One Call Away: Brenda Warner's Memoir

Short & Sweet OverView Review

• Stars - 4 out of 5
• Genre - Christian Life / Inspirational
• Who should read - I recommend for anyone who appreciates a memoir - football fan or not. 
• Would I read again - Yes, but not anytime soon
• Likes - It's a life story in 351 pages. Though the memoir focuses in on Brenda's many personal tragedies, it also includes needed anecdotes to provide comic relief. 
• Dislikes - It seemed that in the book, Brenda Warner only mentions God in relation to her needing Him in the midst of hardship. I felt {keyword: felt} that the Brenda was sending the message, most likely unintentionally, that we only seek God when we need him.

The Review

         A successful memoir requires a fascinating life, with enough gripping material and anecdotal content to keep the reader captivated. Brenda Warner, wife of NFL quarterback, Kurt Warner, has lived a life that makes the cut.

         In her memoir, One Call Away: Answering Life's Challenges with Unshakable Faith, Brenda Warner lays her tragedies, her struggles, and her fallen humanity before the literary world. She was Marine. A mother of a special needs son. A betrayed wife. A single mom of two, getting by on food stamps. She lost her parents in a devastating tornado. She remarried, to rising football star, Kurt Warner, who would later take three different teams to the Superbowl. She went from welfare-recipient divorcee to celebrity-status wife of a multi-millionaire sport's hero.

        She shares the frustrations of being a wife to a NFL super-star: it's not always glamorous, it easily destroys relationships, and kills any sense of normalcy. She also openly regrets many of her impetuous actions {anybody remember that infamous radio call-in from a furious NFL wife?}.

        An authentic memoir will allude, whether intentionally or not, to the memoiree's fallen nature. Throughout the book, Brenda admits various regrets - most of which resulted from the pressure of being married to an NFL star. However, from my reading it also appears that Brenda Warner greatly values her strength and self-sufficiency. More than once, Brenda makes claim to how secure she is in who she is. But, the security doesn't appear to spring from the love and grace of Jesus Christ, but from her ability survive great hardship, her beautiful looks {which she addresses throughout the book}, and status. It's not overkill, but this subtle theme is present. This may bother some, but I realized that when it comes to memoirs, I care to see the heart-thoughts and soul-feelings of the individual, and if the individual is human, and if the individual shares the truth, then it follows that the sinful humanity of the individual will be perceived without too much difficulty.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America's Faith & Promise

    

    Short & Sweet OverView Review

• Stars: 4 of 5
• Type: Non-fiction/Christianity/Politics/State/General
• Who Should Read: Anyone who would like a quick surface read of the social/political/spiritual issues that are contributing to America's downward spiral. I especially recommend this book for individuals who are not well-versed in hot-button political issues. 
• Would I read again: Nah. It's a good reference guide for strong conservative quotes and statistics, but once you've read it, you've got it. 
• Likes: I really appreciate the unique perspective Dr. Swain has as a conservative African American woman. Her own life-story is inspiring. 
• Dislikes: It seemed a bit jumpy from subtopic to subtopic. I finished Be the People feeling like I had just eaten samples throughout, instead of a full meal. 

    The Review
     
     In her newest book, Be the People: A Call to Reclaim America's Faith and Promise, Dr. Carol Swain outlines the social, political, and spiritual issues that are currently threatening the viability of the United States of America and all that it embodies. 


     With straightforward thinking, Swain sets forth informative chapters in which she discusses the negative impact the liberal media and government has had on abortion, the family, illegal immigration, racism, affirmative action, and national sovereignty.  Each individual topic is covered extensively. For instance, in the illegal immigration chapter she highlights amnesty, tourist birthers, rule of law, anchor babies, employer sweeps, etc., 


     Swain writes with an authority and credibility. She was the second of twelve children and the child of parents who could boast but 3rd grade and 8th grade educations. Swain, herself, dropped out of high school, became a teenage mother, had an abortion, and two divorces before she understood she had the ability to achieve greater and live better. She obtained her GED, went to community college, attended a four-year university, and later graduated from law school. She gave her life to Christ in 1999. She is currently a political science and law professor at Vanderbilt University. 
  
    Swain knows well both her subject matter and audience. She is authentic and knowledgeable. And though she highlights the many weak points in America's social and political structure and the need for their overhaul, Swain clearly relates that it all must begin with national repentance: "With concerted effort and a plan of action, we can help restore America to its former glory. We must being with foundational recognition that we have sinned and participated in great evils..."
   
    Complete with an appendix containing the Ten Commandments, Bill of Rights, and the U.S. Constitution, Be the People is a motivational tool designed to activate Christians to speak up and stand up for that yesteryear America of pilgrim dreams and biblical principles. Be the People will resonate with Christians across the country whose highest patriotic desire is for the United States of America to leave it's spiritual exile and return to its God. 


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255