Kennedy's Hugs

KENNEDY'S HUGS

by Jason and Heather Hansen

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What a beautifully told story! 
I am in awe at all that happened to this wonderful girl and the power of her hugs! I am so grateful for this families courage to share her story. 
This is one book everyone needs to read!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After her terminal diagnosis, Kennedy's life would never be the same. But even as her body broke down, her heart never failed, nor did her ability to love. With each precious passing day, more people witnessed her faith and kindness uniting her community and spreading to millions around the world. Now you can experience firsthand this incredible true story of unfailing optimism, real miracles, and Kennedy's inspiring legacy of love.

Jason and Heather’s daughter Kennedy was diagnosed with Batten disease, a terminal illness, but the story doesn’t begin or end there. Kennedy’s Hugs details the precious moments, miracles, and guidance that Kennedy and her family experienced throughout her life’s journey.

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My Name is Bryan w/ $25 Amazon or PayPal Giveaway

A review copy was provided

MY NAME IS BRYAN

by Stacy Lynn Carroll

When asked what my favorite genre is I will tell you without hesitation that it is romantic suspense but that I am quickly becoming addicted to contemporary romance.

And then my husband will quietly remind me that my favorite genre is biography.

And it is SO TRUE!

I LOVE reading a TRUE story about someone who trudged through adversity and came out conqueror.

People like Bryan AMAZE me and INSPIRE me!

For you see Bryan was a typical boy. He had just graduated from school and was on a river rafting trip.

When given the chance to dive off some cliffs Bryan wouldn't be out-done.

With a beautiful swan dive Bryan sliced through the water.

"But something was wrong. He was sailing through the water, and the river floor was coming too fast. His hands hit the sand hard. His elbows buckled. Bryan's head smashed into the bottom and with a loud POP, he knew his life would be changed forever."

You will read of his long wait on the beach as a miracle rescue was in the makings.

You will see how he handled being in the hospital for longs months by playing tricks on and teasing his nurse.

You will watch how his family life went on and how Bryan's life changed and how everyone handled the transition.

You will learn of the woman who loved him and of the woman Bryan fell in love with.

You will walk with him as he travels life in a wheel chair...doing amazing things and never giving up.

So beautiful told!
Your heart will fall in love with Bryan!
BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE PICTURES IN THE BACK :)

Blog Tour Giveaway 

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash 

Ends 11/21/14 

Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Stacy Lynn Carroll has always loved telling stories. She started out at Utah State University where she pursued a degree in English. Go Aggies! She then finished her BA at the University of Utah (to be closer to her then boyfriend, now hubby) where she got an emphasis in creative writing. After college she worked as an administrative assistant, where she continued to write stories for the amusement of her co-workers. When her first daughter was born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she quit her job and became a full-time mommy and writer. It seemed like fate when Matt and Stacy married. She was a writer, and her father-in-law had a story that demanded to be written. She and her husband have three children, two Corgis, and a fish named Don.

Website * Twitter * Pinterest * Facebook

Hope After Suicide

Book Details
Author: Wendy Parmley
Release Date: August 2014
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.
Genre: Biography

Words cannot adequately describe the beauty and sacredness of this book and the events that unfold.

Wendy was only 12-years-old when her mother took her own life.

Wendy's only defense from the "heartache, despair, and loneliness" was to build a wall around the hole left in her heart when her mother shot a hole in her own heart.

But that wall never allowed healing to take place...

Openly and with tender details Wendy shares her life...

The life of her father and her siblings...

Her years of pretending she was okay...

Her therapy assignments...

Her protection of her badly wounded heart...

And how she found the love and forgiveness she has always been seeking.

Your heart will be touched as you read of this very brave woman and her willingness to share her story so that others might understand better their own struggles of loss and despair.

A book DEFINITELY worth reading!
VERY INSPIRATIONAL!

• Forgive yourself and others
• Open your heart
• Seek help when you need it
• Draw closer to the divine

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About the Author

Photo Courtesy of Alyse Neibaur at Diamond Eye

Prior to a disabling bicycle accident in 2011, Wendy spent nearly two years searching for answers related to her mother’s suicide death when Wendy was just twelve years old and the oldest of five children. She poured through her old journals, read her dad’s and grandmother’s memoirs, listened to funeral and family home evening tapes, and interviewed countless friends and family members including her former bishop, his wife, and the former police chief in order to discover truth.

Following her bicycle accident, Wendy’s injuries prohibited her return to work as a nurse manager at a local hospital. She left behind her 20 year nursing career and began organizing and writing from the information she had previously gathered.

