Book of Martyrs

Title: Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Author: John Foxe

Genre: Biography, Christian living

Age level: Adult

Characters: Martyrs

Plot: This book tells the true stories of Christian martyrs from the apostles up to the present day.

Precautions: The book includes many graphic and horrific accounts of torturous deaths and would not be suitable for children or for family reading.

Ratings: This book is very encouraging because of the steadfast examples and courageous legacy of these faithful Christians, but it's also very difficult to read at parts because of the awful suffering they endured.

The Secret Garden

Title: The Secret Garden

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Genre: Fiction

Age Level: 10-16 years old

Characters: Mary Lennox, Colin Craven, Dickon Sowerby, Martha Sowerby, Mrs. Sowerby

Plot: Mary Lennox becomes an orphan when her parents die in a plague in India (where she lives). She is sent to live with her uncle in England. At first Mary is sour, selfish, moody, and disinterested, but slowly she begins to open up to the place, and eventually, to the people. She grows to love the English moor and makes friends with Dickon, a Yorkshire lad who lives in a house on the moor with his 14-member family. Dickon teaches Mary about the animals and plants in the woods and gardens of her new home. She also hears of the secret garden, which her uncle locked up ten years before when his wife died. Mary stumbles on the once-buried key to the garden, goes inside, and determines to make vibrant again the untended, untidy garden. After a while, she determines to let Dickon in on her secret, and they plant flowers and tend the garden together. Mary also finds another surprise- her invalid cousin, Colin. He has lived a secluded life, constantly thinking about dying or becoming a hunchback. He is also given to tantrums; but Mary, with her fiery temper, proves a match for him. She becomes angry with his pessimistic, selfish, self-pitying ways, and declares that he never will turn into a hunchback. Colin has never considered this possibility. Once his attitude changes, his physical condition improves as well simultaneously. Eventually, Mary lets him in on the secret of the garden, and she and Dickon take Colin there, where he first walks. At the end of the book, Colin and Mary are both much changed for the better, and Colin and his distant father are reunited.

Precautions: In one part of the book, Colin chants about magic as they all sit in a circle in the garden. Also, one or two of the tantrum scenes might frighten younger readers.

Ratings: This book is an enjoyable read with quite a few insights into important truths of life. However, it is not written from a distinctly Biblical worldview, so although a wonderful story, it must be read carefully.

The Princess Adelina

Title: The Princess Adelina

Author: Julie Sutter

Genre: Historical fiction

Age Level: Older children and up

Chracters: Adelina, Hedan, Geila, Gisilhar, Regiswind
Plot: Adelina is a Christian maiden, a missionary's daughter, living in ancient Germany. She is going to be baptized, and although her mother wishes to be there, she cannot come due to sickness. Before Adelina can be baptized, though, the Christians scatter from the planned baptismal service because the German ruler has just passed away, leaving his pagan wife and religiously undetermined son in charge of the land. Adelina returns home just in time to receive the blessing of her dying mother.

Meanwhile, the Herzog's (German ruler) son, Hedan, is deciding how he will rule- whether he, like his father, will protect the Christians, allowing them to continue unmolested in their faith; or whether he will contend with them with pagan zeal. Hedan's mother, Geila, attempts to sway her son towards paganism and set him against Gisilhar, a Christian Bavarian chieftain. (Gisilhar wants to ask Adelina's hand in marriage but refrains because she has so recently been orphaned.) Hedan decides that he will not allow the Christians at Hochheim to continue meeting to worship God, so he rides to tell them of his decision and forbid them to continue to meet. However, something unexpected happens which changes his plans: first, he hears the sound of the church bells ringing, which reminds him of his father; and then he comes across Adelina tending to a wounded man in the woods. Hedan is transfixed. He admires Adelina's beauty but also her genuine faith and piety, and he determines that he will marry her. In honor of her (since she is a believer), he will not forbid worship of her God in his land. At first Adelina is hesitant and fearful (and unbeknownst to others, it seems that she has had feelings for Gisilhar), but then to help her fellow Christians, she agrees to marry Hedan.

