PDF - Christian Library Journal

HIGH SCHOOL
NONFICTION
362.87’083’0973. Refugee children--Cuba; Refugee
children--United States; Refugee children--Services
for--United States; Cuban Americans; Refugees. 144
p. High school.
In this short book is a concise history of the
emigration from Cuba to the United States since
the 1960s. Leaving Cuba: from Operation
Pedro Pan to Elian, begins with, and uses
throughout, the numerous quotes of people,
young and old, who have left Cuba. Kathleen
Gay weaves these quotes into a simple and yet
compelling narrative of the situation in Cuba.
She states the political climate in the United
States and Cuba throughout those years
evenhandedly. Early in the 1960’s the children
were the ones who left Cuba. Gay explains at
this point in the book how the children received
the nickname ”Pedro Pan,“ referring to the
children’s story Peter Pan. Gay then goes on and
details the other major ”waves“ of adults and
children who left Cuba and continues her
narrative to the modern times with a review of
the Elian Gonzalez case.
The high school student doing research for this
topic will find the text easy to read and
understand, powerful quotes, notes that include
internet sites, books for further research, and an
appendix of United States-Cuban Relations
from 1958 to 2000. The students will identify
with the feelings of the young people that left
Cuba. The ecumenical attitude of the
participants is reflected in the author’s writing.
Bianca Elliott, Educator, Linwood, Kansas
800’s—Literature & Rhetoric
The poetry of John Greenleaf Whittier, a
reader’s edition, edited and introduced by
William Jolliff. LCCN 00037585.
Richmond, Ind.: Friends United Press,
2000. ISBN 0944350488, PAP, $18.00.
811’.3. Whittier, John Greenleaf, 1807-1892; Poetry,
American. 272 p. High school.
John Greenleaf Whittier, one of the most
outspoken abolitionists among the poets of his
generation, was born into a Quaker farming
family in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1807.
Although his early life was full of relative
hardship and isolation, his constant exposure to
the wonders of nature gave him a poet’s
appreciation for the beauties of the world around
him. Probably best known for the poem ”Snow-
Bound,“ Whittier struggled most of his life to
find a balance between his Quaker beliefs and
his longing for literary fame and recognition.
William Jolliff, the editor of The Poetry of John
Greenleaf Whittier, has selected fifty-six of
Whittier’s finest poems, including: ”Ichabod,“
”Snow-Bound,“ ”Telling the Bees,“ and ”The
Barefoot Boy.“ He organizes his selections in
four thematic groupings: the crusading
abolitionist, the nostalgic recorder of a vanished
rural past, the balladeer of New England history,
and the contemplative Quaker. Jolliff has
written an introduction to each section and a
headnote to every poem. While Whittier is often
passed over by modern critics, Jolliff’s
headnotes persuasively comment on why
Whittier’s poems remain of value to modern
readers. A selected bibliography is included at
the end of the work.
Lillian Heytvelt, Librarian, Pomeroy, Washington
900’s—Geography, History, &
Biography
★
Nate Saint : on a wing and a prayer, by
Janet and Geoff Benge. (Christian heroes,
then and now.) LCCN 98007287. Seattle:
WYAM Publishing, 1998. ISBN
1576580172, PAP, $8.99.
921 (266’,0092). Saint, Nate, 1923-1956;
Missionaries--Ecuador; Missionaries--United States--
Biography. 201 p. High school (Middle school).
Nate Saint was raised in a Christian home and
had two great passions in life—serving Jesus
and flying. He served stateside in the military in
WWII and found a wife, Marj, when he was
stationed in California. They soon joined
Christian Airmen’s Missionary Fellowship and
were stationed in Equador where Nate assisted
missionaries who served deep in the jungles,
often becoming their only lifeline to the rest of
the world.
In 1951 after many adventures and the birth of
two children, Nate flies his visiting sister,
Rachel, over the section of the jungle where the
fierce and isolated Aucas reside. Nate predicts
that Rachel will some day minister to them.
