I'll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck

An incredible account of a journey shared by two men, Patrick and Justin, who had been boyhood friends. Justin had seen a Rick Steves program on the Carmino Santiago, a pilgrimage route of 500 miles in Spain. It leads to the Cathedral at Campostella where it is said that the bones of the Apostle James are buried. Justin was intrigued and decided that he would like to embark on this journey. There was one issue that proved daunting. Justin had been diagnosed with a neurological disease a number of years earlier that left him without use of his arms or legs. He would have to do the journey in a wheel chair. He asked his Patrick if he would accompany him and he agreed. 

The two planned the trip - ordering a specially made chair for Justin and getting the blessings of their wives and children. The book is a diary of that journey with some flashbacks to the history of their friendship and lives. It was eye-opening to read of their struggles and joys as they hiked the trails, many of which were just rocky paths. They met many other pilgrims along the way who helped them and became friends. 

It was an interesting book, but I wished that it had been more descriptive of the towns along the way. However, it was more devoted to faith, belief and the Christian way. There is a documentary that was produced from the videography that was taken on the journey. It further emphasized the ruggedness of the trails and the tribulations that were encountered. 

A quick read for those who may want to bolster their belief in the human spirit.   

The Transcendent KIngdom by Yaa Gyasi

Three fold in its themes, Transcendent Kingdom is told by a young woman, Gifty, narrator who is pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at Stanford University. Gifty was born in Alabama to Ghanaian parents who moved to the United States shortly after her older brother, Nana was born. The novel is told in chapters that move back and forth from her youth to her life as a scientist and are multi-leveled as she struggles to put together a coherent look at her life and family. 

As she attempts to complete the PhD and work with the mice whom she is studying with regard to the neural circuits of reward seeking behaviors and who are being shocked or given an energy drink to see which respond to not pushing a lever, her mother arrives in town. In the throes of depression she moves in with Gifty and becomes a recluse in her bedroom. Gifty remembers this same behavior occurred after the death of Nana from an overdose. So intertwined are these reminiscences with the struggles of her life, including her religious upbringing and the racial slurs that she and her family endured. The abandonment by her father, "The Chin Chin Man" has also contributed to those painful memories. 

Throughout the novel Gifty attempts to work through all the conflicts she feels and is able to accept that just because she is a scientist, she need not give up her religion. She becomes open to friendships and even a romantic relationship with Han, her colleague at Stanford. The depiction of the addiction of Nana is both realistic and also forgiving. and enlightening. It is a condition that should not be viewed as a source of shame or criminalized. Through Gifty, Gyasi reminds us of the anguish that the addicted and his or her family suffer. It is heart-wrenching. 

The Transcendent Kingdom was one of the deepest books for its multi-themed approach that I have read recently. To hear Gyasi's lecture added to the complexity of the topics and themes. I have put Homegoing on my "to read list" for sometime in the future.

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

This book was chosen as the August selection for the Gables Book Club. Unfortunately, the member who was so enthusiastic about it became ill and could not attend. I would love to have had her perspective added to the group discussion. 

From the blurbs and promos about the book came this synopsis of it, "A man with a painful past. A child with a doubtful future. And a shared journey toward healing for both their hearts." That pretty much sums it up. Martin really is a master of foreshadowing and secrets. The reader first encounters Annie on a street corner selling lemonade. One suspects that there is a good reason for this as Martin alludes to her having a scar on her chest. Reese, the main character of the novel has left her a hefty contribution for the lemonade that he enjoys and as he leaves the money blows away and Annie runs into the path of a car as she is chasing it down. Reese is first on the scene of the accident and takes over with an authoritative command of trauma protocol. His background could be medical, EMS work, or a person who has suffered the same as Annie. 

In chapters that alternate between the present and flashback, we slowly learn about Reese and Annie's past. His story centers around his devotion to a childhood sweetheart, Emma, who suffered from heart problems and who had died awaiting a transplant several years earlier. Reese has had a hard time dealing with this tragedy and although the reader is not sure why, but seems to shoulder more than his share of guilt. He lives an almost hermit-like existence save for his relationship with his brother-in-law, Charlie, who is blind. The two work on restoring and building boats on the shore of Lake Burton, Georgia. 

Annie also has had her share of cardiac problems and lives with her aunt Cindy who has raised her since her missionary parents' deaths. She sells lemonade and crickets to help raise money for a heart transplant. For all that she has gone through, she remains upbeat, loving, and sweet girl. She sees the glass half full rather than half empty. Her description of the crickets gives the book its title. 

As the Reese and Annie's lives intertwine, the action builds toward a climatic operating room description of a heart transplant. It is dramatic and educational at the same time. There are some collateral characters, namely Davis, the owner of a Christian bar and "Termite," a soul in need of saving. The theme of the heart being the wellspring of life permeates the novel as well as many biblical quotations. 

The book was a fast read and probably the only one I have ever read that could be classifies as Christian Fiction. In nearly every chapter there is reference to spirituality and religion. I am sure it would find an esteemed place in a church library, but it is not what I would normally seek out to read. The ending, although shrouded in uncertainty, is fairly predictable. If one is drawn to Hallmark Channel movies, this would be a great read. For me, an ok one that was easy to finish and put down.