The Wise Man in the Checkered Shirt

"The Wise Man in the Checkered Shirt" was sent to me in June as a gift, after I had been discharged from the hospital, and a Christmas book was not exactly my idea of a good read. I picked it up because it was short, and was almost immediately captivated my the unlikely tale of a department store Santa who falls under the spell of two seemingly homeless girls.Jerome may look the part of Santa, he has been the premire Santa at the Mall for years, and he takes great pride in his looks and abilities. Pride is the keyword, Jerome is proud of his perfect life, to the point of self centeredness, obnoxiousness and shutting out those closest to him. He has no need for people unless they can benefit him, and finds the neighborhood residents and church particularly annoying. His need to be the center of attention, to know and control everything takes him on a rollercoaster ride when he crosses paths with sisters Harley and Boo. He spies the oldest sister, Harley stealing coins from the mall fountain and is determined to find out where they live. The two girls live with their father who is recovering from an accident and have their own ideas of what they need to get done before Christmas. Extremely protective of her young sister Boo (Marci), Harley is also a caregiver of sorts for her disabled father as well. Though their living quarters would never meet with Jerome's approval they have an abundance of love and belief in the goodness of their neighbors. As they go about their days, the people they come in contact with are also captivated by their bright spirits and their open hearts, and even help them in some of their pursuits, such as divesting the fountain of its coins. Each day is filled with anticipation of the approaching holidays, until an unseen accident threatens their well-being. The harder Jerome tries to find out about the girls the more elusive they become and the more out of control his well ordered life becomes, leaving him to question the very things he had once valued, and to turn to a new source of strength, the neighborhood church and the people the before seemed to just annoy and clutter his well ordered life. He finds himself doing things he never would have done before, with some very unpredictable and hilarious results. A very different Christmas story with a timeless message of hope and acceptance, and a tender twist at the end that really caught me by surprise, bringing tears to my eyes. This story captures the essense of forgiveness and the hope we all have at Christmas, that we can mend fences and that we can find our way home. A wonderful, wonderful Christmas story. A wonderful read any time of the year.

The Wise Man in the Checkered Shirt is a touching story of one man's journey down his road to change. This book is very easy to read and enjoyable for the entire family. It seems each person can find someone in this short book that he/she can relate to.Jerome (the main character) is so believable and reminds us how easily we can become focused on the things in life which really don't matter. It is definitely something that I plan to read with my family every Christmas. It is important to me to read something that reminds me of the importance of reaching out to others of every "walk of life". This is a fantastic book and every person should take the time to read it. After reading this book, I realized how many people at every season of the year have far greater challenges than I have. I guess it was a good reminder to "count my blessings."

A wonderful story....not just for Christmas, but all year round. Harley and Boo captured my heart as they unknowingly led their cynical mall Santa on a three week journey to the innocent joy of Christmas and the awakening of his own spirit. A special uplifting Christmas read I've shared with many friends and family. I could identify a real life counterpart in my everyday life to each character in this book, all of them proceeding through the Christmas season unaware of the importance of their interactions with each other. I catch myself walking past the brightly lit fountains in shopping malls watching closely for these two little girls. There is laughter and sadness and moments of wonder.... exactly what Christmas, and life, is all about.

I read this book last Christmas and found it is not your average Christmas "feel good" book. The dialog is witty and consistent with characters that are believable and down to earth. Michael Drake tells a fun story that had me quoting dialog to my wife as I read the book. In the end, the book delivers a strong message that everyone can use some kind of help whether they realize it or not.