The Mormonizing of America by Stephen Mansfield

Eye-opening moments

This was my first book read about Mormons and my first book read by author, Stephen Mansfield. With the current political situation in America, I was intrigued when the publisher asked me to read and review, The Mormonizing of America.

Skeptical, I approached the book with doubts, thinking it would be filled with the authors biased opinions and his version of facts.  Completing the book, I was pleasantly surprised that the opposite was true.  I’m not claiming to believe everything I read as absolute fact; however, it became clear immediately that Mansfield wrote, The Mormonizing of America, to enlighten not to preach to his readers.

I’m embarrassed to admit the amount of previous knowledge I had acquired in my lifetime about the Mormon religion.  I knew the basics and never desired to expand my education.

The Mormonizing of America, being filled with information and presented in a clear and concise writing style, enabled me to be receptive; hence I enjoyed the book considerably.

The history was fascinating. What scant knowledge I earlier possessed and anything I had questioned about the Mormons, the religion, the church, and the leaders, was answered beautifully by Mansfield. I didn’t feel he was being condescending, yet quite the opposite as I continued reading. I noted passages throughout the book and enjoyed my eye-opening moments.

The Chronology from 600 BC to 1904 was an asset, also the Beliefs in Plain Language. The Appendix A, stating Joseph Smith’s Articles of Faith, and Appendix B, noting the Surprising Quotes from Mormon Leaders were appreciated.

Given all the information, this was just the tip of the iceberg regarding the subject of the Mormon religion. The purpose of, The Mormonizing of America, was timely, being we currently have a Mormon who is running for the presidency. This is the perfect book for readers to get a feel for the Mormon life and beliefs of Mitt Romney.

I filled in so many blanks, from Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates, to why the Mormons are so successful today. It’s amazing to go from being persecuted to running for the office of president of the U.S.

Mansfield explained that Mormons have outstripped their leaders and their extreme doctrines. As long as they fulfill the conditions of their faith, they will ascend in American society.

I recommend The Mormonizing of America, by Stephen Mansfield, for readers of all ages who are curious about the Mormon history and the life of Mormons.

The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge by Christine Nolfi

Small town secrets revealed

Small towns are havens for buried secrets and forbidden passions.  A town in Ohio was no different for the prominent and wealthy Fagan family. Living in a mansion on a thousand-acre estate, Fagan’s Orchard shipped produce and condiments across the Midwest, and was the main setting for The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge. Located on the estate was an oak tree, referred to locals as The Great Oak Tree. If the tree could talk, what secrets it would tell.

The Fagan’s were renovating the mansion to accommodate their pregnant daughter. Troy Fagan was the head of operations on site and the person who did the hiring. Ourania D’Andre was an independent contractor who submitted a bid for the job. There was major conflict between the two, because Troy’s brother had been murdered. They both blamed themselves. The relationship strengthened as they worked through the guilt they harbored.

Troy and Ourania kept the story intrigue alive. Childhood bullying festered into adulthood. Both holding secrets, it took unpredictable circumstances to finally forge a healthy relationship.

Leading separate lives, Ourania became a foster mother to two bi-racial children, as she continued her career as an electrical contractor. Troy was the black sheep of the family choosing to work in construction instead of Fagan Orchards. He reluctantly accepted Ourania’s bid for the electrical work on the mansion, because his sister, Dianne, liked the beautiful and successful Ourania.

Working together, secrets were exposed, and forbidden passions surfaced. The Great Oak Tree revealed countless secrets, some beyond comprehension. To mention them, in my review, would spoil the story for readers.

The Great Oak Tree served as a symbol for hope and redemption.  Christine Nolfi did an extraordinary job writing The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge with this in mind. It also served as a subtle way to teach lessons in forgiveness.

