[Review] The Understory: An Invitation to Rootedness and Resilience from the Forest Floor by Lore Ferguson Wilbert

Publisher and Publication Date: Brazos Press-Baker Publishing Group. May 21, 2024.
Genre: Christian Nonfiction.
Pages: 235 printed pages.
Format: 1. E-Book. 2. Purchased paperback copy from Amazon. The paperback is 5 x 7 which is slightly smaller than most standard paperbacks.
Source: NetGalley E-Book. From Amazon, a Paperback edition.
Rating: Very good.

Thank you to NetGalley for the first (incomplete version) of the reading of this book. The second reading is through a purchased paperback copy.

Link at the publisher for more information: Baker Publishing Group.

Links to purchase the book: Barnes and Noble/ Audible/ Amazon paperback/ Walmart/ Christian Book/ Bookshop.

Info About the Author:

To read Lore Ferguson Wilbert’s bio @ Baker Publishing Group.

Social media links: Website/ Facebook/ Instagram/ Substack.

The sections and chapters:

Part 1: Seen
Here Is Loss: Invitation
Here Is Here: Space
Here Is Truth: Land
Part 2: Unseen
Here Is Hurt: Soil
Here Is Grief: Forest Litter
Here Is Time: Lichen
Here Is Protection: Nursemaids
Part 3: Revealed
Here Is Emergence: Weeds
Here Is Resilience: Mycelia
Here Is Movement: Forest

Summary:

The Understory is a unique blend of merging the environment of a forest and the Christian life. A large part of The Understory is it’s also a memoir of life experiences in Wilbert’s childhood, young adult life, and in the Church.

Wilbert examines and compares soil, lichen, and seeds to the current Christian landscape.

Some examples of themes: grieving, mistrust, broken relationships, trauma, hurt, recreating, resilience, peace, conflict, politics, freedom to express, conformity versus uniformity, and the complexity of life.

My Thoughts:

I pre-ordered the paperback edition in early March. It should have arrived on the publication date from Amazon on May 21. It did not. I was sent a message it would be delivered on May 25. It did not arrive. I got another message that it would arrive May 26. It did.

Meanwhile, Wilbert sent me a link to NetGalley in early May to read the E-Book edition for review. I read the book and thought it was a short read and felt there was a problem. I thought to ask Wilbert how many pages are in the book. The E-Book was about 100 pages shy of the paperback edition. She shared several other readers had the same problem. She asked if I could delete that version and reload it again. I decided to wait for the official published paperback copy to arrive-and of course that was late. So, essentially, I’ve read the book twice (well, the first time was half.)

If I had only reviewed the book based on what I’d read in the E-Book edition, I would have missed out on a full book with wonderful writing material. To review a partially completed book would have been dishonest on my part. I cannot do that. I don’t understand why NetGalley publishes E-Books to be read that are in this shape. I’ve heard from other reader-reviewers that this has happened to them with other books. Is this legal? To release a book for reading that is not complete. How can a reviewer read a book that is not ready for publishing? I am mentioning this in this review that appears only on my blog, as I see that this is a big problem! And this will probably be the last time I use NetGalley. I don’t trust them.

I admire people who are willing and courageous to write about the hard parts of their lives. No person has a perfect life. But a writer who publishes a book revealing the underlayer of their lives, and this includes traumatic events, is courageous and it must feel exposing. This is the first reason why I love The Understory, Lore Ferguson Wilbert is willing to be transparent about her life, especially in regard to her feelings about the current culture and politics in the Church, because the Church is not in unity about all issues.

Overall, I love The Understory. It is a book that will not appeal to all readers because they will not want to read views and beliefs outside of their own. I feel The Understory is a book that will appeal to a certain audience.

Who is the audience?
1. People who are eclectic in reading and don’t mind opinions outside their own about politics.
2. People who lean towards moderate or liberal views.

What I love about The Understory:

1. The quotes shared in the book by different authors and poets. Some examples are St. John of Damascus, John Muir, Madeleine L’Engle, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry, Walt Whitman, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Henry David Thoreau, William Bradford, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Richard Powers.
I collect quotes. I love reading quotes in books. I feel Wilbert is well-read and an exploratory reader because of the lengthy list of people she includes in the book. I love this.
2. Wilbert is transparent in her writing. Her writing style is relaxed and personable. She is in conversation with the reader. At times it comes across as stream of consciousness writing.
3. The narrative writing style pauses for teachings on the ecosystem of the forest, or a hiking and kayak experience. This gives a break or pause from the serious.
4. Wilbert during the writing of this book is wrestling with some things in her life. The reader journeys with her.
5. I agree with her about telling the truth. As a writer it is important to tell the truth.
6. The Understory is a book of kindness and compassion for those who have experienced Church trauma (Post Traumatic Church Disorder), an abusive childhood, and the ending of friendships.

