ALIVE: GOSPEL SEXUALITY FOR STUDENTS
Author: Cooper Pinson/Harvest USA
Publisher: New Growth Press
ISBN: 9781645270918
Paperback
Pages: 167
$15.99 (discounts on publisher's website)
Note: This study uses the English Standard Version
About the Book:
Alive: Gospel Sexuality for Students gives teenagers and young adults a biblical, gospel-centered framework to understand sexual issues. In a changing culture where feelings about our identity inform our sexual choices, this ten-week small group resource by Cooper Pinson of Harvest USA, applies biblical truth in a compassionate way to sexual struggles.
Cooper Pinson, with years of experience working with students, aims to bring the theological truths of our union and communion with Christ into the world of sexuality. Students are met where they are and encouraged to talk about the issues that are part of their everyday world. At the same time, they are guided to learn robust, deep, and strengthening theological content that will help them follow Jesus in how they express their sexuality.
Out of this framework, topics addressed include God's good design for sexuality, gender-related issues, singleness, dating, marriage, masturbation, pornography, and same-sex attraction, among others. Students are shepherded to understand their sexuality in the light of who Jesus is and to approach these issues with truth, faith, and compassion.
Author
Harvest USA is a non-profit that has been ministering to individuals and families affected by sexual struggles since 1983. With over 100 years of combined direct ministry experience, Harvest USA staff also seek to equip the Church with their writing and teaching on biblical sexuality and how to help those who struggle sexually.
My Thoughts:
Sex and sexuality is probably one of the most thought about and talked about subjects in the world of a teenager. Society hits teens from all sides - be it gender, relationships, media, etc., our children are getting told lots of things through every aspect of their life. What they learn from their friends, schools, movies, books, special interest groups and other worldly influences is certainly not what we, as Godly parents, want our children to hear or worse - believe.
Alive: Gospel Sexuality for Students is a wonderful resource to help guide our youth to the Biblical truth about sex and sexuality. This leaders guide/student workbook looks at God's design for us and tackles many very sensitive issues. The leader's guide is laid out in a very user friendly manner for the youth leader (or even the parent who wants to use this as a guide to talk to their teens). There are questions to discuss, scenarios for the students to read, issues to cover and even touches on abuse and rape. This is designed for a group setting and would definitely be best in a gender specific group. I know, as a female, I certainly wouldn't want to talk about these things in front of a male!
I'm not sure how I feel about this book having both the leader's guide as well as the student workbook in one volume. It is nice for the leader, but the students have all the answers and information at their fingertips, taking the thinking and spontaneity away from the discussion. These kids really need to sit and think and consider how serious sex is and how God's design works for us!
I received a copy of these books from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Rick Roberson for sending me a review copy.***
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
This all-new, full-featured NIV Bible is great for teens looking to grow their faith, increase meaning in their lives, and find hope for their future. The Rock Solid Bible for Teens is a timely guide for teens grappling with big questions about the world, their future, and their faith. Featuring the complete New International Version text, apologetics helps, hundreds of call-outs, and concrete promises for the future, the Rock Solid Bible provides firm traction for the development of beliefs and behavior rooted in the unchanging love, guidance, and promises of God.
Product Details:
List Price: $29.99
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 1664 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Special edition (August 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310723302
ISBN-13: 978-0310723301
AND NOW...THE A SAMPLE (CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE LARGER):
Chapter will be placed up here soon.
My Thoughts:
The NIV Rock Solid Study Bible for Teens is a hard bound and attractive bible that will stand up to much use and abuse. It is done in paragraph style and contains gray boxes with such things as truths, principles, plans and people, while the promises found in the Bible are highlighted in a box with a border and a cross to really stick out. At the beginning of each chapter, one page is devoted to a book outline and information about the book. In the back of the Bible one will find a concordance, a table of weights and measures, a Bible reading plan, an index to all the Truths, Promises, Principles, Plans, People and God, plus some very nice full colored maps.
As a study Bible, I would have liked to see more for references while reading. There are no center columns and the references at the bottom of the pages are sparse. For me another downside is the words of Christ are not in red. With that said, this is still a nice teen study Bible for those who use the NIV.