Events in the story are brilliantly written with compassion and understanding. The subject matters are as diverse as the characters. The good vs. the bad, the beautiful vs. those lacking physical attributes, adoption, domestic violence, multi-cultural families, fighting the system, hate, love, trust, death, rape, and lies. Christine Nolfi proved to master her skill by describing the human elements factor in depth in The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge.

I recommend The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge, by Christine Nolfi, to readers who enjoy stories about real life situations. We can use the opportunity to reflect on our own life.

Jack Wrimo and the Ori of Flames by Brad Shreffler

Good vs. Evil

Jack Wrimo and the Ori of Flames is a book written for middle school students who enjoy reading adventures about someone their own age. Jack Wrimo is a fifteen year old teenager who is like most middle school students - just average.

Brad Shreffler is well aware in order to excite teenagers to read his book, he has to create situations so Jack would not be just average anymore. That’s exactly what he does when Jack goes to “Flea Market Saturday” with his parents and two sisters.

On this particular Saturday Jack wants to buy a pair of bookends. As he shops on his own - for the first time - he buys a pocketknife which he is not allowed to own. When his mother finds out about this, quite by accident, the consequence is being grounded for three weeks.

What about the bookends? Does Jack end up finding a pair for his room? Oh yes, he sure does. And it’s these bookends that bring the story to life! They take Jack on quite an adventure and it changes his and his family’s lives forever.

Jack has to step up from being just average and handle a lot of different challenges. He shares the good with Pharia, the Ori of Flame, in the good vs. evil. Bucan is the evil ‘being’ that is hard to figure out why he is so evil. There is a very dark and evil part in the book that is unpredictable. I won’t say any more about it so I don’t spoil it for readers.

Jack Wrimo and the Ori of Flames is science fiction and Brad Shreffler includes all the genre’s story elements which are favorites of young teenagers. Jack’s challenges will keep teenagers engaged in the story as they route for him to fight evil.

Although the book is short, I think it lags a bit after the middle of the story. I think a chapter or two could be condensed and still be a good read. As a former middle school teacher, I know we don’t want teenagers to have any reason to stop reading!

Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey by Deborah L. Parker

Predictable

Navigating Life’s Roadways is an account of Deborah L. Parker’s life. She begins her story after her mother’s death as this was an extremely emotional time for her.

I could never take away someone else’s memories or life’s lessons learned, however, to me this was just another book of relatively similar memories and life lessons communicated.

While acknowledging Deborah’s beautiful style of writing, using quotes, proverbs, and metaphors, it has been done many times over. I was hoping to read some original enlightening words and/or phrases. Sadly, this wasn’t the case.

Each time I choose a book to read I expect to learn something new. I am also a cancer survivor and I struggled to find new inspirations to augment my knowledge. I’m not saying I knew every quote, proverb, or metaphor in the book, just that the messages were stale.

For readers who may not have previously read an inspirational memoir, Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey would be an insightful revelation.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by David P Perlmutter

 The Walk from Hell

Such a harrowing experience, it took David P Perlmutter twenty years to be able to put pen to paper and tell his true story, or nightmare may be a better word. We all make foolish mistakes, but David’s mistake turned his life upside down.

After a night out drinking in London, David got behind the wheel. If that wasn’t stupid enough, he made a nuisance of himself by driving like an idiot and neighbors justifiably called the police. He was thrown in jail overnight, and the next day he was fired. David had a great career as a realtor making great money. He not only lived in a luxury apartment but drove a BMW to boot.

Soon after being fired he appeared in court and his license was suspended for a year and he was ordered to pay a considerable fine. This resulted in having to move back with mom and dad giving up his life of luxury.

When all this really hit David, it hit him hard. He became depressed, reclusive, and a couch potato. He knew he couldn’t continue on this path so he decided to escape to some fun in the sun, Marbella, Spain.

David is the first to admit he blew it. He spent money he didn’t have and partied way too much. Eventually this took its toll. He did get a job of sorts, but that ended up badly with a busted up face. Of course a beautiful woman was involved, one usually is. So David was jobless again.