Four years and one more child later Nate and
four missionary friends, Ed McCully, Roger
Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Jim Elliott hatch a
plan to reach the Aucas. They decide to drop
gifts from the plane and then attempt to find a
meeting place. The gifts are dropped, a sandbar
on the river that will accommodate plane
landings is found, and five men’s families are
about to experience tragic loss as these Christian
servants heroically sacrifice themselves so that
the Aucas may hear about the saving love of
Christ.
Janet and Geoff Benge have done an excellent
job of relating the story of Nate Saint in this
entry in their Christian Heroes series. This is a
truly inspiring story of young men and women
who are willing to joyfully go wherever the
Master calls and to abandon themselves into His
loving care regardless of the consequences to
themselves. Especially uplifting is the last
chapter and the epilog in which the reader
discovers the surprising way that these deaths
open the doorway to the Aucas. Not for young
readers who may be frightened by the idea of
martyrdom but certainly appropriate (and easy
enough to read) for middle school and up.
Teresa O’Donley, Library Media Teacher, Scotts Valley, California
★
Jonathan Edwards, by David J. Vaughan.
(Men of faith.) LCCN 99006868.
Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2000. ISBN
076422168X, PAP, $4.99.
921 (285.8’092). Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758. 127
p. High school (Adult).
David Vaughan writes a quick-read that simply
and elegantly presents a history of one of the
greatest theologians and preachers in our
nation’s short history. This is one of the Men of
Faith books, good overviews of the lives of
important Christians. This title begins with the
background of Edwards’ family and progresses
with many insightful and appropriate quotes
from people of the time. A variety of detailed
quotes from Reverend Edwards himself help to
shape the understanding of this preacher.
Vaughan presents the political and religious
infighting that occurred in that period of history.
There is a brief mention of Edwards being
responsible indirectly for a suicide, but it is
explained in the larger context of Edwards’
dismissal from his pastorate. The text is
satisfactory for reading and the binding is
typical for small paperbacks. In the back of the
book is a chronology of Edwards’ life and
writings, selected biography section, and a notes
section. This would be very appropriate for a
church school or library.
Bianca Elliott, Educator, Linwood, Kansas
Restless spirit : the life and work of
Dorothea Lange, by Elizabeth Partridge.
LCCN 98009807. New York: Viking,
Penguin Putnam, 1998. ISBN
067087888X, HBB, $19.99.
921 (770’.92). Lange, Dorothea; Women
photographers--United States--Biography;
Photographers; Women--Biography. 122 p. High
school (Middle school).
Dorothea Lange is best known for her famous
photograph of the migrant mother taken during
the Great Depression. But her photography
didn’t stop then—this remarkable woman
continued to record the people, places, and
history of America through photos taken until
her death at age seventy. This engaging account
of her life portrays Lange’s restless spirit and
describes how her passion for photography
allowed her to capture, in revealing images, a
zest for life she both felt and observed in the
ordinary, sometimes sorrowful, lives of
everyday people. Equally illustrated with
photos taken by Lange and of Lange, the text
covers Lange’s childhood through her death in
1965.
The author, Elizabeth Partridge, is the daughter
of Lange’s assistant, Ron Partridge, and was
treated as part of Dorothea’s extended family.
Her text is enjoyable to read because it offers
both the facts of Lange’s life, as well as insights
into her character, enlivened by quotes from
Lange as well as her close friends.
Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea
Lange begins with a foreword on the story
behind her most famous photograph, taken in a
pea picker’s camp after the crop had been ruined
by freezing rain. It concludes with an afterword
on the author’s reflections and memories of this
remarkable woman, who called her ”Bitsie“ and
who both scared and inspired the daughter of
Lange’s assistant. The twelve chapters in
between recount Lange’s life in chronological
order, taking the reader through Lange’s portrait
photography, through the Great Depression, to
the internment of Japanese Americans, and
S P R I N G 2 0 0 1 5 6 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L