Heroes and Hounds
Author: Bill Miller
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781456310363
Genre: Young Adult, Adventure
About the Book:
Heroes and Houndsis a wonderfully charming story about a young girl’s adventures with her pony and her friend as she seeks to fulfill her dream of riding “to the hounds” with the hunt. Although the story is written for young audiences, it has multi-generational appeal as it touches on such issues as the plight of families with parents in military service and the welfare of veterans. Anyone who loves horses, dogs and other animals will enjoy this book. The illustrations are beautiful and create a nostalgia of their own in their old-style look reminiscent of children’s books decades ago.
Carly is 11 years old and lives with her grandfather on a 200-acre Virginia farm while both parents serve in the military overseas. She loves the farm, and befriends all of the animals including a sneaky red fox that stalks her grandfather’s prize chickens. Her best friend is her pony, Monroe, who shares her enthusiasm for adventure. Carly’s constant dream is to ride with the Riverdale Hunt Club that passes through her grandfather’s property.
On one particularly rainy Saturday, Carly watches from her front porch as the finely dressed ladies and gentlemen ride to the hounds. Later in the day, Carly finds out that a young hound named Hampton has become lost and Carly is determined to find him and by so doing endear herself to the hunt’s Master; perhaps to be asked to ride Monroe in an upcoming meet. Carly enlists the help of her friend, Freddie, but the adventure is just beginning. Carly, Monroe, Hampton and the red fox have no idea what’s dangers await them.
My Thoughts:
Carly is an eleven year old girl who loves horses and dreams of one day riding with the local hunt club. When one of the hounds wanders from the pack, Carly sets out on an adventure to look for him. This adventure goes well above and beyond what she bargained for.
Mr. Miller pens a delightful tale that can only come from one who loves and understands horses. He utilizes that understanding throughout his whole book, creating a character that loves her horse, Monroe, like a best friend. This creates a realistic character and one that anyone who loves horses (or animals) can identify with.
This heartwarming and beautifully illustrated story is not only entertaining, but contains some very good lessons about obedience, truthfulness, friendship, and misconceptions. Although it is marketed to the young adult audience, this is one book that can span many age groups.
This is a captivating read that is perfect for any family library. I look forward to seeing more books from Mr. Miller!
About the Author:
Bill Miller has been riding to the hounds for the over 40 years. For nearly 20 years he has been an honorary whipper-in for the Norfolk Hunt Club. Bill is also actively involved in Team Penning during the summer months. He lives on a small farm in Sherborn, Massachusetts with his wife, three horses and dog. When not working with horses, Bill is an independent film director and cinematogrpaher. His TV shows and commercials have been viewed by millions worldwide and he has won three Emmys and numerous other industry awards. He has also been widely published in trade magazines. Bill is also creative director for Spirit of the American Cowboy Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises money for pediatric cancer research.
To see what others have to say about Mr. Miller's book, a video trailer or read an excerpt from the book, please visit the tour page.
Giveaway
Mr. Miller is offering one e-copy of his book to one lucky reader of this blog. Just fill out the form below and come back to tweet daily for more chances to win this delightful book! This contest is global.
Four Letter Words
Author: Dr. Bill Giovannetti
Publisher: Endurant Press (September 26, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-0983681267
Paperback: 208 pages
About Four Letter Words:
Thou shalt tolerate every opinion... except the Christian's. Today's postmodern "prime directive" leaves many followers of Jesus tongue-tied. In the global village, isn't it unreasonable, and even dangerous, to suggest that the Bible has a monopoly on truth?
The church needs a new breed of Christ-follower. We need Christ-followers who are alert to today's touchy ideas, the truths that fire up more heat than light. We need Christ-followers who can make a clear case for the Bible's worldview; who are ready to help our friends think through their beliefs; who can recognize inconsistencies and challenge them; and who can do all of this with humility, confidence, humor, and love. For more information visit http://fourletterwords.org.
Four Letter Words is a powerful book - one that will make you take notice and could ruffle a few feathers. Dr. Bill Giovannetti doesn't mince words and puts things out there for one to look at and think about. He deals with "touchy" subjects that most Christians won't or can't discuss with non-believers. Dr. Giovannetti addresses how to handle these subjects and stand up for what one believes in.
