Review \\ Running for My Life by Lopez Lomong

\\ About the Book \\ Running for My Life is not a story about Africa or track and field athletics. It is about outrunning the devil and achieving the impossible faith, diligence, and the desire to give back. It is the American dream come true and a stark reminder that saving one can help to save thousands more.Lopez Lomong chronicles his inspiring ascent from a barefoot lost boy of the Sudanese Civil War to a Nike sponsored athlete on the US Olympic Team. Though most of us fall somewhere between the catastrophic lows and dizzying highs of Lomong's incredible life, every reader will find in his story the human spark to pursue dreams that might seem unthinkable, even from circumstances that might appear hopeless.

With perfect timing Thomas Nelson releases Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games, the incredible story of U.S. Olympic long distance runner Lopez Lomong. This book takes you from the lows of poverty and kidnap to the highs of qualifying for the Olympics. It seems unreal at times, but Lopez constantly reminds readers that his story is possible only because of God.

Lopez's journey to the U.S. is pretty spectacular, as is his desire to do everything he can to help his family and friends in South Sudan. 4 South Sudan is a foundation he started alongside World Vision to bring clean water, education, and healthcare to Sudan. The Olympics? Well, that's just a favorite past time.

I can't recommend this book enough.

Lopez is running in the Olympics today!! I will be cheering him on!

\\ Info \\
Title: Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games
Author: Lopez Lomong
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Number of Pages: 240
ISBN: 1595555153
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

Review \\ Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

\\ About the Book \\ Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.

Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.

\\ My Review \\ Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore caught be off guard. I won the book in a giveaway without knowing what the book was really about. A quick glance at the back cover gave me some concern, and I was quite sure that this book would not be among my favorites. But Dittemore's style and story kept me glued to the pages, and Angel Eyes turned out to be a suspenseful, engaging read all the way around.

In the first pages we're introduced to Brielle, a likable character who has faced some unnamed tragedy. Her emotions are raw and her reactions to the world around her are realistic. But a few chapters in we're introduced to this celestial realm, a realm of angels and demons, and the entire book shifts. At first it was hard to figure out or get used to. I don't read much fantasy (I'm a fan of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, though.) so Dittemore's imagined celestial realm is a bit much at first. I mean, you have a hard time believing it could be true, even though Dittemore strives to back most (but not all, because she clearly says that this is her imagination at work) of it up biblically.

And that brings me to the plausibility of it all. The Bible certainly talks about angels and fallen angels, but it is just one of those things that I try not to dwell on. It makes me uncomfortable and confused, and I prefer to take the stand that what is is and God knows what He's doing even if I can't see it, so I'll just leave it at that. I wouldn't call it ignoring the subject: I acknowledge that there must be angels because there are angels in the Bible, but I'm good at leaving it at that and not pondering where they are at or what they are doing at this very moment. 

Dittemore gives readers pause to consider that angels might just be circling us at this moment, living in human form (the terrestial realm), and fighting for us on behalf of God (or, in the case of fallen angels, Lucifer). It's an interesting thought, and Dittemore wrote it out very well, but I still feel a cautious grip that states, quite simply, that this is fantasy fiction. So, though Dittemore may have nailed every single thing on the head, she doesn't really know anymore than I do, based on the Bible, about the celestial.

All that aside, Angel Eyes is a really well written tale of a girl who discovers that she is not alone, that she has never been alone, and that she has purpose in a world that seems at first glance purposeless. It's empowering and inviting, and it's just plain fun to read. Next to Brielle, Jake is the most interesting and different character in the book. I mean, you know in young adult fiction there has to be some kind of romance going on, but at least Jake is different than most fictional males. And the idea that he knows more about Brielle's future than she does? Whoa. The ending is a total cliffhanger and I know I'll have to grab the second book in the trilogy when it comes out next year fast so I can get some answers.

\\ About the Author \\ Shannon Dittemore has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. The daughter of one preacher and the wife of another, she spends her days imagining things unseen and chasing her two children around their home in Northern California. Angel Eyes is her first novel.

\\ In Case You Were Wondering \\

Title: Angel Eyes

Author: Shannon Dittemore

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: May 29, 2012

Number of Pages: 336 (Paperback)