However, Geila is against Adelina from the beginning and does everything in her power to make life miserable for her. Through false suspicions of infidelity on Adelina's part and his own jealousy, Hedan begins to distance himself from Adelina and her faith. She, though, is sorrowful, both because of his attitude toward her and because of the unrelenting persecution she experiences as a Christian among pagans.

Eventually, the tide of a battle is turned by Hedan and his Christian followers, but whatever might have been gained by the victory is empty when Hedan dies in a battle not long after. Adelina flees and founds a school. While she is there, Hedan's and her son is born.

After some time, a ship captain arrives at Adelina's school and presents her son with the Herzog's heirloom. Then the captain tells Adelina of her husband's rescue from the battlefield by two Christian men, recovery from nearly mortal wounds, and conversion to the Christian faith. The captain then removes his disguise- to reveal that he is actually Hedan! He brings Adelina home with him, and eventually Geila too becomes a believer.

Precautions: A few of the pagan traditions described might frighten or confuse younger readers.
Ratings: This book, based on a true story, is interesting, historical, and compelling! Adelina provides a wonderful example of a devoted Christian and a faithful wife, even under much-less-than-ideal circumstances and persecution. She is also a godly, femininely strong princess and a good role model for young ladies.

Beloved Bride

Title: Beloved Bride

Author: Bill Potter

Genre: History, biography, romance

Age level: Adult and family

Plot: This book includes the text (and explains the context) of many letters that Stonewall Jackson sent to his wife, Mary Anna. The letters tell a story of a Christ-centered, God-honoring marriage. The book provides a beautiful example of godly marital love and romance, and it is amazing how close in heart the Jacksons remained and how Stonewall continued to lead his wife, despite separation due to the Civil War. The letters are also interesting in that they shed light on some of Jackson's (and, representatively, some southern Christians') beliefs regarding the Civil War.

Precautions: None

Ratings: This book provides an inspiring example of Christian marriage. I would recommend it.

Stepping Heavenward

Title: Stepping Heavenward
Author: Elizabeth Prentiss
Genre: Devotional fiction
Age Level: Older children-adults
Characters: Katy, Mrs. Mortimer (Katy's mother), Dr. Cabot, Mrs. Campbell, Ernest, Amelia, Ernest and Katy's children
Plot: Katy Mortimer is a 16-year-old Christian who isn't really living out her faith much besides attending church. She is much more interested in worldly pleasures and finds Bible reading and prayer dull and dry. The book chronicles her life and, especially, her spiritual journey. Her father is killed, but her faith deepens as she observes her mother's godly and submissive response to the tragedy. Katy becomes engaged (against her mother's advice) but rues it and is glad she has been rescued (by breaking off the engagement) from such a marriage when she discovers the true character of her fiance. Katy also struggles through trials involving prejudice, friendships, respecting her mother, surrender, worldliness, jumping to conclusions, and growing and maturing in her faith. Eventually she meets the man God has for her to marry, and after a rough start to their relationship, they fall in love and marry. Katy begins the new adventure of being a wife and later, a mother. God teaches her many things through these new relationships in her life. The book draws to a close as Katy is nearing death and astronomically more spiritually mature than she was when the book opens.
Precautions: None
Ratings: This book is a great encouragement spiritually as the reader observes and sympathizes with Katy's trials, struggles, and joys.

The Little Boy Down the Road

Title: The Little Boy Down the Road
Author: Douglas W. Phillips
Genre: Christian living, short story
Age Level: Adult and family
Plot: In this book, Mr. Phillips, the president of Vision Forum Ministries, takes a thoughtful and Scriptural look at the precious and sometimes humorous business of family life. From pets to baby names to historical revisionism, Mr. Phillips discusses both his own family and Scriptural principles that relate to various aspects of family life. He shares many anecdotes throughout the book, which serve well to illustrate the topics under consideration.
Precautions: Mr. Phillips deals with several controversial issues. He always goes to Scripture to determine the Biblical viewpoint, but sometimes his conclusion is counter-cultural. (I agreed with him even on the controversial points, but most people probably wouldn't.) In addition, there are a few topics that, although not inappropriate for family reading, might not be understood by young children.
Ratings: This book is an enjoyable read and quite refreshing. I would highly recommend it.