This book is targeted to Christian youth, however, I would suggest that it is more appropriate for high school teens and college students. His conversations and methods of logic are geared for the older teen. There is also a section on sex that may not be deemed appropriate for the younger sect. This book should be read by the parent for content and then read with the teen. There are many, many great discussions that can be had by a parent and teen going through this book together. There are even questions and a great guide in the back that can help both through a fantastic study.
I was very pleased to see the church and post-modernism being discussed. This is one area I've been having some problems with - and now that my daughter is in college, she is attending a church that is caught up in the experiences and not giving the instruction and guidance that is needed. This is just one of the many subjects that Dr. Giovannetti tackles and he certainly has had my head nodding in agreement as I read.
One thing I liked, but at the same time didn't like, was the links to the website in the book. One can go to the website and download and read many great things. This couldn't be done on my e-reader, and I had to sit at the PC and do it all online. That didn't thrill me too much and I find it difficult reading online for any length of time. It would have been much better if we had one of those awesome iPhones as it can be done using them. Unfortunately, we don't have one, so I was tied to my PC to follow the links.
Overall - this is a fantastic book and amazing tool that can be used to really discuss and help solidify your teens' beliefs before they strike out into the world.
About the Author:
Dr. Bill Giovannetti is a professor at A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary and the senior pastor of Neighborhood Church of Redding. An experienced speaker and author, Bill informs the mind in ways that touch the heart. He enjoys life with his wife and two kids in northern California. For more information about Bill and his other books, visit http://maxgrace.wordpress.com and http://fourletterwords.org.
About the Giveaway:
Bill is celebrating the new Kindle edition of Four Letter Words (for only $4.99)! He’ll be traveling coast to coast over the next few weeks on this virtual book tour and he's celebrating by hosting a great giveaway!
Click here to find out how you can win two gift certificates to Amazon (in the amount of $50 and $25) and free downloads of his yet-to-be-released title, Recession-Proof: Living a God-Blessed Life in a Messed Up World.
A must-have for every young woman headed off to college, this comprehensive guide to personal safety covers everything from daily life to more serious threats on campus. Safety expert and speaker Kathleen Baty offers young women essential advice for protecting themselves in the dorm, at parties, on Facebook, during spring break, and while studying abroad. She also advises on sexual harassment, domestic violence, and self-defense. Written in a friendly, accessible tone, and packed with checklists, personal anecdotes from students, safety secrets, and invaluable resources, College Safety 101 is the handbook every college student needs on her nightstand, and a priceless gift for high school grads.
My Thoughts:
Hand a teen a book that even looks like a safety instruction manual, and you will see the eyes roll and the "I'm not reading this - everyone knows how to be safe" look appear. I know - I have a teen leaving for college soon.
When I got this book, I wanted to read it and to see what safety issues I might have missed that could clue her in on. So, in somewhat the same mindset that my teen had, I sat down to read it. All I can say is "WOW!" Written in a conversational tone, this book is not only instructional, but engaging. It is written by a stalking victim that speaks to teens at their level and addresses things like the first month of college life, parties, road trips, dorm life, credit cards... everything a teen will be faced with in their new phase of life.
The book is written so it doesn't have to be read cover to cover, but instead, is broken down into chapters. Going on a road trip? Skip to the chapter that deals with it. It covers many essentials: ie: what should be taken, what to do in an emergency, etc.
Each chapter starts out with a true story in which someone was either victimized or could have been. The chapter then deals with what to do to prevent things from happening, or what to do in certain situations when you can't prevent it. There are even fun exercises that the teen and her roommate can do to increase awareness.
Honestly, even as a seasoned adult with a child already in college, I learned things: I didn't know that security reports for colleges were posted for the public and until now, I didn't have the first clue what one would do if they were a victim of identity theft.
Truly an amazing book that should be read not only by teens but every woman!
This book was supplied through the Amazon Vine Program for me to honestly review.
In today’s divisive culture-war society, when news stories about separation of church and state thrive with controversy, one cutting-edge Christian ministry is having remarkable success spreading the Word of God. What makes it remarkable? They are doing it by distributing Bibles in public schools—legally.
Carl Blunt is the president and CEO of TheLifeBook Movement, a Christian mission centered on Blunt’s own contemporary, youth-oriented edition of a portion of the Bible called TheLifeBook, a unique presentation of Scripture designed to engage high school students with the truth of God’s Word. TheLifeBook presents a brief overview of the Old Testament and theBook of John using an interactive format with honest student comments and real-life questions in the margins. Readers are drawn into the only story that can change their lives forever.
