Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar

Back Cover:
Before Christ called her daughter . . .

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . .

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body, heart, and soul?

I rescued this book from the shelves of Value Village here and wondered what the story would be, since Tessa Afshar is a new author to me. I wasn't disappointed and I'm happy to add her pages to my bookshelves now.

Elianna means "My God has favored me", and thus was she named because her birth was seen as a blessing from God to her parents. Two siblings would later be added to her Jewish family--the second being a boy whom her parents loved especially. But tragedy soon strikes Elianna's family, and her father wrongfully lays the blame at her feet. Ethan, her betrothed, gives her space and time, loving her all the while. I love the relationship she and Ethan share--hers of doubting and sorrowing in her family, but Ethan choosing to share her pain and giving her the comfort and advice that he can.

With the passing of time, she watches her younger sister fall in love and lives through the horror of a bandit attack along with her father. Elianna finds purpose and meaning in taking over her father's wool and weaving business and she keeps the family alive when her father passes away. And despite this Ethan still is faithful to her and brings security to her life in a way she doesn't realize. Because of the guilt and oppression she lives with regarding their family tragedy, she pushes Ethan away, thinking that he deserves a better wife and life. She throws herself harder into weaving and selling, finding new dyes and material and using her connections to learn what the people desire to buy.

Once again tragedy strikes, this time her business in the way of a house fire. It seems as though her life as been filled with sorrow, and yet it will take personal physical uncleanliness to bring Elianna to Jesus' feet--literally. Keziah, her servant, and Joanna, her sister, remain constant and faithful friends to her as she spends her living on physicians, attempting to find a cure for her sickness, and yet she is never completely healed. Viriato and Claudia provide humor and relief from the Gentile side of Elianna's Jewish life, and I'm so glad Afshar created characters who found companionship in those outside their own culture and religion. Keziah and Joanna encourage Elianna's faith in God (sometimes with tough love) and tell her of a Prophet from Nazareth who heals. After spending her living on physicians, she doesn't readily agree with them, but as a last resort goes to hear Him speak.

This story is historical fiction regarding the woman with the issue of blood, and Afshar drew her story from the way Jesus called her daughter. Obviously, we know little of this lady, but we know she was healed physically and spiritually, and Afshar does an amazing job placing Elianna with real-life characters and scenarios. Whether or not the Biblical story had a woman behind it like Elianna, we won't know, but either way the story is one of tragedy and love, sorrow and hope, and pain and healing. And in the land of silence that surrounds Elianna, she learns to love and forgive and trust the God of Israel anew.

The Girls' Guide to Conquering Life by Erica and Jonathan Catherman

From Amazon: 
There's a lot a girl needs to know as she grows up and makes her way in the world. Having a reference guide of practical how-to life skills and character traits can empower her to become a confident and capable woman. Coauthors Erica and Jonathan Catherman offer this collection of step-by-step instructions on 100 things girls need to succeed, including how to
- introduce yourself
- change a flat tire
- respectfully break up with a guy
- leave a tip
- apply for a job
- ask for a promotion
- behave during a police stop
- create a personal budget
- calculate square footage
- wash your face
- clear a clogged drain
- iron a shirt
- wear a scarf
- shoot a basketball
- sharpen kitchen knives
- and much more

In fact, if it's in here, it's an important skill or character trait practiced by capable and confident women. With great illustrations and sidebars of advice from world-class experts, this all-in-one reference tool for young women in the making is the perfect gift for birthdays, graduations, or any occasion.

I remember requesting this book while waiting in the barn at the farm where I work. I thought it would be neat to see how an author would break down different life skills into smaller steps. The Catherman husband and wife team cover many aspects of life in their chapters. Each chapter begins with a page long introduction on the topic. The authors are straight-forward and encouraging in their approaches to varying life skills, and while I loved their honesty, I was a bit bothered by the fact that their guidelines and points of view were merely backed by the idea of "being a strong woman". While I am completely for the equality of value in men and woman as humans created in the image of God, I can't seem to find a biblical backing for some of the statements Erica and Jonathan present. I love how they desire to instill leadership skills and empower the next generation to live well, but they do seem to root much of their thinking in feminism. (While I understand that non-Christian authors will write from a non-biblical point of view, I was quite surprised to see it published under a typically Christian publisher. I do not necessarily takes issues with reading specifically non-Christian material in and of itself.)

Some of their relationship styles may not be to everyone's taste, but I believe the underlying principles are generally helpful. Whether or not you'd invite a guy on a "date" or choose to use a credit card or decide to swing a golf club in your free time is up to you. Either way the basic instructions for a variety of life skills is laid out step by step. Some of these instructions could have greatly benefited from picture illustrations (ie: gift wrapping, budgeting, ironing a shirt, etc.). While detailed writing instructions are good, there were times when the task itself was quite a bit easier than attempting to understand the picture-less directions.

All that said, I think this book would be helpful for pre-teens and young teenagers. I think most of the topics in this book are covered by many families when raising their children (and most are simply common sense), but it's always good to hear a review of them and have a list of directions nearby. Plus you might learn a couple new things as well.


*I received this book free from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.