Journeys of Courage: Remarkable Stories of the Healing Power of Community

Rating:
Summary: Powerful Stories of Courage and Faith
Review: Joy Carol's most recent book JOURNEYS OF COURAGE is a collection of stories told by people who have faced extraordinary challenges in a powerful and faith-filled manner. The stories are from three places that have known tragedy and pain: New York City in the aftermath of September 11, The Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Nearly half of the book tells stories form September 11, ranging from the firefighters who heroically tried to save lives while losing many in their company, pastoral care givers who tried to be God's presence where absence seemed to be more the reality, sanitation workers who had to remove the debris, knowing among the debris were human remains, and the teachers and school employees who tried to work with the children who may have lost a loved one or felt unsafe in a changing world. The remainder of the book contains stories of people living in Ireland who work for peace in the North, even after the peace accord and the official end of "the Troubles," care givers for prisoners and addicted persons, and people dealing with the trauma and tragedy of physical and sexual abuse by religious and members of the clergy.

While the author prefaces the stories, she also weaves them together in a way that the reader realizes that while a person's pain may be individual, healing comes when we all work together to reach out with God's love. The book is also a teaching tool. As we see the people in these stories come to grips with the challenges and hardships each faces, we too can learn from their struggles as we try to make sense of hardships and difficulties we face.

This book will certainly be appreciated by educators and people involved in preaching, though I am certain that anyone who admires people who can overcome adversity and be examples of faith will find this book a true gift.