The Confessions of St. Augustine

Title: The Confessions of St. Augustine
Author: Augustine
Genre: Christian living, autobiography
Age Level: Adult
Characters: God, Augustine, Monica
Plot: In this book, Augustine tells the true story of his life from his teenagerhood through perhaps his forties. He details many of the sins, from religious heresy to unchastity to rebellion, that filled his life prior to his salvation. He speaks of his involvement with the Manichean heresy, his love of worldly pleasures, and his rebellion against God. However, Augustine also tells of his mother's faithful prayers for his salvation. At long last, when he has tried many other enjoyments and obsessions but found none of them satisfactory, he comes to Christ and is saved. Augustine spends much of the book lamenting his many sins, but he also spends much of it praising and adoring his Savior and Lord. His love for the One Who saved him and Whom he now serves is very obvious. After much fruitless searching for something (or someone) to fill the void, Augustine delights in God and in His Word and in salvation; he finally has the fulfillment for which he longed. A quote from the book sums it up well: "Our heart is restless til it rest in Thee." Another statement from the book jacket is also an effective summary: "Augustine never thought of God without thinking of his sin, nor of his sin without thinking of Christ."
Precautions: There are a few statements scattered throughout the book that hint at Roman Catholic theology, doctrine, and ritual.
Ratings: I would recommend this book. It is encouraging, challenging, and convicting.

Becoming Me

Title: Becoming Me
Author: Melody Carlson
Genre: Modern-day fiction
Age Level: Teenager
Characters: Caitlin, Beanie, Josh, Zach, Clay, Andrea, Caitlin's dad, Caitlin's aunt, Caitlin's mom
Plot: Caitlin O'Connor has a lot of ups and downs in her life. However, her life isn't going too shabbily when one of the popular girls at school befriends her. Soon she's dating a popular guy . . . but she's also being tempted to compromise. Then her life basically crashes when she begins to strongly suspect that her father's having an affair. Around this time, Caitlin's aunt invites her to church. Caitlin has grown up in church but never actually accepted Christ as Savior. It's at her aunt's church's youth group that Caitlin becomes a Christian. Under the wise spiritual leadership of Clay, the 18-year-old youth group leader, she continues to take baby steps in her new faith. Just at this point Caitlin's life takes a major downturn into doubt: Clay dies in a school shooting. Caitlin feels that she will never again trust God and doesn't understand how He could let such a terrible thing happen. As time goes forward and life goes on, though, she realizes that Clay's life was like the seed in the parable- when it dies, it produces much fruit. Through Clay's death, the youth group is drawn closer together, the faith of many is strengthened, and many are brought to Christ. (As Clay's older brother Tony points out, though, Clay wasn't perfect and had once been a rebel. However, God turned his life around, and then he became completely sold out for God.) Caitlin's faith becomes stronger. She makes a commitment to purity. She talks with her dad, who never actually does have an affair. Then Caitlin finds out her best friend, Beanie, is pregnant, and Beanie's boyfriend wants her to get an abortion. Caitlin finds help for Beanie in Caitlin's aunt, and Beanie refuses to abort the baby. However, she's not sure whether her boyfriend will marry her or not. There the book ends.
Precautions: This book has a strong Christian message. My main precaution would be its relatively intense focus on the physical elements of romance, which might be more of a problem than a help for some readers. However, if you're already exposed to such things, this book might be a great help and encouragement to you. It definitely takes a frank look at some of life's more tough issues which confront teenagers, such as death, abortion, fidelity, purity, authenticity, and choosing the right thing even when it's hard. Clay offers a good example of a (relatively) mature Christian who is a Godly influence on those around him. The book is strongly pro-purity and pro-life; one poignant example of the pro-life message is when Tony explains that before Clay was born, his mom was considering having an abortion; but Tony's love for his (yet unborn) brother convinced her not to go ahead with it. Considering the great impact Clay's short life had drives home the impact of one life and makes one think- every time someone considers having an abortion, what is hanging in the balance?
Ratings: As said above, if you're already exposed to some of the more intense elements and topics presented in this book, it could be helpful and encouraging. Otherwise, it might be more of a harm than a help.

