Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

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Childhood memories: Review of Running on Red Dog Road by Drema Hall Berkheimer

running on red dog roadAn Appalachian childhood in 1940s West Virginia comes to life in Drema Hall Berkheimer’s memoir, Running on Red Dog Road. It’s a delightful and whimsical look at a slice of life few people have firsthand experience with. The author tells stories of Pentecostal church meetings, gypsies and moonshine that seem bigger than belief but are told with such nostalgia and emotion they ring true. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my review.)

If you grew up in the mountains or are drawn to them, or if you’re interested in first-hand accounts of life lived differently than your own, then Running on Red Dog Road will be an enjoyable journey. It’s packed full of childlike wonder and mischief that brings a smile to the reader’s face. The details are vivid and engaging.

It’s a good choice for any memoir enthusiast.

A gift of words: Review of Faithgirlz Bible

I still have the first Bible I ever received, a Precious Moments edition with some cute illustrations to accompany the NKJV translation of the words. It wasn’t until high school, though, that I had in my hands a Bible I wanted to read (and could).

faithgirlz bibleAs our household has grown, so has our collection of Bibles and Bible storybooks. When our daughter started reading and needed a Bible regularly in her Sunday School class, I gave her the one I’d grown up with because it was the most kid-friendly complete Bible we had in the house. It soon became clear that the NKJV was not the best translation for an elementary school girl, and I really wanted her to have her own Bible.

When I saw the NIV Faithgirlz Bible available from Zondervan, I thought I’d get it for her. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the Bible in exchange for my review, through the Booklook Bloggers program.) Billed as a Bible for tween girls, around ages 8-12, some of the features are a little too grown-up for my 7-year-old, but she can grow into it.

What has been fun is seeing her embrace it as her own. She takes it to church. Looks through it and reads it at night, sometimes, and during Advent, she has been reading selected passages after dinner during our Advent devotions. The NIV has been much easier for her to read and understand. That’s what she likes about it.

As she grows, we’ll explore some of the other features in this Bible, like the quizzes and telling the Bible stories in her own words.

I know there is some criticism of the themed and topical Bibles, but as a parent of an elementary school girl, I’m excited to see how my daughter connects with the Bible on a level she is ready for.