City on Our Knees by TobyMac

Grammy Award winning artist, TobyMac, compiles influential stories in his book, City on Our Knees (2010), which is inspired by his hit Christian song by the same title. The stories are drawn from all over the world and range the past to present. TobyMac writes this book with the hope that we will be “inspired to see how just one person, or one small group, can be a mechanism for change.” He hopes that we will be able to step out of our comfort zone and make a difference in someone’s life.

An array of stories is included in TobyMac’s book. For example, he opens with the story of a young girl, named Alexandra Scott who is diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The four-year-old opens a lemonade stand to raise money for medical research to fight cancer. Shockingly, she earns $2,000 during her first summer. Others are inspired by her efforts and open branches of Alexandra’s lemonade stand across the nation. Other stories include missionary trips, college prayer groups, and the founding of orphanages.

TobyMac’s book is interesting and enlightening. The numerous stories provide many ideas and models for spreading faith and helping others. The book is a very fast read because each story is brief and direct. Prayers, quotations, and blog entries are included with each section. City on Our Knees is a great book that powerfully shows how individuals are capable of making a huge difference in the world.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Masquerade by Nancy Moser

Masquerade, by Nancy Moser, is an enjoyable combination of “The Prince and the Pauper, Titanic, The Age of Innocence, and Far and Away.” Set in the 1880s, this historical romance centers on nineteen-year-old Charlotte “Lottie” Gleason’s transition from a child of English wealth to a victim of poverty in America. Lottie’s parents arranged for her to marry a rich New Yorker. Lottie, along with her maid and close friend Dora, is meant to travel to America to meet her future husband. During the voyage, however, Lottie decides to switch identities with Dora. Lottie hopes to secure her independence and find true love. Instead, she is thrust into extreme poverty and crime. Her fairy tale plans are transformed into a tale of survival.

Moser does a great job juxtaposing what Lottie and Dora (impersonating Lottie) experience in America. Lottie is reduced from wearing elaborate silk dresses to picking up dirty blouses from the garbage. Dora, on the other hand, transitions from plain maid uniforms to tailored gowns. Moser goes on to compare the difference in bathrooms, dinners, people, sleeping quarters, and many of things. An enlightening view of poverty and wealth is vividly illustrated in Moser’s novel.

Masquerade is an entertaining and quick read. While a few sections of the plot are a bit predictable, the majority of the book is filled with suspense. Each of the main characters is dynamic and undergoes drastic changes. While I am not a fan of romance books, I truly enjoyed reading Masquerade. I strongly recommend this book to others interested in learning about what early immigrants to America experienced. Masquerade craftily merges a love story with an accurate history lesson.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”