Tenacious by Jeremy and Jennifer Williams with Rob Scuggs

Tenacious is the story of how a football coach turned a team around. It's also about how that team turned a town around and left a lasting impression for generations to come. But more than anything, Tenacious is about having heart. It's about standing up and fighting hard even when the odds say you should be doing otherwise. This is a story of hope.

I enjoyed the book. It was an engaging read and a wonderful story. The story resonated with me because we all struggle, we all want to give up sometimes, and we need people like Jeremy and Jennifer  Williams to be there and say, "If I can bear my cross, you can bear yours."

I don't mean to say that the book is condescending in anyway, quite the opposite. And I found myself identifying with so many of the Willams' traits that, at times, it was a little beyond funny.

I think it's highly inspirational, and immeasurably valuable. Especially in this day and age when so many think they 'deserve' things, Tenacious is a bit of a wake-up call. And I dig it.

I received this book through Thomas Nelson's BookSneeze program in exchange for my honest review of the work.

Tracy Groot Spins a Riveting Yarn About Enemies Becoming Compatriots

In The Sentinels of Andersonville Tracy Groot aims to show that things are not always what they seem, not even the South during the Civil War of the United States of America. Groot masterfully tells a tale of how 3 unlikely heroes hatch a plan to stop the atrocities happening behind the walls of Andersonville's prison.

Once Violet Stiles finds out about how cruelly the Union soldiers are treated in Andersonville she determines to put a stop to it somehow. Sentry Dance Pickett, as well as Corporal Emery Jones are none too pleased with the conditions they also see as coming up far too short of Southern Hospitality.

Together the three hatch a plan the likes of which is not so well received by their fellow Southerners and puts them on the wrong side of an awfully big conflict. Still they persist and, through unconventional methods, are able to open more than a few eyes, but their journey isn't over yet.

Groot's narrative is an easy read. While she admits in her acknowledgements that there may be some creative license taken in the book it doesn't dilute the story any, and in many cases seems to enhance it. However, being that Groot seems to have taken her research seriously, it could just be the by-product of old-fashioned hard work.

I'd recommend this to anyone who is interested in the US Civil War, injustice in general, or just wants to read a real good book.

I received this book through Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review of the work.