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More Thoughts on Reading

Last night and the night before, I spent time reading a book that grieved my heart. At first, all I could think was "I don't like this book." But, then a friend reminded me of the book Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt. I went to my bookshelf and picked up Honey for a Woman's Heart. I turned first to Ms. Hunt's discussion fiction and then of autobiographies and memoirs. Both sections gave me much to think about.

The book I read is called Never Tell Our Business to Strangers by Jennifer Mascia. It is her memoir of her life. She is 3 years younger than me. The first half is the story of her life with her parents. The second is the story of her years discovering who her parents really were and her father's connections to the mob. Ms. Mascia's writing is good, though the conversations she relates are very long.

The world she lived in is very foreign to me, though we both grew up in Southern California at the same time. But, does her book tell a story of real life? Yes, though it's heartbreaking to read for many reasons, it does.

What grieved me most about the story was that the author grated on my nerves as she wailed about her life and treated her parents horribly--just as they treated her horribly. Neither respected the other though they claimed love for one another. And when she grew up, her choices didn't change.

The best way I can describe this book is that it portrays the depravity of man and life without faith in God. I was listening to Ravi Zacharias yesterday in the car after church and he told a good story--one that made an impression on me. It was the story of a man and a janitor, I believe, who asked to paint a picture of him. The man wanted to spend time with the other so he agreed. After a few sessions, the man's wife came in and saw the painting. She screamed. The man got up and went to see the picture being painted of him. He was horrified--it didn't look at all like him. The painter replied that he wanted him to see what he would be like if he doubted God and walked away from his faith. He wanted him to see life without God.

For me, reading this book reminded of what life is like without God--and I wouldn't want to live that way.
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