Christian Fiction Book Club: Words

Kaylee’s mother is gone. And it seems she took Kaylee’s voice with her. Now, ten-year old Kaylee must fend for herself with her mother’s abusive boyfriend. Her days are spent collecting words she may never speak.

Sierra Dawn is alone. She has allowed the shame of her past to silence her present hopes. But on the twelth anniversary of her daughter’s death, God begins wooing her back to Himself.Brought together by Divine design, the relationship between Kaylee and Sierra begins a healing process in each of them as they dare to let the Truth, Jesus Christ, set them free.

Ginny Yttrup is an author, freelance writer, and writing coach. She has two grown sons and lives near Sacramento, California. Words is her first novel.

My Impressions:  

You have got to read Words by Ginny L Yttrup.  It is so beautifully written and touches the reader’s heart.  Abuse is not a pretty subject.  It is even harder to bear when it occurs to a child.  But Yttrup manages to take the most hurtful of emotions and turn them into a story of grace and mercy and redemption.  If you don’t read another book this year, choose Words.  You won’t be sorry.

Highly Recommended.

(A BIG thank you to Brenda at WV Stitcher for sending me a copy of this book)

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Words is this month’s discussion pick of the Christian Fiction Book Club hosted  this month by My Only Vice.   Bloggers will be reviewing and answering discussion questions about Klassen’s book.  To join in the fun, just click HERE.

** Spoiler Alert **

Answers to the discussion questions may contain plot spoilers.

(I read an advanced readers copy of Words, so there were no discussion questions in the book.  Also, I couldn’t find any on the web, so you’ll have to be satisfied with ones I came up with on my own!)

1)  Sierra’s father farms because he says it allows him to co-create with God.  How important is creativity in the life of a believer?  Have you ever considered your creativeness as a chance for communication and worship?

I believe that God is creative and we, being made in His image, are creative as well.  Creativity does not just include art, music and literature, but anything that lets us express ourselves — cooking, gardening, crafts, etc.   I think there is an inner need in all of us to express our creativity, no matter how.  My daughter is an artist.  She just finished her first year at college and is home for the summer. Her need to create is so evident and it is a joy to watch.  She has been home about 2 weeks now and has transformed two Goodwill chairs into works of beauty.  She has also been working in yarn, a technique she learned in her design class, and has completed a portrait of our new dog and is working on a portrait of herself with her best friend.  Up close, you only see pieces of different colors of yarn, but from afar a detailed picture emerges.  Sounds like the way God creates in our lives, doesn’t it.

As to communication with and worship of God, I think co-creating with him may be as close as any way we can be with God.  It is prayer and action combined.

2)  Sierra’s father cautions her about judging.  He tells her to look beyond actions to the heart. Look for what’s causing them to act the way they act, then you’ll understand them (chapter 38).  How easy is this for us to do when the person has hurt us or someone we love?

I hold a grudge.  I know that is not “christian” and it eats away at me.  But how hard it is to look outside our own prejudices, hurts and experiences and enter into the heart of another.  Perhaps the only way to do that is through God’s grace. It is even harder to look for what causes someone to act a certain way when the actions are evil and the person seems beyond redemption.  But no one is beyond redemption.  If Christ can save me, he can save anyone.

  

Don’t forget to check out what others are saying about Words.  Check it out by clicking HERE.

Book Discussion Schedule

July 2- Pompeii by TL Higley

Host: TBD

August 13- Digitalis by Ronie Kendig
Host: TBD

September 24- The Preacher’s Bride by Jody Hedlund
Host: TBD

November 5- Dancing on Glass by Pamela Binnings Ewen
Host: TBD

December 17- She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

Host: TBD

Want to participate?

1. Secure a copy of the book club pick and read it before the discussion date.

2. Find the reading group guide in the back of the book or on the publisher’s website. Choose one or more of the discussion questions to address in a blog post. You might also want to include a short review of the book.

3. Schedule your blog post to run on the discussion date. You may copy and use the book club logo above if you’d like.

4. On the discussion date, the host will run his/her review and answer a few discussion questions. The host will also include a MckLinky at the bottom so bloggers can link their posts.

5. On the discussion date, we all hop around reading and commenting on the reviews and opinions of participating bloggers.

6. If you do not have a blog of your own, you can share your opinions about the book club pick in the comment sections of other blogs.

7. Have you already read our book club picks? Great, participate anyway! You’ll have a head start answering some of the questions!