Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough


David McCullough writes engaging history. All his books that I have read so far have some epic, overarching theme to them. “John Adams” is the colossal of independence, “Truman” is a controversial figure because of the atomic bomb incident but looms really as a giant among the American presidents, “The Johnstown Flood” recounts the most devastating catastrophe of the South Fork Dam break in Pennsylvania on May 31, 1889, and the resulting flood that cost over 2,000 lives. The Great Bridge tells of the building, or shall we say miracle, of the Brooklyn Bridge and, of course, “1776” tells of the most pivotal year in American history and how, if it wouldn’t have been for the faith and courage of Washington, all would have been lost.


All of McCullough’s books are worth your time. They are available in hardcover, paperback, or on audio CDs. Each one of his stories goes way beyond what the title indicates. “John Adams”, for example, tells almost as much of Thomas Jefferson as it does of John Adams. I highly recommend David McCullough’s books.

--Hanno

Sea Star by Marguerite Henry


Very sweet story and exciting to read. It's funny, too.

--Jenny (9)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Genesis in space and time: The flow of biblical history

Francis A. Schaeffer
Copyright 1972, ISBN 08778846367


I have been a fan of Francis Schaeffer for many, many years. Peggy and I visited his L’Abri in Holland in the late 1980s. His Christian Manifesto is a classic and I highly recommend it for any high school student. Now, this book “Genesis in Space and Time” was also for most part a good book. While Dr. Schaeffer shows clearly how Genesis is a history book and shares great insides on the epic events of history recorded in Genesis, the book has one serious flaw in stating that Genesis is a book of “Genealogies not Chronologies”. I was disappointed. I have been wondering if with all our creation science research over the last thirty years Dr. Schaeffer would have held a different view had he be born a generation later? The chronologies that we find in Genesis and elsewhere in the Scriptures are certainly there for a reason and that is, believe it or not, to give us a reliable chronology of history. Why else would God have bothered to give us the exact dates of epic events like the flood of Noah’s days? Or why would God have gone through all the trouble keeping a precise record of when so-and-so begat so-and-so? Why do we have all the life times of the great patriarchs in Genesis? Certainly to aid us in putting together not only a genealogy but also a chronology of history!

--Hanno


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Prince's Poison Cup by R. C. Sproul


I like the book "The Prince's Poison Cup" written by R. C. Sproul. I like it so much because the Grandpa tells a story and doesn't just tell the girl "Drink the medicine!"


--Jenny (9)