Founded by The Gideons International as an innovative strategy to reach high school students with God’s Word, TheLifeBook Movement works in collaboration with churches throughout the country to provide the books for free to high school students. Blunt’s organization brilliantly threads a separation-of-church-and-state loophole by getting his publication into the hands of Christian high school students and having thempass the books out to classmates at school—a practice that is entirely legal, as long as the books are not distributed by school staff or other adults. Blunt says, “It’s like we’re helping students smuggle God’s Word into a closed country (public high schools) to reach an unreached people group because studies show that only 4% of today’s teenagers are Bible-believing Christians.”The goal is to ensure that every student in every high school in the United States has an opportunity to receive the gift of TheLifeBook. This approach presents a phenomenal opportunity to impact a generation with the good news of Jesus Christ.
TheLifeBook Movement is best described to students as a week-long mission trip to their local high school. Local churches work together in targeted areas to ensure TheLifeBook is offered to every student in each chosen high school. All churches involved receive the books at no cost from TheLifeBook Movement and provide the books, along with some evangelism training, to the students in their youth groups. The students then spend a week passing them out to their friends and classmates at school. One student who received thebook said, “I got one today. I read it in almost every class today. I like it. It’s pretty neat and other people asked to look at it and then asked where to get one.”
Flying under the radar since its inception last fall, TheLifeBook Movement is rapidly closing in on distribution of more than 300,000 copies in public high schools across 21 states and even the British Virgin Islands.A quiet success, indeed, but extremely ambitious, TheLifeBook Movement has an ultimate goal of distributing TheLifeBookto nearly 18 million high school students when all is said and done. And, so far, the outlook is extremely promising.
We have two teens in our family, one in college and the other high school, so we put this book to the test with both age groups to see what would happen. The design of the book itself seemed to draw the all of the teens in. The notes and comments on the sides of the pages and throughout the whole book kept the teens interested, and we heard many make comments like, "Yah, I wondered that, too" or "That's just what I thought". The book was passed around a lot, and the kids seemed to really enjoy how it was written. It didn't seem as much like a Bible, as it did a conversational piece - making this book much less likely to be turned down than if you handed a teen a Bible.
I really wasn't sure how I would feel about this book, but I see it works! It really looks like a bunch of kids have made notes since there's 4 different hand writing styles from 4 different people. The text itself is circled, underlined, arrows drawn, notes all over.
This really is quite an interesting way to get the Word into the hands of teens!!!
This book was supplied by B&B Media for me to honestly review.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Cat Hoort, Trade Marketing Manager, Kregel Publications for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rusty Whitener is a novelist, screenwriter, and actor. His first screenplay, Touched, won second place at the 2009 Kairos Prize at the Los Angeles Movieguide Awards and first place at the Gideon film festival. That screenplay soon became A Season of Miracles. The movie version of this book is now in production with Elevating Entertainment.
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Kregel Publications; Reprint edition (August 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825441919
ISBN-13: 978-0825441912
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
I didn’t set out to believe in miracles. Nobody does. That’s what makes them miracles.
The events of 1971 would pick me up in a tornado of changes and set me down in an amazing place of grace. As with Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, it would be a kind of homecoming, except that I would be coming home for the first time.
Around the middle of March, about the time my hometown of Silas started to escape the gray Alabama winter, Little League baseball would crowd out everything else for my attention.
I wasn’t alone. Those days, Little League in our county was akin to a small-town parade down Main Street. Everybody went, not really expecting to see the remarkable so much as the familiar. Pretty near every boy in town played the game. And most every player’s parents went to watch, clap, groan, and cheer.
Little League is a game played by Charlie Browns and Joe DiMaggios. Most children that age are Charlie Browns, still struggling with how to handle an oversized pencil, let alone how to grip a baseball and hurl it a particular direction. They are likely to throw the ball farther from their target than it was when they retrieved it. They even look like you imagine Charlie Brown would, running in preadolescent distress to recover the ball they just threw in the wrong direction. On the weaker Little League teams, Charlie Browns mosey around the outfield, and DiMaggios man the infield. Players who hit the ball over the infielders’ heads usually have an easy double. Stronger teams have a DiMaggio anchoring center field, or maybe left. If anyone better than Charlie is in right, then either the team is stacked with talent or something magical is going on. Maybe both.
