Growing Up on the Edge of the World

I loved this book, but am not as great with words as others. Here's a rather well-balanced review I read on the internet from a reviewer by the name of Phil WadeTerry Anderson, the twelve-year-old narrator of this book, lives in a comical family, which, if they weren't fictional, would go toward proving that comedy comes out of pain. His mother deteriorates slowly from an incurable disease. His father makes little money as a mechanic. His oldest brother smokes, perpetually trying to quit and feeling cold shoulders from their legalistic church. None of that works to build Terry's ego, but neither do his own decisions. So when Terry discovers a jackpot which could turn his hard, North Dakota winter into one long Christmas, he does what any pre-teen might do. He fills his pockets with candy and lies about the money. Of course, the longer he delays his confession, the more trouble risks.Speaker and Author Phil Callaway is a humor-monger, who has written non-fiction on laughter and Christian living. Thus, this book is funny. Not Wodehouse funny, but light-hearted, warm, and occasionally funny enough to laugh out loud. The back cover boasts of colorful characters, and they do raise their heads here and there, but more interesting than Mayberry-style locals are the fine, upstanding hypocrites who attend Anderson's church. Callaway doesn't refrain from briefly describing a few people whose spiteful whispers surprised me in their indifference to the pain of fellow believers who were in the room though out of earshot.Some heavy-handed application does sneak in. The town is named Grace because the story is about grace. There's even a little story to the town's naming-pioneers, Indians, and a miracle, you know. But Growing Up is an enjoyable book which should find a good audience. Callaway says he is working on a sequel.

I couldn't help laughing when I read the review stating that humor is out of place in a Christian novel. Hello! I enjoyed this book immensely. In fact, I took it to the bathtub with me intending to read the first few pages and ended up reading the first six chapters! The very cornerstone of this book is that God loves the unlovely, forgives the unforgiveable, and redeems lost souls like me! Grace is the theme. The writing is excellent. I'll be buying more copies.

I had never heard of this author before, so when my daughter was raving about this book, I was sceptical. Then my wife started reading it and couldn't put it down, so I thought I'd give it a try. Sure enough, the introduction hooked me and never let me go. This message of grace has literally changed me. Just ask my wife and daughter. I'd love to see this book at the top of every bestseller list in America! I just bought eight copies to give to friends, so I guess that's a start.

I don't often read fiction, though I teach writing and lit. And I have only read a handful of "Christian novels" over the past decade. This one attracted me because of its wonderfully-illustrated cover and fascinating story line. How does a boy who is raised in a quaint little evangelical church deal with a huge temptation, ongoing mischief and misdeads without losing his mind, his conscience, and his faith. The answer comes through one of the best stories I have ever read. One that is filled with fall-down funny characters and a dozen or two nice plot twists. I'm ashamed to say that rarely do you find this level of writing in Christian literature, let alone Christian fiction. The author is to be commended for carefully crafting each sentence. My only complaint is that it wasn't a little longer (285 pages wasn't quite enough). I plan on recommending this to my college literature class. In fact, we will begin studying it shortly.

I don't often read fiction, though I teach writing and lit. And I have only read a handful of "Christian novels" over the past decade. This one attracted me because of its wonderfully-illustrated cover and fascinating story line. How does a boy who is raised in a quaint little evangelical church deal with a huge temptation, ongoing mischief and misdeads without losing his mind, his conscience, and his faith. The answer comes through one of the best stories I have ever read. One that is filled with fall-down funny characters and a dozen or two nice plot twists. I'm ashamed to say that rarely do you find this level of writing in Christian literature, let alone Christian fiction. It is slightly reminiscent of Jan Karon's novels, though far more humorous. The author is to be commended for carefully crafting each sentence and paragraph to draw the story onward. My only complaint is that it wasn't a little longer (285 pages wasn't quite enough). I plan on recommending this to my college literature class. In fact, we will begin studying it shortly.