September 15

I Give You Authority by Charles H. Kraft

August 24

I don’t naturally gravitate to memoir (I’m not sure why, but apparently this is the summer of reading them anyways!). But First Comes Marriage was so expertly woven that if I hadn’t met one of the characters in real life several years ago, I might ha I don’t naturally gravitate to memoir (I’m not sure why, but apparently this is the summer of reading them anyways!). But First Comes Marriage was so expertly woven that if I hadn’t met one of the characters in real life several years ago, I might have forgotten this was memoir. It’s not an arranged marriage story, but definitely not your typical American love story either. Typical is overrated!
Since I did not grow up in an Iraqi-American family, I loved the inside look at not only Huda’s upbringing, but also how her perception of that upbringing changed over time. I also loved the peeks into the variety and diversity of Muslim American experiences throughout the story.
My Christian readers will appreciate Huda’s conservative background, even if our own teenage and young adult years looked different. And you’ll appreciate also the struggle between culture and faith, between identifying how God wants us to live and the rules and expectations of society and culture and family. Those of us who have struggled to find a healthy view of sexuality post-purity culture will appreciate Huda’s struggle as well.
I think I was most impressed with the vulnerability and honesty Huda applied to her reflections on her past self. And I love the hope at the end of the story. “True love” and a healthy marriage aren’t dependent on having some flashy story, or even having the romance before the wedding. Love is a choice.
I laughed out loud, I cried (when you get to the parts about the students in the Internado and especially how they changed Huda’s home life you’ll see what I mean), and at the end of the day, I think if Huda and I met, we’d be friends. ...more

June 20

I don't usually gravitate towards memoirs, and if I wasn't familiar with the author I don't know that I would have picked this one up. But I've heard her speak - heard parts of her story - and knew this would be good. I looked forward to reading it, I don't usually gravitate towards memoirs, and if I wasn't familiar with the author I don't know that I would have picked this one up. But I've heard her speak - heard parts of her story - and knew this would be good. I looked forward to reading it, but kept saving it for a day when I could sit down and enjoy it with all my brain cells (or at least most of them!). In His Chrysalis did not disappoint.

It's a relatively short read and not too heavy in terms of writing style (which might make for the fact that the content is heavy sometimes!). Judy Perez Velazquez shares the story of her life through the experiences surrounding her dad's 32 year coma. It's a hard thing to hold in both hands: we believe in the God of miracles, the God who heals the sick and raises the dead. But sometimes, the answer to prayer doesn't come when or how we thought it would. It doesn't happen the way we would want, and it doesn't seem fair (though I'm not sure "fair" was ever part of the deal!). I love this story because we watch God's faithfulness through seasons that had to be unimaginably difficult. And though there were seasons of grief and hard battles, this story echoes with joy. You will probably cry, you will laugh (at least I did!), and you may find yourself looking for God's fingerprints on your own hard, beautiful journey. ...more