A stirring, thought-provoking memoir of faith in wartime and a must-read for the worried families of deployed Christian...
A National Guard chaplain and Iraq War veteran reflects on his service to distill lessons of faith and life.
In 1996, Willis was a new seminary graduate with few employment prospects when he signed up with the National Guard as a Chaplain Candidate. After he shipped off to basic training in Fort McCoy, Wis., he immediately began to change, at first by surrendering the standards of comfort that had guided his civilian life. Specifically, he learned how little he needed, which served to reinforce his Christian faith. That faith, and a personal bravery that Willis consistently downplays, made him the confidant of troops and commanders alike. “You can tell how a Command functions by how they use their Chaplain,” one commander tells him. After his unit was deployed, his experiences dealing with men and women fighting and dying opened his eyes to the hidden dimensions of sacrifice. Soldiers came to Willis with all kinds of concerns, and he sometimes had to walk a fine line between counsel and command: “It’s easy being the supportive Chaplain,” he writes, “but when you have to censure, rebuke, or reprimand someone, you can become unpopular in a hurry.” Alongside his men, he saw some of the worst the Iraq War had to offer, and as he relates stories of violence, boredom, treachery and fear, he also weaves in the history of chaplains in earlier conflicts. More prominently, he smoothly and thoughtfully provides biblical insights into his wartime reminiscences. Staying true to the tenets of his faith required courage, particularly in a military environment that thrived on secrecy. “There is nothing worse than an invalid Christian,” he declares at one point. “How many times have Christians witnessed wrongdoing and said nothing?” Ultimately, Willis’ principled stance strengthened his faith, although even he couldn’t escape the harsh realities of war, as he writes with simple eloquence: “You can never go back to what you left behind.”
A stirring, thought-provoking memoir of faith in wartime and a must-read for the worried families of deployed Christian soldiers.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-940002-31-6
Page Count: 181
Publisher: Spirit Reign Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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