Welcome To Light Unto My Path Ministry!

We warmly welcome you to Light Unto My Path Book Reviews. The purpose of this ministry is to provide you with Christian reviews on books in our society. As Christians, it is our responsibility to know what goes into our minds and thoughts through way of books. In today's society, there are very few books that uphold Christian values. It is important that if you have children, you know what they are reading. Parents, this is why we are reviewing a wide variety of children's and teenager's books. It is absolutely essential that you protect your child. For those who do not have children but love to read, we are reviewing a lot of popular and entertaining books that are perfect for you. Under each month is a link to a specific book that was reviewed. It has a picture of the book with several categories that describe the book. This will help you to choose a book wisely without having to go down the aisles of the local bookstore or library searching for a good book. We hope this website is a great resource to all of those book lovers out there. If you want to become saved or aren't sure about your salvation and want to learn more information about it, please read the article after this. Our first priority is to see people saved by the grace of God. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask. God Bless!

How To Become A Christian:

Becoming a Christian is the most important decision of your life. The three basic parts of salvation are admitting to God that you are a sinner, believing that Jesus died for your sins, and committing your life to God. If you have never heard the story of Christ, we will give you the brief version. Jesus Christ is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" who was sent by God onto this earth to pay for your sins. You see, Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sin can be as simple as telling a small lie, or as big as murder. God loved you enough to send his own son to die on a cross for your sins (John 3:16). That's pretty impressive. Jesus promised that if you become a follower of him (the first step is salvation), you will be with him forever in heaven after you die. We are not going to give you an exact prayer to be saved, but make one up from your heart. It means so much more to God if it comes from your heart instead of something we said. Also, we encourage you to read the best book ever known to man, the Bible. If you don't have one, you can go online to http://www.biblegateway.com/. If you have any more questions about salvation feel free to ask us under the comment section.

Eragon

Title: Eragon

Author: Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: Older child/young adult
Characters: Eragon, Sapphira, Brom, Arya, Angela, and Murtagh
Plot: Eragon is a teenage boy who has spent his whole life in Palancar Valley. Raised by his uncle, who is now a widower, Eragon lives on a remote farm with his uncle and older cousin. While hunting in The Spine, a wild mountain range, Eragon, through an unexpected series of events, finds a strange blue stone. He takes it home with him and later tries to sell it but discovers that it isn’t valuable.
Eragon has always enjoyed and been fascinated by the tales of ancient history. He himself is thrust into them when one night the “blue stone” cracks open and a dragon emerges. Afraid of others’ opinions and antagonism (since dragons are quite rare), he attempts to hide the dragon, whom he names Sapphira. This endeavor is successful until his uncle’s farm is burned to ashes one day while Eragon is away from home. Plagued by guilt because those who destroyed his uncle’s farm were hunting for Sapphira, Eragon leaves on a vengeance quest immediately following his uncle’s death. Brom, the wise but stern village storyteller, joins Eragon and trains him in the arts of magic and sword-fighting. Eragon discovers that he is talented in both of these areas and learns quickly, although not without making occasional (and sometimes costly) mistakes. Through adventure and peril, Eragon and Brom search for the murderers, rescuing an elf, Arya, along the way. Eragon also meets and becomes friends with Angela, a quirky witch who is kind to him and predicts his future. Brom dies, and Eragon, joined by a mysterious comrade named Murtagh, continues the quest. Meanwhile, Eragon, as one of the last remaining dragon riders, wrestles with decisions about where to place his loyalties. The corrupt king hates dragons and dragon riders who are not allied with him, but Eragon is unsure whether to join the elves or the Varden. He finds refuge in a dwarf city. The book draws to a close in a huge battle.