Having just a few bucks left and a bruised face David tries to find an out of the way bar to have a drink. Here he meets a couple, Peter and Rosa, who befriends him and he gets drunk with them. The guy is a loser, but the woman, Rosa, is a knock out. She flirts with David and again he gets himself in trouble. When he leaves the bar it’s with Rosa. She takes him to her place and they have an incredible night of steamy hot sex. Of course David gets to eat and is back to feeling human again. They say their good-byes.

Again David loses his living quarters, an inexpensive hostel he was renting still owing back rent. Back to being penniless and jobless David spends his days and nights at the beach. He meets a crazy guy and they smoke weed together. He knows he’s got to pull himself together. But how when all you own are the clothes you are wearing and look like hell?

Starving, stoned, filthy, and tired David finds himself in a nice hotel waiting room and falls asleep on the couch. When he is found, he is physically thrown out in the street. Guess who he runs into? The gorgeous Rosa. She takes him under her wings and after shower, sex, and clean clothes, they go to a party where David can eat free. Guess who they run into at the party? Peter. David doesn’t want yet another bar scene, so he excuses himself politely and takes a walk. This is David’s walk from hell.

So far you’ve seen David be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But this walk from hell takes his life to a whole new level. I’ve been spoon feeding you leading up to the core of the story. This is where the nightmare really begins. Now just try to remember, David really is a nice guy. He was young and foolish, yes, but didn’t deserve what happened to him while taking this walk.

I’m going to leave out a lot of details because you really have to read David P Perlmutter’s account yourself to get the gist of what happened. You have to read David’s words to feel what he experienced.

On his walk he sees a building on fire. Let’s remember David is once again drunk, he’s out of shape from doing nothing and he’s suffering from malnutrition. He can’t believe the intensity of the fire. As he stares at the fire trucks arriving he hears a woman screaming for help.

This is why you must read David’s account. He writes what happened with such intensity. All I will say is he saved two lives on this day. Did he get recognized? Oh yeah, but not in a good way. David made another foolish mistake and stole two credit cards while looking for other victims in the building.

His dad had told him Spain’s police were the worst. David experiences this in the worst possible way. He is arrested and treated like a true foreigner and a piece of garbage.

A journalist with his own personal agenda takes David under his wing. Understandably, David is too vulnerable at this time to realize he’s getting screwed. Does he get out of the pig sty of a jail? Does he go to court and have a trial? Is he found guilty or innocent? Does he spend the rest of his life in Spain in prison?

Wrong Place Wrong Time is a must read. It’s hard to believe it’s a true story. How is David today? Where does he live? One can only imagine the nightmares he must still endure. He shares with his readers what he goes through on a daily basis even twenty three years later. It took David three years to complete his book.

David P Perlmutter claims he is not an author. This is his first piece of writing. He was encouraged to get it out of his system by those who love him. This should give you a clue as to the intensity of the story.

I disagree with David’s perception of himself as a writer. Wrong Place Wrong Time is written beautifully. It is a heartfelt and amazing story of courage and stamina. I’m not sure how many people would be able to live through this and then write about it.

Thank you for sharing your story David. I wish you the best.

Freedom First, Peace Later by Jeanette Hewitt

War Changes Lives

Jeanette Hewitt writes her poignant novel about the IRA (Irish Republican Army) by developing six characters that reside in Crossmaglen, a village in Northern Ireland.

Stu is an inexperienced British soldier, Barry is an undercover (double) agent, Bronwyn is Barry’s fraternal twin and she is a brave, outspoken bartender, Rosina is Bronwyn’s best friend, and is the complete opposite of Bronwyn. Danny is 100% IRA, and Connor was the secret boyfriend of Rosina, but ends up marrying Bronwyn.

These six characters and their families try to survive the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that fought a guerrilla war against British rule in Ireland. The war went on for over twenty years.

