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Hero's Tribute
by
Graham Garrison (Goodreads Author)
Michael Gavin was a local hero, admired for his skill as a quarterback, his service in the military, and his work in the community. Stricken with cancer and on his death bed, Michael takes a leap of faith and entrusts his legacy to Wes Watkins, a reporter he'd never met, by asking him to deliver his eulogy. Wes accepts this unconventional offer, hoping to at least get a go...more
Paperback, 239 pages
Published
October 1st 2009
by Kregel Publications
(first published 2009)
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I completely and totally enjoyed this extremely moving book. I never saw the end coming!!!! I would like to thank the author, Graham Garrison, for how respectfully he treated our military. It was so refreshing to read a book, where the authors personal, political opinions aren't soaked into every other word. After reading this book, I couldn't tell you WHAT Mr Garrison's political viewpoint is! I would highly recommend this book, if you like engaging stories that grab you on page 1, and continue...more
Michael Gavin--football star, war hero and philanthropist--has died. Expectations run high in his small hometown of Talking River as to who will be the one honored to speak at his funeral. None of those expectations include an obscure local newpaper reporter, Wes Watkins. Why?
Wes Watkins and Michael Gavin never met each other, yet Michael leaves behind a written request that Wes deliver his eulogy. He also leaves Wes a list of names and one week to find out why.
The list, people from Michael's pr...more
Wes Watkins and Michael Gavin never met each other, yet Michael leaves behind a written request that Wes deliver his eulogy. He also leaves Wes a list of names and one week to find out why.
The list, people from Michael's pr...more
Wes is your ordinary everyday run-of-the-mill reporter. Michael is a decorated war hero who is losing his battle with cancer. Michael finalizes his wishes and chooses Wes, a man he's never met, to deliver his eulogy. Just how would one go about doing that when they knew nothing of this person short of the newspaper articles on him. Michael made it easy though. He left Wes a list of names of people to interview to make the perfect eulogy.
Through a series of unforeseen twists and turns, debut aut...more
Through a series of unforeseen twists and turns, debut aut...more
This book by Graham Garrison tells about someone that the complete town though of as a hero. He was the star on his high school football team, played for a major college, married the love of his life, served his country honorably receiving not only the Purple Heart, but also the Medal of Honor, came home and started an organization to help troubled and under privileged children. All who know him love him, the perfect man, with a perfect wife and family. As the book starts, Michael, our hero, die...more
I won this book through the firstreads program and am excited to be the first to offer a review on it. I will say that my first surprise was quite a pleasant one, when shortly into the story, it became evident that the book is Christian fiction.
What would you do if you never met someone and they asked you to write their eulogy as a sort of last wish? That's what happened to Wes Watkins, a sports reporter for the local newspaper. Small-town football hero and national military icon Michael Gavin,...more
What would you do if you never met someone and they asked you to write their eulogy as a sort of last wish? That's what happened to Wes Watkins, a sports reporter for the local newspaper. Small-town football hero and national military icon Michael Gavin,...more
When Michael Gavin died, he didn't know Wes Watkins and Wes Watkins didn't know him, but Michael, in his dying wish, requested Wes give his eulogy. Hero's Tribute details Wes's pursuit of the truth, his passion to give a man he doesn't know a eulogy that fits his character, both his attributes and his flaws. In the process of searching for the truth, Wes's life is changed. He learns that a person cannot be perfect, but still be a hero.
This is a truly uplifting story with an overriding theme of f...more
This is a truly uplifting story with an overriding theme of f...more
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't really know what to expect when I started reading it, but it kept me interested throughout. The characters in the book were interesting and kept me guessing about what they would reveal about the life of Michael Gavin. The author does a very good job of giving the reader just enough information to want to keep reading but not enough information to give away the ending. I can't say that I was surprised by the ending, but I did not figure it out be...more
I won this book through goodreads and had no knowledge of the book prior to that.
Michael, one of small town america's heros - star football player, decorated military hero, community leader - has had his life taken away by cancer. His last request is to have a local reporter, Wes, a person with an unbiased view of his life, provide the eulogy at his funeral. The story takes Wes through the positives and negatives of Michael's life and that of his family and friends. As his week of research unve...more
Michael, one of small town america's heros - star football player, decorated military hero, community leader - has had his life taken away by cancer. His last request is to have a local reporter, Wes, a person with an unbiased view of his life, provide the eulogy at his funeral. The story takes Wes through the positives and negatives of Michael's life and that of his family and friends. As his week of research unve...more
Dec 11, 2009
Eva Leger
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
the major of fiction readers
Shelves:
b-fiction,
first-reads
I don't have time to go into a long survey like I wish I could but this isn't a book to miss. I wouldn have never, ever, ever picked this up on my own. I won Hero's Tribute through FristReads and was very skeptical when I received it and saw that it's classified as Christian fiction. 'Don't judge a book by its cover' has never been more true for me than with this book.