Precautions: Although adventuresome with a fascinating plot, this book has too many objectionable elements to make reading it worthwhile. Angela, a witch, is portrayed as a good character who is sympathetic to Eragon. This confusion of good and evil might confuse younger readers and is definitely contradictory to a Biblical worldview. Also, the basic theology/philosophy permeating the book is counter-Biblical. Brom (a "good" character) teaches Eragon morally ambiguous lessons (i.e. stealing is sometimes permissable). Eragon, although the hero of the book, consistently lies, deceives others, etc. and does not seem repentant afterwards. Arya shows a complete lack of Biblical femininity (Biblical femininity is, in essence, what a woman should be like according to the Bible- character qualities she should exhibit, etc.). There are also a few suggestive scenes in the book (for instance, when Eragon heals Arya). Although the character handles the scenes well and does not succumb to temptation, the reader is prompted to wonder why the author chose to include such things in the first place. When Brom dies, the only thing for Eragon to do is to immortalize his grave and say a last farewell, accompanied by a vague hope for the hereafter. In addition, magic and spells are made to seem attractive and alluring. There are a few bright spots and thoughtful, wise insights scattered throughout the book, but they are few and far between, and several of the shining elements seem actually to have been plagiarized from works by other authors.

Ratings: I would not recommend this book except as a example in fantasy of the emptiness of a worldview devoid of God. Although Eragon has some interesting parts and is definitely adventuresome, it lacks a sound theological/philosophical base. Many other fantasy works have been written that are much more worthwhile to read.

Baby Alicia Is Dying

Title: Baby Alicia Is Dying

Author: Lurlene McDaniel

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: Young Adults

Characters: Desi, Alicia, Valerie, Aunt Clare, Carrine, Brian, Sherrie, Matthew, Gayle, Eva, Sadie, Tamara

Plot: Desi was an ordinary teenage girl until one day her heart was touched by a baby named Alicia. Her Aunt Clare had taken her to Childcare, a home where abandoned HIV positive babies are cared for. Desi works alongside Sadie, Gayle, Tamara , and her Aunt Clare. Here she cares for Baby Alicia by giving her baths, loving her, and playing with her. At school, Desi is made fun of because of her association with HIV babies who will probably develop AIDS. Brian, her lab partner, comforts her and encourages her throughout all of the trials and tribulations. Even Desi's own mother is concerned about her daughter working with the babies. Over time, Desi becomes more and more attached to Alicia. Then, Alicia becomes sick one day and ends up in the hospital. Within a matter of time, Alicia passes away. Desi is heart broken. After Alicia's death, Desi is confronted by Alicia's mother. She explains to the young girl that she really cared about Alicia, but it was impossible to care for her as she was on drugs. The story closes with Desi returning to Childcare. A new baby has arrived at the center and the teenage girl once again becomes attached to another child.

Precautions: Lurlene McDaniel is a wonderful Christian writer. Throughout the entirety of the book, there are significant Bible verses and Christian ideas that go along with the story. This book teaches readers the importance of accepting others (in this case, those who have HIV). Also, it has an underlying message that states that even when those around you discourage you from doing something, it is always important to do what is right. When reading this, be sure to think of how it can be applied to your personal life. As a teenager or adult who is reading this book, you are tempted to do things everyday. This book is a great tool to show cause and effects of certain behaviors and practices. The only major precautions are for those who are younger. Due to the nature of HIV and AIDS, I would not recommend this novel for younger readers.

Ratings: Overall, this is a book that I would recommend. It is a great tool for showing people, especially teenagers, the causes and effects of doing drugs and other negative behaviors. Like I stated earlier, the author is a wonderful Christian fiction writer. Hopefully, this book will be enjoyed and many things will be learned from it.