Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for April 2013

Jewel of the Old West: Review of All in Good Time by Maureen Lang

I can’t resist a historical romance set in the Old West, and Maureen Lang’s latest, All in Good Time, set in 1880s Denver, Colorado, doesn’t disappoint. all in good time cover (Also I really love the cover. She means business!)

Dessa Caldwell is on a mission to open a home for women who want to leave a life of prostitution behind. To fulfill her dream, she needs a bank to approve her loan application, and so far, no bank will take a chance on a charitable organization’s success. Hawkins National Bank is her final hope for a loan. An initial meeting with bank clerk Tobias Ridgeway gives Dessa hope that her loan might be approved, but it’s the bank’s owner Henry Hawkins who must give final approval.

Hawkins is skeptical about Dessa’s potential for success but he’s drawn to her passion to live and work in the city’s roughest neighborhood. As their paths continue to cross, both Dessa and Henry must decide if the secrets they are keeping about their respective pasts will keep them from their futures.

This was my first read from Lang, and I was most interested in the main character’s ministry to women leaving prostitution. The story developed a little more slowly than I usually like, and I had almost no interest in Henry Hawkins at the beginning. He’s a recluse because of the secret he keeps and comes off older than he is. I couldn’t picture him as the hero or love interest in this story, especially since I liked Dessa so much. She’s a strong woman with drive and determination, as well as a compassionate spirit.

But as the story progressed, I grew to like the direction it was heading, although the pace never did accelerate. But that doesn’t mean it was a boring book. Far from it. I’ve heard good things about Lang, and I have another of her books awaiting me in my to-read pile. I wouldn’t say this was the best book I’ve ever read, but I liked it enough to read more from this author in the future.

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In exchange for my review, I received a copy of All in Good Time from Tyndale House Publishers.

 

When you can't forget a face: DVD Review of Mother India

Global poverty is easy to ignore.

Until you learn its names and faces.

mother indiaMother India, a documentary releasing today, does just that, introducing viewers to a “family” of 25 orphans living near a train station in India. Filmmakers David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha traveled to India for two weeks last year seeking to tell the story of life as an orphan in a country where an estimated 31 million children are considered orphans.

“Each of these young lives is much more than a statistic,” Trotter said. “Every one of them has a name, a face and a story.”

That’s what I found valuable about this documentary–the personalization of poverty. Because as Scheinoha added, “The bottom line is statistics go in one ear and out the other. People need to hear stories and see the reality of what it looks like for millions of Indian children who are orphaned.”

When you hear one girl describe how she was tricked into having sex for money, and you see the tears she sheds over her rescue, you can’t ignore the plight of the poor and orphaned.

When you listen as another girl describes how she lost two of her fingers because of her boyfriend’s jealousy, and how she still grieves the loss of a baby–“I cut myself when I remember him”–you can’t go back to the way things were.

These kids, whose experiences have aged them beyond their years, are escaping the daily pain through drug use, sharing needles and dying of HIV and AIDS. They barely “earn” enough money begging and washing the floor of the train to eat each day.

Take a look at the trailer for a preview of the film.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa2GPfhd5wg]

Sometimes, the scenes are too much, and I want to forget.

But how can you look away when you’ve seen too much?

The filmmakers found themselves faced with this question. Their intent was to document. But when they got to know the youngest members of this group–a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old, siblings–they asked what else they could do.

Mother India is a sobering reminder of how extreme poverty is in many parts of the world. It is also a call to action to provide help for India’s orphans.

This is no pleasure film, but it is worth your time (less than an hour). And it will melt your heart.

For more information, visit www.31million.org.

GIVEAWAY

Word Films, distributor of Mother India, is offering a copy to you. Leave a comment on this blog between now and noon (Eastern) Friday, April 26 for a chance to win. I will pick a winner using Random.org and Word will send a copy of the DVD to the winner.

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In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of the Mother India DVD.