A Place Called Blessing by John Trent with Annette Smith

Okay, so my next post won't be a book review ... I promise. I read this book, A Place Called Blessing, while we were at the beach last week & I'm anxious to review it so I can get my next free read :) I chose this book because it is the story of a young man who grows up in foster care, and our church is currently experiencing a surge in families who are fostering - some temporarily and many to adopt. While foster care is not a direction that Josh and I are pulled toward at this stage in our lives, we have started talking about getting approved as foster care babysitters so that we can help give our friends who are fostering some date nights and so we can become more involved in these kids' lives.

 
So, the book ... A Place Called Blessing tells the story of a young man named Josh, whose parents were killed in a car accident when he was very young. He and his brothers are left to deal with a childhood marked by drifting in and out of different foster homes and even further tragedy. I can't lie, by the second or third chapter I was seriously doubting my ability to choose good beach-reading material. Childhood tragedy isn't exactly what you want to think about when you're laying on a beach towel. Thankfully, his life took a few turns for the better as the story went on.

 This book was a very easy and quick read, as well as a bit predictable. By about halfway through the book I knew how it was probably going to end, and with the exception of one surprising twist, I was correct. I have already recommended this book to several friends who are in the foster care training/approval process, because I think it will encourage them to dream and pray about the difference that they can make in a child's life. With that said, I probably won't recommend the book to anyone who isn't in that sort of process. The predictability and lack of depth in the story made it hard for me to stay engaged in reading. I sort of wanted to just skim through to see what happened without having to read every page. I appreciated the heart of the book, but it just didn't grab me.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.