I was pulled in from the first page and it never let go. I wish it had been longer. That is my only *complaint*. Garrison is a f...more
I was pulled in from the first page and it never let go. I wish it had been longer. That is my only *complaint*. Garrison is a f...more
view all 9 comments
I received a free copy of this book for review.
I imagine there are many people who will like this book. It is heartwarming, patriotic, and redemptive. In shares many characteristics with two books which I consider significantly better: The Buffalo Soldier and Good Night, Mr. Tom. All three deal with difficult human emotions, neglect, abandonment, adoption, and recovery. This book is just too sappy and simplistic for me.
This book is heavy on the US Southern suburban culture: football, patriotism,...more
I imagine there are many people who will like this book. It is heartwarming, patriotic, and redemptive. In shares many characteristics with two books which I consider significantly better: The Buffalo Soldier and Good Night, Mr. Tom. All three deal with difficult human emotions, neglect, abandonment, adoption, and recovery. This book is just too sappy and simplistic for me.
This book is heavy on the US Southern suburban culture: football, patriotism,...more
I am pleasantly surprised with this novel! After winning it from Goodreads, I didn't know what to expect. The summary of the story was short and very few people had reviewed it before I started reading. Of course, I was hooked after the first page. Wes, a newspaper reporter, was given the task of writer a eulogy for Michael, a small town's football star and Medal of Honor winner and someone Wes had never met. The book takes Wes on quite a journey has he uncovers the truth of Michael's past and h...more
I liked this book. It had a good moral to the story and the tag line on the book says it all - "What makes a man a legend?" The book is about a reporter who was assigned writing a eulogy for a small town hero although he had never met him. It basically uncovered all of the hero's past and why he truly was a legend. I would recommend this book to others, although it was a little slow in some parts
I thought this was going to be a football book. One like the movie Sandra Bullock just made (naturally I can't remember the title) but it went a totally different directions. Definitely a Christian book - had so much to think about and consider. You could see the consequences of different types of life styles and ways to approach life. Very enjoyable and peaceful book.
I'm sorry, it was a firstreads book I won but i just couldn't finish it. I struggled through half of it but the writing is just not good. It seemed like the author had thoughts in his head that he just couldn't express clearly on the page. I just can't waste precious reading time on a book I'm not at all enjoying
Imperfections and mistakes make people who they are and this novel was a testament to that reality. The character development wasn't indepth, but the journey of discovery was strong enough to make up for that lack of true connection with the characters. If you are looking for a little feel good inspirational reading, this book will certainly fulfill that need.
Just won through first reads! This looks like a great book..... I am excited to read it!!!
I'm feeling brief, so I'll be brief. Hero's Tribute is a look at the human condition that acknowledges, and even celebrates, the imperfections that make us human. Instead of main characters that do their best to overcome their flaws, Michael Gavin (who, interestingly, dies at the beginning of the book) accepts his flaws, embraces them, and teaches (from the grave, in a sense) Wes Watkins how to accept the flaws in himself and others, thus allowing Wes to stop hiding behind his career as a report...more
To be honest, I didn't really think I would enjoy this book as much as I did - I thought it would mainly be about football and the Army and stuff like that. But it really wasn't and it was a really good book. I'm extremely glad I gave it a chance but for some reason I'm not able to edit the part where it says I read it already. I don't know why. Either way, if you are debating reading it, I suggest doing it b/c you will be surprised. It's a little sad but also uplifting in a way.
This book took me a long time to read. I just couldn't really get into it. It had a good message, and the Christian aspect didn't bother me at all. It was actually kind of nice. But, I was quickly bored with all the football talk. It seemed to go on forever, play by play. To me, the book dragged on. I would recommend it for those who like high school football or Christian type books.
I'm not a big reader of Christian fiction, but this was fairly engaging and well written. The Christianity is present but not preachy.
Won this book through first-reads! Looking forward to reading it. I love the smell of new books!!!:)
*Thanks to Kregel Publications for providing a copy for review.*
Apr 21, 2013
Tammy
marked it as to-read
Dec 19, 2012
Kristen Mayfield
marked it as to-read
Dec 14, 2012
Rhonda Grable
marked it as to-read
Nov 20, 2012
Holly
marked it as to-read
Sep 29, 2012
Ginger
marked it as to-read
May 24, 2012
Becky
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirstReads Winners (or anyone else).... | 9 | 13 | Dec 11, 2009 08:35am |
