We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza– Book Review

I’m choosing to review this book, not because it is Christian, but because it is important. It describes a situation that is tragic — a black teenager is shot and killed by two policemen. He doesn’t hear their calls to stop because he is wearing ear buds, as he reaches into his pocket for his cell phone, they assume the worst and respond with deadly force. The story is told from the point of view of two protagonists — the black journalist who is assigned to cover the shooting, and her best friend –the wife of one of the policemen. (this book also has two authors, one white and one black) Both sides of the question are presented honestly. The real difficulty, it seems, is a failure to communicate difficult feelings, feelings that are hard to accept and understand. Bringing them into the open is key to resolving issues around race in our society today.

Will these two women be able to remain friends? The question is left unanswered, but they are trying. Is there an outcome to this kind of situation that will satisfy everyone? Probably not. One thing is clear — race is an issue that must be brought into the light and discussed, and the only possible solution is a very Christian virtue — love.

There are discussion questions at the end, and this would make an excellent book club read.

VERDICT: 5 STARS. Excellent and thought-provoking. It’s a new book that you can probably check out of your local library.

For more book reviews see:

,Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi–Book Review

A Couple of Good Books

Grace by William Kent Krueger–Book Review

ColorFull by Dorena Williamson–Book Review

I loved this book.  The illustrations by Cornelius Van Wright and his wife, Ying-Hwa Hu are delightful.  Author Dorena Williamson presents her theme (we are all fearfully and wonderfully made) in a way that is winsome, realistic and easily understandable to young children.  God must love color!  It  is part of the wonder of His creation:  in plants, food, the world around us, and people.  We shouldn’t strive to be “color blind.”  Instead we should notice and admire the different colors of our skin, hair and eyes. Is your hair red, brown or blonde? Are your eyes brown or green?  Is your skin chocolate, vanilla or caramel? God made us ColorFull, not ColorLess.   All of our colors are beautiful and good.  That’s the way God made us to be and everything He created is good.

At the end of the book the author has included a Bible verse with suggested Scripture readings and thought questions that will be useful for parents and teachers who want to further explore and reinforce the topic.

Verdict:  Five stars!  This book will definitely go in our church’s Little Free Library collection.  To order, follow the link below:

http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/colorfull