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BOOK REVIEW: The Christmas List
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by: Vickie McDonough Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: The Christmas List Author: Pete Nelson Publisher: Rutledge Hill Press ISBN: 1-401-60143-X Genre: Inspirational/Contemporary/Fiction
James Engler dreads going home for Christmas this year. His mom is throwing him an engagement party, and he knows that Christmas presents have been bought for his fiancée, plus his family is looking forward to seeing Catherine again. There's just one problem-he no longer has a fiancée. Catherine just called off their engagement, and once again James has to face his family's disappointment.
Being the creative member of his family, James is the one who listens to a different drummer. His desire to be a writer, instead of working with his dad in the bank that has been in his family for decades, has caused many uncomfortable conversations about James's unwise career choice. His spirits are low, and he's disappointed that he couldn't make things work with Catherine.
When James arrives home for the holidays, he finds out that his best friend has just been killed in a Gulf War accident. This revives troubling memories of James's brother, who died in Vietnam. The only person who seems able to help pull James from his despair is his old school buddy, Sarah. She's always been there for him, and is now too.
At the memorial service for Mike, his sister reads from a list that a teacher had her students make in grade school one year. Each student had signed their name at the top of a page and passed it around to the other students, who wrote on it what they liked about that person. When Mike's sister asks how many in the crowd still had their list, hands go up all over the room. James goes home, finds his list, and reads it. What he discovers there changes his life and gives him hope for the future.
The Christmas List is a heartwarming story about family and friends pulling together when things go wrong. It's about friendship and appreciating what's right before your eyes. It's about looking in your heart and releasing past hurts. It shows how a teacher can make a difference in the lives of her students.
I'm pretty sure The Christmas List is the first book that I've read written by a man that remains in a male's point of view for the whole story. It was interesting seeing into James's thoughts and experiencing his reactions to the things that happened to him. I had a little trouble staying interested in the beginning, but the captivating twist toward the end was well worth it. The Christmas List is sure to touch your heart and draw you closer to family and friends. |
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