I don’t remember ever not being able to hit the ball into the outfield. I didn’t think much about it, really, except for the basics: relax, breathe, don’t swing so hard, don’t pull your head. Bring the bat to the ball and drive it on a line. I was a little tall for my twelve years, but I also had something much better than size. Confidence. I knew I could hit the ball, and hit it hard. Not every time, but most of the time. And batting over .500 with power will scorch any league.
I was the best hitter I had ever seen. Until 1971.
It was a cool Saturday in mid March. I called my best friend, Donnie White, and he called Batman Boatwright and Jimmy Yarnell. I really didn’t spend a lot of time with Batman and Jimmy throughout the rest of the year. Just spring and early summer. When Little League season came into focus, so did Batman and Jimmy.
I always took the back way to the old field, cutting through woods so thick and dark it was like traveling and hiding at the same time. My wicked cool Sting-Ray, with butterfly handlebars and a fat banana seat covered in leopard spots, gave me an edge in races with the guys. But in woods that thick, I’d just get to pumping the pedals hard before I’d have to dismount and negotiate the bramble bushes and low hanging, cobwebbed pines that duped nature by growing with so little sun.
Sawdust wasn’t real keen on those woods. A hound-collie mix, he had followed me home two summers before and decided I needed him. Through these woods, along the rough path of moss and bracken, he got nervous when I had to stop the bike and walk. He looked back and forth and around, seemingly wary that something might sneak up on us. He barked his approval when we climbed the last ridge and tumbled out of the sun-spun shadows crisscrossing our wooded trek and into the sun’s soaring shine over the ancient baseball field behind Mill Creek Fire Station.
It wasn’t a real baseball diamond anymore, just a big space of worn-down grass. But it was enough of a practice field for us. There was even an outfield fence of sorts, a lot of chain no longer linked. A backstop someone put up years before helped us out. If the ball got by the hitter, it caromed off the chain links and dribbled in the general direction of the pitcher. If it didn’t get a good enough carom to send it close to the mound, the batter picked it up and tossed it back to the pitcher. Who needed a catcher?
Donnie, Batman, and Jimmy were already there, tossing the ball in a triangular game of catch.
“It’s about time, Pardner!” Donnie raised his arms in a “what’s the deal?” gesture. “We’re startin’ to take root here.” He dropped his arms and threw the ball too high in Jimmy’s direction. Jimmy threw his glove after the ball, and then turned to look at Donnie like he couldn’t believe he put up with a friend who threw that poorly.
“Sorry,” said Donnie with a big smile. “Too high, I guess.”
“Zack,” Jimmy said, turning to me, “can you tell this guy about cool?”
“What do I know about cool?” I said, not really asking.
Sawdust barked at Jimmy and Batman, darting between the two. He made quick little circles around Jimmy, like they were old friends. They weren’t.
“Whaddya always have to bring the mutt for?” Jimmy sounded seriously miffed.
“Sawdust likes chasing the balls,” I said.
“I know that,” said Jimmy. “He gets ’em all slimy.”
Batman drawled, “He’s got your glove now, Hoss.”
Jimmy gave a squawk and bounded after Sawdust, who was running in large circles back and forth across the field.
“I’ll make a glove outta you, ya mutt!” Jimmy’s threat broke us up, and I laughed pretty hard until I saw the new kid. At first, I thought something was seriously wrong he was so still. He sat at the base of a tree, his back ramrod straight against the trunk, his legs straight out from his body, arms at his sides. He looked almost unreal, not moving his head, stock-still, eyes frozen. Not moving anything.
“Whatcha looking at, Pardner?” Donnie gave nicknames to people he really liked, and people he struggled to like. Come to think of it, that’s just about everybody. He once told me it was hard to call someone by a good nickname and still not like them. Donnie wanted to like everybody.
“That boy,” I said, “over there.”
“Oh man, he don’t look so good.” Donnie stared. “He even . . . is he alive?”
“What kind of a question is that?” I said, still staring at the kid under the tree, who still had not moved. “Of course he’s alive. I mean . . . don’t you think?”
Batman jogged up to us. “Are we gonna play or what?”
“Look at that kid over there.” Donnie pointed with his gloved hand.
