Review of This Our Faith

[Ellylion]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "This Our Faith" by John Leslie Hart.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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This Our Faith by John Leslie Hart is a book that will stir your deepest emotions. It starts from a crash. A tired driver wrecked into the wagon with wheat belonging to the Speng family. Their two young sons, Sydney and LaMar, got injured. Dallern Speng, with the help of another farmer, Arsle Klaybill, took unconscious LaMar to the local hospital and left Sydney to continue with the everyday farm tasks, despite his injuries. LaMar survives, but it turns out that he has internal trauma, as Doc Mooley informs the devastated family. Any more or less serious infection could kill the boy because there were not that many reliable medications in the 1950s. More than that, the Spangs, a family with six children, can lose their farm and all possessions to the Federal Land Bank. Also, the town plays with the decision to close their only one school. Sydney desperately tries to help his younger brother to get better. He sees two open graves under the show, knowing from experience that his vision can come true. Meanwhile, his mother does her best to persuade Dallern to make the right choice about the farm and keep the faith, which he refuses to do. Thus, the book presents an endless debate between faith and reason and studies the nature of a miracle.

I like that faith is not an abstract concept in this book. Mom has faith that Sydney can find and save his father in a severe blizzard. Robin Neeter, a neighbor, believes in her husband's words that Sydney "was born to ride." That's why she gives Sydney a valuable palomino horse and makes him mount on it, despite all his fears and past failures. At last, Sydney must keep the faith that he can change the future. Also, miracles come in many shapes and forms, leading us to the surprising twists and turns of the plot I prefer not to reveal to avoid spoilers.

What I also like very much is that it's a character-driven book. Of course, Sydney became my favorite. "I am just a kid," he says, but he finds an inner strength within himself to do extraordinary and even unbearable things. As the narrative unfolds, he grows spiritually and learns to choose rightly. All the mentioned above makes Sydney a role model for young adult readers. The development of Dad's character is remarkable. From the beginning, he is too proud, headstrong, and even violent. But he is not a bad person, for we should keep in mind that the real antagonist in this book is a hardship. The author masterfully shows how Dallern Speng's good nature leads him to the understanding of true values. The secondary characters deserve the highest praise as well. They may seem rude or superstitious, but, overall, they are the salt of the earth. Also, the ending adds a powerful accord to this wonderful book.

On the other hand, the book lacks a proper background, in my opinion. It makes the narrative more intense, allowing us to follow the events from Sydney's perspective "in real-time," but some explanations would be helpful. For example, we don't know the name of the town where the events take place. But this issue is negligible compared to all the positive aspects of the book.

I would be happy to award this outstanding book with a complete rating, but I found more than ten minor typos and errors. It led me to the conclusion that the book was not professionally edited. Thus, I was compelled to give it only 3 out of 4 stars. The lesser rating would be impossible because this book was written in the best traditions of young adult literature and, in my opinion, could be considered a modern classic.

I recommend this masterpiece to young adult readers who love adventurous books with a touch of paranormal. Adult lovers of historical fiction and family dramas would like this book as well. Considering that the book explores the questions of faith from different angles and with respect, I suggest that the book would be suitable for readers of different religious beliefs and non-believers. At the same time, the book has some violent scenes that might be troubling for a sensitive audience. However, everyone who went through a hard time while growing up would appreciate this amazing book.

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This Our Faith
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[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

The title of the book gave out a glimpse of the book. The author did marvelous well in writing this book. Great review.

[Unosthetic]

I liked how this book suits to all people despite its tricky title. But I wonder what does the cover symbolizes. Great review.

[Clare Jose]

Reading your review, I'm getting a really good feeling about the book . I think I would enjoy getting to know more about Sydney and his family.
Thank you for this wonderful review!

[Ellylion]

The title of the book gave out a glimpse of the book. The author did marvelous well in writing this book. Great review.

Thank you so much!

[Ellylion]

Reading your review, I'm getting a really good feeling about the book . I think I would enjoy getting to know more about Sydney and his family.
Thank you for this wonderful review!

Thank you very much, you'd love it!

[Ellylion]

I liked how this book suits to all people despite its tricky title. But I wonder what does the cover symbolizes. Great review.

Oh, it's a great and a special part of the story! Thank you very much for your kind words!

[zainherb]

Thank you for a wonderful review. The book sounds great but it isn't really my thing.

[Ellylion]

Thank you for a wonderful review. The book sounds great but it isn't really my thing.

Thank you very much for your comments!

[Ailakhu Yusau Aizhebiomon]

Your introduction is very captivating and made me so interested in reading the book. Thank you for this amazing review.

[Ellylion]

Your introduction is very captivating and made me so interested in reading the book. Thank you for this amazing review.

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[VictoriousReader]

Faith-filled characters — I love it. I love that the book is suitable for people of all faiths and religions. Your review was interesting.

[Ellylion]

Faith-filled characters — I love it. I love that the book is suitable for people of all faiths and religions. Your review was interesting.

Thank you very much for your comments!

[Sanju Lali]

An adventurous book with a touch of paranormal, which follows the strange events that Speng family. Thanks for your nicely written review.

[Ellylion]

An adventurous book with a touch of paranormal, which follows the strange events that Speng family. Thanks for your nicely written review.

Thank you very much for your comments!