Further Thoughts:

1. On page 67, “There is a saying that ‘humility is living in the truth,’ and I believe this with all my heart.” I disagree. Humility is thinking of self, less.
2. She mentions she had placed faith and looked up to those in leadership at the church, and they fell by sinning or treating her harshly. I recently learned people tend to idolize. I am guilty of it. When the focus and esteem is so elevated for another human being, that is idol worship. When I realized that I’d done this most of my life I felt a pinch in my heart. No person is perfect and worthy of being elevated above God. There are pastors and leaders in churches who have done wrong. If they have broken the law, they should be held accountable. But I believe one of the reasons church members fall into a naive pattern of thought is because they hold such a high admiration and esteem for those who are just as capable of sin as everyone. To be naive obscures the vision. And when the vision is obscured, Satan devours. Set limits and guidelines with all church members. Hold people accountable.
   I speak candidly. I held a couple of leadership roles in a Baptist church for several years. I had conversations and meetings with people that profess to be a Christian, yet they were not in behavior. I was given information about previous members and current members that were horrifying. The information, yes. But how it was “not” handled but swept under a rug that created a dirt pile that does not go away on its own. It tends to stink after a while. It causes an oppression of filth.
   And then there are church members who do not want to appropriately deal with the problem at the time of occurrence. They want to keep it contained. Keep it hush. They come across as “if we don’t talk about it that will make things better.” But years later they feel guilt and talk about it in a confession of sorts during a Bible study class.
   My experience above happened in the years right before the COVID lockdown. This church shut its doors and reopened later in 2020 as an outreach center for the community. The church had been dying a slow death for decades. New pastors with new ideas did not help. These ideas did not help because the real problem is pride. Pride is a sultry steamy thing.
   3. A couple of moments while reading the book I cried. I cried during Wilbert’s sharing of her experiences of grief. I love her point on page 119. “I must make peace with the reality that no matter how much time passes, some things will never be resurrected…Some things will never be the same again.”
   A great friend told me once, “Annette, there are some things that take a lifetime to work through.” I agree.
   4. There is a point in the book when she expresses an opinion about Republicans. I know Republicans who are not conservative on all issues. I know Democrats who are not liberal on all issues. There are all kinds of people, and this includes in the political parties.
   

[Review] Elisabeth Elliot: A Life by Lucy S. R. Austen

Publisher and Publication Date: Crossway. 2023.
Genre: Christian nonfiction. Biography.
Pages: 617 printed pages.
Format: Hardcover.
Source: Bought.
Rating: Excellent.

22 illustrations in color.

Author links: Website/ Substack/ Facebook/ Twitter.

Link for the book @ Amazon/ Barnes and Noble/ Thrift Books.

This link is to Crossway. It gives you the ability to read the first chapter.

Link to an interview about the book by Patheos and Andrea L. Turpin.

The Elisabeth Elliot Foundation.

From Crossway: Why Elisabeth Elliot Changed Her Beliefs About Finding God’s Will, This Day in History: The Death of Elisabeth Elliot.

Summary:

Elisabeth Elliot was born December 21, 1926, in Belgium. Her parents had been missionaries. Elisabeth went by the name of Betty when she was younger. Her mother called her “Bets or Bet.” After her birth, the family came back to the United States on furlough. They stayed. Her father began working a new job offered to him by an uncle. They lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Elisabeth or Betty had four brothers and one sister.

Betty attended a private boarding school during high school and Wheaton College. It was at Wheaton where she met Jim Elliot.

Jim Elliot is one of the missionary men who died in 1956 in Ecuador while trying to build a trust with the mysterious Indigenous people who lived in the Amazon rainforest. They are called Waorani or Waodoni.
Later, Elisabeth and daughter Valerie, and Rachel Saint continued the missionary work in the same area. They eventually lived among the Waorani people, learning their language and sharing the Bible and Christ Jesus with them.

Elisabeth Elliot: A Life is an in-depth and detailed account.

Lucy S. R. Austen had access to many of Elisabeth Elliot’s journals and letters but not all of them.

My Thoughts:

I’m going to come right out and give this book a high honor. This biography made such an impact on me that after I’d read the last page and, in the days, afterward, I miss Elisabeth Elliot. The book captures her essence so much, that after reading it, I miss her.