“I see him,” Batman said. “So what?”
“Is he alive?”
“Whaddya mean?”
“I mean he doesn’t look alive.” Donnie said the words slowly, as if he were announcing something important, like the moral at the end of a story.
“Well he’s not dead,” said Batman.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Because he sits there like that all the time. I’ve seen him before, when we come here to play.”
“Really?”
“Lots of times,” Batman said. “I think he’s a retard.”
“Come off it.” Donnie looked at Batman and shook his head, like he was disappointed in him.
“It’s the Forrester kid,” Batman said. “Everybody knows he’s touched.” Batman was blowing massive bubbles and struggling to move the gum to the side of his mouth so he could talk. “Don’t tell me ya’ll haven’t seen him at school.”
“I seen him,” said Donnie.
“I don’t think I have,” I said. “How come, you reckon?”
“Maybe ’cause you’re always looking at Rebecca Carson,” Batman joshed. “Anyway, he’s touched.”
Batman decided to pluck the wad of gum out of his mouth and hold it in his free hand, a rare move he reserved for emergencies. “Serious problems,” said Batman.
“Okay,” said Donnie, “serious problems, but we don’t have to call him—”
“Hey guys,” I said. “Guys, I think he’s coming over here.”
The Forrester kid was on his feet, walking toward us.
“Holy metropolis,” Batman whistled. “Look alert, Batfans.”
Jimmy ran up, holding his glove away from his body, between a thumb and forefinger, the leather shiny with Sawdust drool.
“This is so foul, ya’ll. I can’t play with this nasty thing. Do ya’ll . . . do ya’ll know that fella is coming over here?”
“Yeah Jimmy, we know,” I said.
“Do ya’ll . . . do ya’ll know he’s a retard?”
“He’s not a retard. He has some problems, that’s all,” said Donnie, loudly.
“His problem is he’s a retard—and his dad’s a drunk, ’cording to my folks.”
I really don’t think Jimmy meant to say anything mean. That’s just the way he was. Shoot from the lip and take no prisoners.
“Shut up, Jimmy,” Donnie’s voice was a sharp whisper now. “There’s nothing wrong with his ears.”
Rafer Forrester walked straight up to me, stepping up close, his face no more than a foot from mine. The other kids instinctively took half-steps back, clumsily trying to give me more space. Sawdust sauntered into the picture, sat down razor close to Rafer and put a paw on the boy’s shoe. Without looking, Rafer put his hand on the dog’s head and stroked it.
“Hey,” I said quietly. “How’s it going?”
I guess I hadn’t really expected an answer. But I did expect him to say something. After some long seconds he did.
“Hit.”
“You wanna hit?” I asked.
Silence.
“You wanna hit?” I said again.
“Hit. Rafer hit.” His face was still devoid of expression.
I heard Jimmy’s voice behind me. “I think the fella wants to try to hit the baseball.”
“You mean the ball?” I held it up in front of me, about six inches from his eyes.
“I don’t think he’s blind, Zack-man,” Batman said, his voice joining Jimmy’s in a nervous flutter of laughs.
“All right, guys,” said Donnie. “Hey, Pardner, why don’t you let him try?”
“Oh, come on, Donnie,” Batman said. “Jimmy and me gotta go in about thirty minutes. We don’t have time.”
“Let him try, Pardner. Just a couple of tosses.” Donnie was already walking toward home plate. “I’ll catch so we don’t have to keep fetching the balls.”
I looked right in Rafer’s eyes. “You want to hit the baseball a little?”
“Rafer hit.”
“Okay, Rafer. Do you wanna take the ball yourself”—I pressed the ball gently in his hand—“and just toss it up in the air and hit it?” I figured he could do that. Hitting a pitched ball didn’t seem plausible, no matter how slow I tossed it.
“Rafer hit.” He pushed the ball back at me.
Batman moaned and sat down on the ground. “C’mon guys, we’re wasting time.”
“Okay, I can pitch it,” I said.
Rafer walked slowly toward home plate and picked up the bat. Donnie was already crouched behind the plate calling to me. “Okay, Pardner. Toss it in, and Rafe here is gonna knock the cover off the ball. Here we go, Pardner.”
Rafer stopped in front of Donnie and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Zack pitch. No Pardner.”
