ten whose sister, Sarah, only three years old, is very ill. Jacob is certain that if he can tell the Teacher about Sarah that the Teacher will heal her. Jacob convinces his mother that he should be allowed to go see the Teacher with his friend, Thomas, and some of the others from the village. She packs him a lunch of five loaves and two small fish and sends him off to see Jesus. Jacob listens to Jesus tell of His love for us and that we always need to trust in Him. Jacob realizes that Jesus must be hungry and that the food he brought came from God and should be given back to Him, so he offers the food to Jesus. With this small offering, Jesus feeds over five thousand. Jacob can’t find Thomas and is worried about getting home, when Jesus takes his hand and says he’ll bring him there. When they get home, Jacob is happy to find that Sarah is well – she’d regained her health earlier that afternoon about the time Jacob and Jesus had started for home.

I’m sure you see how Shirley has worked the story of the feeding of the five thousand into this simple tale of a boy who loved his sister so much that he’d go to Jesus to ask Him to heal her.

To quote a bit from the ending of the story – you’ll want to get the book and read the story with your children –

Mother told me Sarah been saved from certain death.
“Jacob, my son, we’ll serve Him well, until our final breath.
We must try to do the things, that He would have us do,
Our friends will see that Sarah’s healed, and they can serve Him too.”
“Mother, God will care for us like the flowers in the field.
He will know if we are sick, and make sure that we are healed!
We don’t ever have to worry about an empty dish!
Jesus fed five thousand men with our loaves and fish!
Jesus is God’s own son! Mother, I know it’s true.
We must tell the whole wide world, the things that God can do!”

I know that God can take this small simple book and change many lives for Him. Be sure and get a copy, perhaps two – one to keep and one to give away. You’ll be blessed!

Shirley Arendt gave me a copy of Jacob’s Prayer for my candid review, and kindly autographed it to my grandson, William. I am sure William will love the story of Jacob as much as I do!