Stubborn Twig

My review of Stubborn Twig just went up over at 5 Minutes for Books. I just finished reading this book yesterday and I can't quit thinking about it. As I mentioned - I really felt this book. It breathes and lives in a way that's hard to wrestle into words.

I'm not going to reiterate everything I said in my full review, so pop over to 5 Minutes for Books to gather my full thoughts.

As I also hinted in my full review, I didn't agree with all of the points that Kessler had to make. For one thing, she is not a Christian and doesn't think well of Christians. She makes no outright attacks, per se, but makes some pretty bold statements. What I found most ironic about the book was that Kessler spends the whole time talking about how the Yasui family were Methodists. She argues directly and in indirect ways that their Methodist beliefs should have made them more accepted by their white counterparts in Mt. Hood. Then she almost instantly decries their faith as being something that she's sure they just took on to try to be more appealing. However, it is also clear from the writings and words of actions of the Yasui family that they didn't just say that they were Methodists to say it. They lived and believed it. It's clear that Kessler didn't buy into it but I didn't find that overly distracting. I still thought the book was absolutely wonderfully written and makes a very fascinating read.

(I just want to offer this little disclaimer to Christians as they pick up the book. Pick it up expecting not to agree with everything the author says but still accepting the book as having great value. It is a VERY worthy read! I'm about a half step away from saying it's a MUST read.)

I expected to enjoy this book when I set out to read it. But I didn't expect to want to keep it on my bookshelf for future rereads. However, that's about how I feel about it.