Behind me I heard Jimmy’s chuckle. Batman, sitting on the ground behind the pitcher’s mound, laughed so hard his gum started slipping down the back of his throat. “Oh . . . oh, my gosh. I almost swallowed it, ya’ll,” he managed to say.
Donnie just smiled real big at Rafer. “That’s right, Rafer, my buddy. He is Zack.” Then, rocking back and forth in a low catcher’s crouch, he called to me. “Okay, Zack, just toss it in gentle-like.”
So I did. I tossed the ball underhand, as slow as I could, across the plate. As fat a pitch as I could make it.
Rafer didn’t swing. He watched the pitch the whole way and the bat never left his shoulder. Donnie threw the ball back to me, and I tossed it again. Again, no swing.
From his spot now reclining on the ground, his head resting on his glove, Batman’s groans were like a sick boy’s. “Oh, guys. We’re gonna be here all day. And we gotta go home soon.”
“Batman,” said Jimmy, “if we gotta go home soon, then we can’t be here all day.”
Jimmy crashed on the ground next to Batman, resting his head on his glove. Then an odd expression invaded his face. He bolted upright, frantically wiping dog spit from the back of his head. “Oh, that’s stinking! Oh, that’s so raw!”
Batman just groaned again.
Donnie called to me, “Maybe you need to get closer, Pardner . . . I mean Zack. You know, toss it from a shorter distance.”
As I started to step off the mound, Rafer bellowed, “No!”
I froze.
“No!” he said again. “Zack pitch. Rafer hit.”
“Okay, okay.” I got back on the mound. I tossed it again, underhanded, only this time as the ball was crossing home plate, Rafer caught it with his right hand. He dropped the bat. For several seconds he did not move. “Zack pitch,” he said again as he started moving through an elaborate windup, turning his body like Tom Seaver and kicking his leg high like Juan Marichal, coming down with his throwing hand over the top. The ball rocketed from his hand to my glove, which I reflexively raised to protect my face.
Dead silence.
Then Jimmy drawled, “Well, good night, ya’ll.”
Donnie, barely audible, said, “He wants you to pitch it fast, I guess. God help us.” I wasn’t sure what to do. I had a strong arm from playing third base.
“Come on, Zack. Fire it in here.” Donnie was suddenly confident about the situation.
“Can you catch it?” I asked him.
“Oh, come on, of course I can catch it. You’re not that fast, you know.”
That was all my adolescent ears needed to hear. I wound up and released, letting the ball spring naturally out of my grip. The ball crossed the heart of the plate in a white blur.
At least it would have.
Rafer dropped the head of the bat, quick like a cat, just in front of the ball. Coaches tell hitters to focus on getting the barrel of the bat on the ball, and let the pitched ball do all the real work, ricocheting off the bat. That’s what Rafer did. And my perfect strike was now a perfect line drive, streaking into the gap in left center field. It had just started to drop when it banged off the old outfield fence.
“Throw him another one, Pardner!” yelled Donnie.
“He Zack,” said Rafer.
“I know, I know, he Zack! I mean, he’s Zack. Throw him another one, Pardner! And put some real zip on it this time.”
I wound up and put everything I had into the pitch. Again, Rafer swung as if he were simply dropping the bat onto the ball in one quick, measured motion. The ball left his bat and left no doubt. It cleared the fence in left field, disappearing in trees ten or fifteen feet past the fence. We had never seen a ball travel that far off this field. Not even when Jimmy’s brother, a starter on the high school JV team, had tossed a few in the air and socked them as far as he could.
“Don’t throw him any more,” Jimmy hollered, climbing over the fence with Batman after the ball. “These are my brother’s balls, and he’ll kill me if I don’t bring ’em all back.”
Donnie ran out to me at the mound. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking? We can get him. I bet he ain’t on a team . . . I bet my silver dollar he ain’t. We can get him.”
I walked up to Rafer, still standing in the batter’s box, expressionless. “Rafer, how old are you?”
“Rafer twelve.”
Donnie went into a silent victory dance, a kind of jump and twirl.
“Do you wanna play on our team, on our Little League team, the Robins?”
“Yeah. I play.”
“Great,” I said, trying to stay calm. “Great, Rafer. We’re going to have tryouts, right across the street, at McInerney Elementary School. I pointed in the direction. Right on that field, this coming Monday after school. Can you be there?”
