The Wind Knows My NameBy Isabel AllendeIsabel Allende never disappoints. The Chilean writer, now 83, applies a masterful touch to this novel, which braids two immigrant stories: a Jewish boy escaping Nazi-occupied Austria and a mother and daughter fleeing El Salvador in modern times.Vienna, 1938: Sa
Twelve-year-old Lucretia Sanderson prizes the fact that her parents named her after Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), a Quaker feminist and abolitionist whose contributions to racial and gender justice were mostly ignored by historians.Young Lucretia’s father, a history professor with an ardent desire to b
Out of My Mind is a heartwarming coming-of-age story that will also break your heart. Based on a novel by Sharon M. Draper, this fictional drama first premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2024 and, due to its enthusiastic reception, was released that same year on Disney+.Melody Brooks (played by Ph
This award-winning guidebook is a collaborative effort shared by two people who started out as colleagues and came away as friends. When Jason Epps came to Paul Pettit with a serious question concerning how people viewed him as a person with a disability, Pettit tried to give Epps an honest and equa
Young Rosa is nervous. Today is a big day, and she’s not sure she’s up to the performance that’s expected of her. She’s joining Mami—whom she also calls Mamiachi—and other participants of a renowned mariachi band for the first time, and she wonders and worries, “Am I ready? Will they like me?”Mami a
Mike Flynt's college football career ended abruptly when he was booted from the team and expelled from school for a series of fights during his senior season. The Senior charts the true story of how Flynt (played by “The Commish,” Michael Chiklis) received an opportunity to play in a college footbal
Thirteen-year-old Sally O’Malley doesn’t know who her parents are or where she came from, but she is certain of one thing: “Nobody was wanting me. Never had.”Raised in an Oregon orphanage and then forced to work as a servant at a hotel, Sally finds herself on her own in the summer of 1894 when she’s
Counselor Dr. Andrew J. Bauman has some things to say in his new book, Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in the Christian Community.“This book is my attempt to elevate the voices and stories of women who have been silenced within Christian communities, many of whom have been deeply
Inspired by author and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara’s childhood visits to Honduras, her father’s birthplace, this charming picture book, replete with vivacious illustrations and a buoyant narrative, portrays for young children the pleasures and difficulties of straddling two cultures, and it rev
Dan Dean, lead vocalist of the longtime Christian group Phillips, Craig and Dean, moves to a solo platform with his debut recording—“More.” “The word ‘more’ in relation to the album title signifies several things,” he said of the project’s overarching theme in a release. “‘More’ songs and music from
Barnaby the sheep loves life on the farm. He especially enjoys hearing the tall shepherd’s call, summoning the flock. The tall shepherd’s son notices that Barnaby is always the first to answer the summons and to celebrate with his wiggle dance.There is only one reason Barnaby refuses to come when th
Whether it's Olivia Lane’s beautiful, sweet voice or her raw, down-to-earth lyrics, this former self-stated atheist’s music invites the listener into her story. Lane’s Christian debut album Songs About Jesus (Deluxe Edition) is a delight and an encouragement. Her first radio single, “Woman at the We
In 1866, San Francisco, Calif., Emilia del Valle was born to Molly Walsh, a young Irish nun, who was abandoned by the aristocratic Chilean man who had on one occasion taken advantage of her naivete. For years, Molly’s rage against the absconder shaped Emilia’s life; Molly often told her daughter abo
Movies are made better by their soundtracks. A good score not only enhances a good story but can become synonymous with the story itself. Think of Superman, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, or Jaws. These iconic film scores were all
Author Seth Lewis’s passion for God’s world and his Word forms the foundation for his worshipful exploration of how nature tells forth God’s glory. Peppered with astute questions and Scriptural insights, Lewis’s narrative informs and challenges readers. For example, he asks, “Have you ever considere
Green Street in Black and White, by Dave Larsen, sketches an all-too-familiar history about more than one Christian Reformed community in Chicago and beyond during the 1960s. Larsen’s remarkable debut novel compactly narrates the backstory of Englewood, a community and CRC enclave on Chicago’s South
MercyMe’s 12th studio album, “Wonder and Awe,” offers high-energy fun with the band’s unmistakable messages of hope and trust. “One of the struggles within today’s church is the lack of awe,” said lead singer Bart Millard. “Having access to virtually everything within the palm of our hands, where’s
High PotentialReviewed by Lorilee CrakerABC’s High Potential, a critical and ratings hit, follows the sassy, funny Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson), a single mom who struggles to pay the bills despite her off-the-charts IQ. When, during her night job cleaning the police station, she accidentally solve
Author Isaac Samuel Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA and a community activist for immigrant justice in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C., and elsewhere. He was born in California to a Costa Rican mother and a Colombian father.Villegas experienced what it meant to live in a ra
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is hardly the first time Marvel’s foremost family has been on the big screen. However, this movie marks their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. And yet it’s set in a Jetsons-like parallel dimension with no Tony Stark, Spider-Man, or other Avengers they can call for hel