Featured Review: The Message? by Avam Hale

Discuss the June 2015 book of the month, "The Message?" by Avam Hale.
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Paige Alvarado
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Re: Featured Review: The Message? by Avam Hale

Post by Paige Alvarado »

Nice review! I am always interested in a good God debate, but I tend to gravitate towards the athiest POV. For that reason, I am not too sure I would enjoy this one as much.
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dorebri2020
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Post by dorebri2020 »

This seems like a very thought-provoking book that provides different views of religion, and as a religious person, I am interested. I like how this book seems to relate to many people, regardless of their religious views. Congrats on BOTD!
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Post by ObsessedBookNerd »

Based on the review of the book this is not something that I would enjoy reading. I am not a fan of political thrillers. I also don't read books with religious content or beliefs. I will pass on reading this book.
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Post by gen_g »

This seems like an inspiring, albeit heavy, read. I actually like that religion plays a part here, but without proselytising. Thanks for the review.
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Post by AA1495 »

I am glad that the editing errors did not affect your overall reading experience. Congrats to the author on the 4/4 rating.
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Post by Duryen »

While I only read the book through the medical panel, the amount of correct specificity blew my mind. My younger brother suffered a TBI when we were kids and for a long time I researched the brain.

What I read, combined with this review, make me want to try reading the book. I read the "about the book" info and was worried I would find the reading tedious as a Buddhist constantly being given Christian books, but after I finish my current books I'll definitely give it a try.
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Post by _princess_manasi_ »

I enjoyed reading your review :D
And I also want to read the book . Thanks for your great review.
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Post by OliviaLouise »

Sounds like an interesting concept. There are plenty of books about people who claim to have been with God while in comas, but the books don’t always encompass the pushback they receive when sharing their story. I might check this out even though it’s fiction.
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Post by Benthic »

A book about spreading God's Love somehow weaved in a thriller? Sounds interesting and would love to read it.
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Post by Bles »

Seeing the cover of this book to some extent I thought that it's a paranormal but it isn't. The book has well-developed characters and great plot and yes I really want to read The Message? by Avam Hale. Nice review.
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Post by Wriley »

I was intrigued by the sample. This is definately a thinking book. I'm not sure how the plot unfolds but I like the idea of this story. A miracle that baffles doctors. I do think miracles can happen. The author seems very gifted.
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Post by Sanju Lali »

A thought provoking thriller about change and choice written to entertain and challenge readers can be found in the book "The Message?" by Avam Hale, which follows Leah Warner with two children who met a tragic car accident, and the same sent her into a coma and in the coma she claims to have been with God. I guess story is quite entertaining.
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Post by Florence Nalianya »

ALynnPowers wrote: 25 Mar 2015, 08:47 [Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Message?" by Avam Hale.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Avam Hale’s debut novel The Message?: A thinking thriller about change and choice was written with the intent to both entertain and challenge readers, and I am fairly certain that Hale has managed to accomplish such a task within the pages of this book. In a message from the author preceding the book, Hale states, “If I get even one ‘hmmm’ out of you I will have succeeded.” I definitely experienced a few moments of “hmmm” as I read this story.

Leah Warner was just a meek, mid-Western widower with two children when a tragic car accident sent her into a coma. Though her prognosis isn’t so great, after three weeks in an unresponsive state, a miracle occurs. Not only does she wake up, fully aware of her surroundings, but the external cuts and bruises on her body are practically healed, and her internal fractures are almost fully mended. Much to the amazement of her attending neurologist, she shows no sign of brain trauma.

But Leah also claims to have been with God while she was in her coma, and God has sent her back with a simple message to share with the world: He loves everyone unconditionally, and He wants everyone to set aside worldly possessions and achievement and just love each other as well. While Leah does not intend to endorse any particular religious affiliation as she spreads this message, she soon discovers that merely promoting such a simple concept of love and selflessness comes with consequences. Her message gets mixed up in philosophy, religion, politics, and economics as they all play a role in the lives of all Americans, regardless of whether or not they believe her story.

Despite my rather simple summary of the story, this book actually contains a variety of interesting characters whose lives and roles weave together to form the overall plot, which ultimately revolves around Leah Warner. Dr. Marcus, Leah’s neurologist, is my favorite of all of the characters. A man of science, but also a man of God, Dr. Marcus is a rather subtle hero in the book as he tends to be the one to bring all of the other characters together. He is also just a really nice guy, and I had a bit of crush on him as I was reading.

While this book is definitely entertaining, I wouldn’t exactly call it a “light read.” It will make you think about religious, political, economic, and philosophical ideas. The author is obviously well-educated and did appropriate research to discuss a variety of issues. However, I never felt like the book promoted any specific religious or political agenda. It was simply a very insightful, fictional story of how one woman came to believe in God from her own experience.

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. There were a handful of errors throughout the book, mostly in the form of missing periods at the end of short quotations, but these errors didn’t decrease the overall quality of the writing. They especially didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole. I recommend this book to readers who are looking for a book with deep meaning. Get ready to meet some interesting characters along the way.

******
The Message?
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Like ALynnPowers's review? Post a comment saying so!
Congratulations for this great review.Being with God while in a comma is one of everybodys dreams.The book isnt my genre type but I think am invested in this.
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Susmita Biswas
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Post by Susmita Biswas »

The Message? by Avam Hale seems so different and unique. The story is simple but has lots of 'hmmm' factors. I really want to know how she spread the message. What difficulties she faced. Congratulations on #botd.
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Post by cassiekeech2019 »

What a great plot for a book. Receiving a message from God to bring back from a near death experience. How we all need to love each other and stop worrying about Worldly possessions. Great review, thanks.
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