We see what war does to individuals and families. War changes people. Living with racism, bombs, and death everyday takes its toll.

There was hatred between the Catholics and Protestants, so much so that just walking on the wrong side of town was taking your life in your hands. The violent rituals were common, men were beaten to a pulp, kneecapped and crippled, and women were beaten and raped.

Stu, Barry, Bronwyn, Rosina, Danny, Connor, and their families live through hell and are subjected to all the violence at one time or another. Lives are lost. Lives are changed. Families are split up, some abandoned their own family members, and the drama is intense.

Everyone had to make life changing decisions to survive. Did everyone make it? You will have to read Freedom First, Peace Later, to find out who survived.

Jeanette Hewitt describes the setting vividly. Her characters are very different yet well developed.  Freedom First, Peace Later has such a great flow that when I started the story I finished it and never noticed how long it took. I never put the book down.

As far as format, I would have preferred a table of contents.

I recommend Freedom First, Peace Later by Jeanette Hewitt to readers who enjoy learning history through a good novel.

Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight by Daniel Fife

Dragons and Shadows!

Did a popular card game of middle school students come to life? The game was called ‘Knights.’ The middle school students who played the game were Danny, Doug, Matt, Alonso, and Chris. Of course when they played the game of Knights it was just a perfectly innocent card game. Until one day . . .

The boys started playing Knights over the summer. It was a game based on using fantasy creatures and knights of legend to ultimately defeat opposing players.  The basis of the game was to confront the forces of neutral, good, and evil against one another. The three groups were Light, Gray, and Dark.

When the summer was over, Danny and all his best buddies were looking forward to their last year of middle school. Everything was the same until, yup, you guessed it, a really hot girl! Her name was Sabrina. And yup, you guessed it, much to Danny’s surprise, she knew about the card game, Knights. So Danny had the biggest crush on her for her beauty and the fact she played the game, Knights.

This is where the story, Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight, really began with the fantasy adventures. When Danny was confronted by the school bully, he took him down, but can’t figure out how he did it. Of course later he finds out it was Sabrina who helped him. But how? How can a little tiny girl break the nose of a big bully without being seen?  Here was the story’s first fantasy adventure. And oh, there were many more to come if you read this wonderful book by Daniel Fife.

Sabrina had a nice family. I didn’t say normal, but I did say nice. What exactly do I mean? Is Sabrina a real person? Is she a dragon? Is she a shadow? Are her parent’s real people? Danny finds out when he meets Sabrina after school one day. He saw a fight between two creatures, a dragon and a shadow. Sabrina became one of these creatures, but which one? Normal humans don’t have the ability to see these creatures, but Danny did! So Sabrina explained why to Danny.

Being shocked for a few days was in order, wouldn’t you say? However, because Danny possessed this rare ability, he decided he wanted to fight the forces of darkness with Sabrina, and her parents. He wanted to become a Knight of the Light.

Come to find out all his buddies possessed the same rare ability. So they all joined Danny to fight the forces of darkness. They attended a summer school in Florida called the White Rock Academy of Illumination. Of course none of the parents knew what this school was really about. They thought it was just an innocent fun summer school adventure.

Here there was magic on a magical ship. With danger lurking a wizard named Navi helped navigate, so they arrived safely and began their training to become knights. They learned how to fight along with learning the history of the Shadows.

Not all the teachers were on the up and up. Danny thought some in the Order of Light were betrayers. He felt he had a strong ability to become the Mageknight, so Danny used all his new knowledge he was trained for to see if he was right. Was he? Does he become the Mageknight?

This was a great fantasy adventure story all ages will enjoy. We see Danny and his friends, including Sabrina; grow up from immature middle school students to mature thinking students ready for high school.

If you want any of the questions answered here in my review, you must read the beautifully written book, Light & Dark:  The Awakening of the Mageknight by Daniel Fife. You won’t be disappointed!