He didn’t seem to get what I said. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to say any words, he said three.
“Mack . . . and Ernie.”
“Who are they?” said Donnie. “No, no, you tell him we just want him.”
Donnie was standing right next to both of us. I didn’t know why he thought I was Rafer’s interpreter, except that I kind of felt that way too. Like I was a bridge between Rafer and Donnie and whomever.
“Who are Mack and Ernie, Rafer?” I asked.
“Mack and Ernie School.”
“Oh.” I smiled. “I get it. Hey, that’s pretty funny, Rafer.”
Only Rafer wasn’t smiling, and I worried about him not showing up for the tryouts.
“Rafer, can you be here”—I pointed to the ground—“next Saturday?” I figured I could walk across the street with him to the actual tryouts.
“Mack and Ernie,” he said without expression.
Donnie started to laugh and I gave him a sharp look. I was trying to get something important done.
“Rafer, I will meet you right here, next Saturday, by your tree.” I pointed. “Then you and me will go to tryouts . . . I mean, play some baseball together. All right? Saturday morning. Is that okay?”
“Rafer hit.”
“That’s right. Saturday morning, you’ll hit.”
“I hit Saturday.” I probably imagined it, but it looked like his mouth was turning at the corners in a small smile. Then he turned and started to walk. He passed his tree.
Watching Rafer disappear into the woods, I heard Donnie’s anxious voice. “We can’t let the other coaches see him bat. We gotta find a way to make him a Robin without, you know, without the others seeing him bat.”
“I know,” I said. “I’ll think of something.”
From a long ways off we heard Jimmy, sounding like someone you hear hollering when you’re in your house with the windows closed.
“I found it. Hey guys, I . . . found . . . it.”
My Thoughts
I absolutely adored this coming of age type story. With the storyline centered around a team of Little League boys, it was filled with humor and a myriad of emotions that a tween deals with in his every day life. It had me laughing out loud at times and then occasionally tugging at my heartstrings.
Zack, a 12 year old boy is the main character who befriends a "special" boy, Rafer, who is considered "touched". This relationship with forever change Zack and all his teammates teaching them the value of friendship, relationships, family and their faith in God.
This is one powerful story that will definitely stay with me for a long, long time. I has to be one of my favorites that I read this month, and possibly one of my favorites of all time! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!
How To Survive Your Freshman Year: Fourth Edition
Special Editors: Scott C. Silverman, Ed.D. and Frances Northcutt, Ed.M.
Publisher: Hundreds of Heads Books
ISBN: 9781933512310
Genre: Non-fiction
About the Book: (taken from Amazon.com)
How to Survive Your Freshman Year offers incoming college freshmen the experience, advice, and wisdom of their peers: hundreds of other students who have survived their first year of college and have something interesting to say about it. Based on interviews with hundreds of college students at every type of higher-learning institution across the country, this book has insights on every aspect of college life, including, what to take to the dorm, living with roommates, Facebook and other social networks, extracurricular activities, choosing classes, studying, going abroad, finances, food, the social scene, doing laundry, staying in touch with friends and family, and much more. Highly readable, much of the book consists of short snippets with some interesting insight and advice from the college students interviewed. The book also includes expert input from college advisors and officers.
My Thoughts:
This book passed through my teens' hands before I read it, so it was quite interesting being able to discuss this book before posting my review. My son just finished his freshman year of college, and said that this book would have been very useful to him last year. My daughter starts her freshman year next fall, and she was thrilled to find many answers to her questions in this book. She said it is going to be very useful to her.
I was very impressed with "How to Survive Your Freshman Year". It contains tons of useful information from what to take for college to having fun and being safe. It deals with many problems, has lots of great tips and lots of great advice (and some not so great advice). This book was written by other college students who tell the reader what college life is like and what to expect - surviving dorm life, studying, testing, classes, orientation, working, finances, etc. Some advice is given with humor and some is off color, but they come straight from students and are directed to future students. Like everything else, one takes what is useful and leaves the rest behind.
Both of my teens give this a "thumbs-up" and love this book. We all agree that this should be something that everyone entering college should read. Highly recommended!
Make sure to visit www.HundredsOfHeads.com for lots of great information about preparation for college, college life and life after college.
I received this book from The Cadence Group to honestly review.
