May 2019 Book Review

It's time to recap the 3 books I read in May. Each one was unique and impactful.

One of them is even controversial! 😱

Let's get started!

A few months ago, I read Bringing Up Boys and I really enjoyed it. I was talking to my girlfriend, Hailey and she mentioned something she read in Bringing Up Girls. I thought, "Hey, wait a minute. I think I saw that book on my bookshelf." Sure enough, I found it. It was one of those books I had picked up from the library sale rack for 10 cents. Gotta love that!

I always get a lot from Dr. Dobson's books and this one was no exception. I thought it spoke directly to the stage we're in right now with our teen girls. In fact, it led me to some good sharing moments and discussions with Morgan. This book is definitely on his reading list as well. If you have a young teen girl in your life,

I highly recommend this book. Particularly for dads!  

Next up was a book that I read aloud to the girls. This was a wonderful true story about an All-American girl in the 7th grade who became pen pals with a poor boy from Zimbabwe. It started off as a class assignment but over time, the two became best friends. They corresponded for 6 years and eventually, their worlds collided and their lives changed forever. This was a fast read, told as a dual memoir. We enjoyed reading the letters (especially from Martin) and the compassion and selflessness displayed by Caitlin and her family.

One word of caution: This is more of a PG-13 read. There was some talk of drinking, drugs, and teen romance but since I read it out loud to the girls, I could pick and choose what I wanted to leave out. :)

All in all, a great book that inspires reaching out to make the world a smaller place.

One day, I needed something to read while I waited for Zach to finish his OT session so I grabbed this book off our bookshelf and ran out the door. Honestly, I think I've had this book for many, many years. I must have picked it up at a homeschooling conference or something. To Train Up a Child, was first published in 1994 and began as a letter to a homeschool mother in answer to her question, "How did you train your children to be so happy and obedient?"

Apparently, this book is very controversial. However, I did not know that until after I had read it. This book advocates child rearing techniques like spanking from a young age and using the switch (or the rod) for proper training. Other techniques that were mentioned could be viewed as abusive. I have to admit, I did not agree with everything in this book. I believe each child is unique and therefore, a cookie cutter approach does not work. However, I understood the message and took it for what it was. Some people will hate this book because they won't be able to see past the Pearl's training techniques. For others, this book will encourage them in their calling to be consistently training their little ones. Which is exactly what it did for me. Perhaps the biggest take away, other than being consistent... Training and Discipline are not the same thing.

First, one must train. Then train again. Then train some more. 😝

The letter at the end of the book from Michael to his sons was also a highlight.

That's 19 books and counting for the year!