Title: God and Good Horses
Author: Sallie Jo Hawken
Publisher: Christian Faith
ISBN: 979-8886169928
Pages: 430
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Reviewed by: Ephantus M.
Hollywood Book Reviews
God and Good Horses by author Sallie Jo Hawken is a heart-wrenching and faith-filled Christian book which tells the story of a couple who are struggling with infertility and of a young girl who is severely deprived of parental love.
Sallie has been taking medicines and vitamins for one and a half years, hoping that they will help her overcome her long-standing infertility condition. She can’t quite understand why it’s so difficult for her to get pregnant, yet everybody else including teenagers, drug addicts, alcoholics, and people who don’t even want kids are doing so effortlessly. A couple of prayers here and there have gone unanswered leaving her desperate and lost. Not only does she feel her case has become a bother to her doctor, but that God doesn’t care about it at all. However, her sentiments toward God’s silence are soon proven wrong, when an idea which she never saw coming begins to take a toll on her mind.
Elsewhere, a ten-year-old girl, Ellie, and her two siblings know nothing but violence and anguish when around their mother’s boyfriend. Their ever-cursing mother sees nothing good in them and on one occasion leaves them stranded and bruised after their car accidentally crashes into a cornfield. The incident draws the attention of the Sheriff and the Children Welfare officials and sets in motion an unforeseen determination that turns Ellie’s life around.
This book will open your eyes to some of the unspoken truths and challenges faced by women experiencing infertility. They include enormous strain on the marriage, ridicule by insensitive persons, self-hate, and unending anxiety. Author Sallie Jo Hawken will also enlighten readers about God’s ways of answering prayers, as well as the nature of His will which many people seem to misunderstand.
The tale has been narrated in a friendly and warm tone, with the author excellently illustrating the internal and external struggles of two individuals with distinct desires. This book is a dedication to any parent, sibling, grandparent, friend, colleague, or spouse, who may be openly or secretly dealing with issues such as injustices of infertility, rejection, or a broken family. God and Good Horses is a book that will leave readers informed and inspired on how to deal with crippling issues such as misplaced love, delayed aspirations, and uncertainty of the future. Highly recommended!