Recently I listened to a recorded interview between Lucy S. R. Austen and Jen Pollock Michel. It is an informative conversation about the book, the person of Elisabeth Elliot, and how she is perceived by the current Christian culture which includes some negative reactions. You will need to be a paid member to read/hear the interview. This is the Substack page for Jen Pollock Michel.

Several reasons why I love this biography of Elisabeth Elliot.

1. Austen shows how Elisabeth developed in her character and spiritual growth through her life. In Elisabeth’s early years, she came across as not friendly. She was an introvert yet tried not to be. In her letters, she came across as warm and friendly. In person she was not. Public speaking and writing were an active part of her later years. She developed life-long friends. In addition, her beliefs about God’s will and her denomination changed.
2. Elisabeth (for some readers) came across as divided, conflicted, or a contradiction. It is easy to view another with a lens of assumption and judgement. I too, at times, have actions that are a contradiction to what I state to believe. I am imperfect. Elisabeth Elliot was imperfect. This leads me to another similar thought. Elisabeth Elliot is considered a pioneer in Christian nonfiction writing. She was a trailblazer as a female because most Christian nonfiction books were written by men. She was married to a man who gave his life to share the gospel. She was a missionary. She remained a missionary while a widow and single parent. I believe she’s been placed on a pedestal and idolized. She had weaknesses, insecurities, fears, loneliness, and imperfections as we all do. But she trusted God. She depended on Him. Her will was to serve and love God.
3. I tried to have a discerning eye while reading this book. A biography can become slanted because of the author’s beliefs about the subject. In other words, the author can surmise things that may or may not be true. I believe Austen reveals a multi-dimensional and transparent Elisabeth producing a living essence that comes across to the reader.
4. I have questions about Elisabeth. Why did she and Rachel Saint have strong conflicts? Was it a personality difference? Was there some jealousy or something else going on? While reading this section about Elisabeth and Rachel working together as missionaries. I was reminded of the conflict of Paul and Barnabus. Their “sharp disagreement” led them to part ways, yet the Gospel spread further because of their problem. Even though these two women did not work well together, God used them for His glory. God is unstoppable. And two head-strong women do not change that.

[Review] Memoirs of A Medieval Woman: The Life and Times of Margery Kempe by Louise Collis

Publisher and Publication Date: Perennial Library/Harper and Row Publishers. 1983. First published in 1964.
Genre: Nonfiction. History. Memoir.
Pages: 270.
Format: Paperback.
Source: Borrowed copy.
Rating: Good.

Summary:

The Memoirs of a Medieval Woman by Louise Collis is a recounting of the original memoir by Margery Kempe. Kempe who was illiterate, had her memoir written by a scribe as she dictated it.

Margery Brunham, also spelled Burnham, was born in 1373 in King’s Lynn, England. She later married John Kempe who was a merchant. They had 14 children.

Kempe had an excellent memory, but she is not a person who shares the history of her time. Through her life story, she does share what it is like to be a medieval woman.

She is known for her visions, prophecies, travels, and her pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

She writes of her conversations with Dame Julian of Norwich.

She writes of her too honest of speech, and this causes problems for her. She goes through periods of suffering.

My Thoughts:

It’s been several years ago that I read a historical fiction book about Margery Kempe. A friend loaned this book to me as I wanted to read a nonfiction book on her.

I find Margery Kempe a person of fascination. She is especially a fascinating character for her era.

Several reasons why I enjoyed reading this book:

1. A list is given of items a person wore as a pilgrim to the Holy Land. What they wore and what they carried.
2. I did not realize the Moslem government was responsible for the visitors to the Holy Land.
3. Margery Kempe had a strong personality, and in an era when men were the ruling force, she caused strife and misunderstanding and even fear at times.
4. This reason is actually related to the third reason. People most of the time did not know how to understand Kempe, or how to respond to her. Some felt suspicious. They felt perplexed.

Final Thoughts:

I think it’s interesting that her prayers are not shared for her own family. I wonder why. Why did she not pray for her family? Maybe she did not write about it in her memoir.

Not all of her prophecies came true. Some of them did, and some of them did not.

I feel she needed guidance from a mentor. She spoke with Julian of Norwich early on, but not later.

She needed to know Scripture. Obviously, she knew some. But she was not literate.

[Review] The Desert Pilgrim: En Route to Mysticism and Miracles by Mary Swander

Publisher and Publication Date: Penguin Compass. 2004.
Genre: Memoir, biography, spiritual formation.
Pages: 343.
Format: Paperback.
Source: A free book from church.
Rating: Okay to good.

Link for the book @ Amazon.

Summary:

After a car accident, and other health crises, Mary Swander is left for years in chronic pain that rules her life. She is a professor at a college and living in the Midwest.

She grew up Catholic. But has left the faith.

She makes a huge change by moving to New Mexico. The climate and new surroundings are good for her. She continues teaching at a university.

The Desert Pilgrim is Mary Swander’s experience of transformation both in body and spirit.

My Thoughts:

This book, along with several other books, was in a pile at a table at church. The books were all free. Free books always catch my attention. I pulled this book out and a few others.

I don’t dislike this book-a story of a woman’s journey both physically and emotionally and spiritually. I’m not in love with it. I have mixed feelings about it.

What I like about The Desert Pilgrim:

1. I’m glad Mary Swander writes about her conditions, (and she has several health conditions that affect her.) I have chronic pain. No, not anywhere close to what she endured, but I have pain to some extent every day. People who live under this situation respond by either not talking about it or they often talk about it. Chronic pain is a part of life, but it is not all of life. It is hard to know how to express myself sometimes. How much do I reveal? I don’t want to harp on “it.” Am I making other people feel uncomfortable? Am I boring them? On one hand, I believe there should be more books with people who have experienced chronic pain. On the other hand, I believe there should be a balance between the pain of everyday life and the rest of the world the person lives in. It is important for others to see how we deal with chronic pain because the readers can possibly identify with us and gain encouragement. Some conversations about life are uncomfortable. I wonder sometimes if it is more uncomfortable for me or for others?
2. Mary took care of her mother who had cancer. Mary was a young woman at the time. She took time out of her college career to care for her mother. It was a season of hardship and sadness, but also an expression of sacrificial love. I too took care of my mother and later my dad. I can relate to Mary. I admire her faithful love.
3. I love the courage and bravery it took for Mary to relocate across the country to an area she knew little about because she hopes the climate will restore her health.
4. I enjoyed reading about her spiritual journey. She has a background in Catholicism. She went through a number of years not believing in God. Then, she came to a new place, and around new people, who piqued an interest in her life and helped to move her forwards in a journey of belief and practice.
5. I enjoyed reading about Father Sergei. He is a wise person. He is a good listener, and he knows how and when to ask the right questions. He is a blessing to Mary.

What I don’t like about the story:

1. My first reason is a definition difference. One of Mary’s friends is a creator of homeopathic herbs. She is an herb healer. This woman calls herself a witch. I don’t consider her to be a witch, and this is the difference I dislike.
2. I wish she had included her personal prayers to God, Scriptures that are meaningful to her, and the attending of Mass.

[Review] Thorn In My Flesh: Overcoming Cerebral Palsy by Samantha Lewis

Publisher and Publication Date: Independently Published. June 15, 2023.
Genre: Christian nonfiction. Biography. Memoir.
Pages: 90.
Format: E-Book. Kindle.
Source: Self-purchase.
Audience: This book is written with an audience of Christian readers of biographies and hardship during health crisis.
Rating: Content is good but needs editing.

Link for the book @ Amazon. The e-book is $4.99 or an e-book choice in the Kindle Unlimited reading.

Summary:

From the beginning of Samantha Lewis’s life, she has had challenges. She was born three months early. She spent time as a patient at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Houston, TX. She has had further surgeries and hospital stays. She explains cerebral palsy is a complex condition.

Through her story, I understand the struggles and hardship. I also see how people in life have helped or hindered.

Samantha shares her Christian testimony as well. This story is not just about her health condition but how God has comforted and encouraged and sustained.

My Thoughts:

I have several thoughts, but I want to first mention the things that are not so positive about the book.

1. The book needs editing. The content of the story is important and good. The structure of the sentences and the grammar needs help. An experienced editor can help. I rarely mention the editing of a book, but in this case, it is distracting while reading.
2. The story is not long enough. I believe at least another 100 pages of her life can be added. For example, more instances of how people have helped or hindered can be added. This part can help readers to understand, communicate, and to help those who have disabilities.
3. I am sad to read about how a sibling has mistreated her. I am uncomfortable with her dismissing this so quickly. To forgive is important. But to forgive does not mean what that person did is okay. It does not mean that person can be trusted.

What I like about the story.

1. This is the first story I have read by a person who has cerebral palsy.
2. I like her voice-her narration. She has a unique voice and writing style.
3. She is transparent about the struggles with her condition and with the emotional impact of it which also relates to feelings about self.
4. I like the arrangement of the story.
5. I dislike the bullying she has endured. What I mean is it is important to share this, but I hate that it happened. When bullying is talked about, shared, it takes it out of the shadows to hopefully teach that bullying is never okay.
6. I love the front cover illustration.

Final Thoughts:

Samanatha Lewis is Charismatic. There is a reference to a healing service. There is language used that not all denominations will understand.