Wendy has long advocated for suicide prevention and has participated on various professional and community based groups dedicated to that end. She also recognizes the need to unashamedly support those who must continue to live in the painful aftermath of a loved one’s suicide and passionately lends her voice to that cause.

Wendy earned her nursing degree from UVU in 1991 and her MBA from Brigham Young University in 2007. She has three sons and daughters-in-law, one daughter, and two beautiful grandchildren. She and her husband Mark live in Orem, Utah.

FACEBOOK | TWITTER

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Collateral Kindness: The True Story of an Army Interrogator in Iraq

Book Details

Author: Paul Holton

Release Date: January 2013

Publisher: Plain Sight Publishing

Genre: Biography

"There is a personal side to the war in Iraq...the US military were successful in breaking through language and cultural barriers with the Iraqi people and accomplished so much good..."

This is one man's AMAZING story!

You will be spell-bound as you read the incredible story of Paul Holton and his time in Iraq.

Driven to find a purpose for being there Paul found a way to touch the hearts of the people.

Seeing one little girl in need Paul handed her a stuffed animal...

From that day forward Paul found great joy in giving to the people of Iraq, especially the children.

With this desire he started Operation Give.

Learning of his stories of kindness from his blog, people from all over started to send him toys and other supplies for him to deliver.

Read of the places he visited, the conditions he found, and the lives he touched.

Amid the front lines and bombing raids this man found peace and hope for a people he came to love.

This book is SO WORTH READING!
PHENOMENAL!
HEART-TOUCHING!

AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Learn more about Operation Give 

www.operationgive.org | www.chiefwiggles.com | www.collateralkindness.com

About the Author

Paul Holton, better known as "Chief Wiggles," is the founder of Operation Give, a humanitarian organization that ships toys, medical supplies, clothes, shoes, sports gear and equipment and educational supplies to children in war-torn and devastated nations throughout the world.

Many became acquainted with Chief Wiggles through his detailed and inspiring wartime blog on the Internet, still actively blogging today at www.chifwiggles.com. As a chief warrant officer CW5 in the Utah Army National Guard with forty-two years of service, he has served as an interrogator, a debriefer, a HUMINTer, and a Korean linguist.

He has been to South Korea more than fifty times, functioning as an interrogation team chief, interpreter, or debriefer of North Korean defectors.

Holton was sent to the Middle East in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, where he interrogated dozens of Iraqis.

Collateral Kindness recounts his experiences in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2004, from the start of the war through the capture of Saddam Hussein.

From June 2010 to Jun 2011, Holton went back to Iraq on his third deployment and had yet again another amazing magical journey.

Paul has worked for FedEx for the past twenty-two years and was most recently a worldwide account manager. He has taught supply chain management and operation management at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.

He is married to his lovely wife, Keeyeon, and they have four wonderful children and two granddaughters.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

My Memoir of Motherhood

Book Details
Author: Chantal Bellehumeur
Release Date: 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Biography

A brave girl did a brave thing...

Young, single, and pregnant...

Chantal has to make a choice...
Does she keep the baby or abort it...

Thirteen years later he son asks her "Did you ever consider aborting me?"

Excerpt
"The truth was, I had thought about getting an abortion the instant I found out that I was pregnant with him because I was only eighteen years old at the time, still in high school, and had been accepted into the university program I wanted.

My handsome blond haired son stared at me with his brown eyes, patiently waiting for an answer. I didn’t want to lie to him, but didn’t know how to tell him that his father and I had not planned to have him and that abortion had been my first thought when I looked at my positive pregnancy test back in June of 2000. How could I look at my loving son in the eyes and tell him that I didn’t originally jump for joy and then happily announce the news to the whole world?

Obviously, I ended up changing my mind about getting an abortion and have absolutely no regrets about my decision."


This is Chantal's beautifully told, true story, of having her son and all the experiences of raising him.

"I don’t know what I would do without him.

Being a mother is truly the most wonderful thing in the world."

Your heart will be touched!
An inspirational true story!

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About the Author
I am a multi-genre author who always loved to write but never thought about publishing anything until a friend of mine told me I should.

Before that, I was more interested in acting. I performed in a couple of amateur stage showed and joined a Youth run Theatre Company. I was also an extra in a few commercials, TV shows and movies.

My love for acting soon got replaced with the love for my son. I made him my number one priority. I found it easier to write on my spare time than to work around other people's schedules to act. I found that I had to use some of my acting training to write since I had to put myself in the shoes of the characters I created.

I currently have 8 books available to purchase and write short stories for The Suburban's Online Magazine.

Some of my work was also featured in Aspiring to Inspire Anthology as well ad Words of Fire and Ice.

My memoir of motherhood was included in the compilation book They Call me Mamma Bear, put together by author Amber Royce.

While I continue to come up with stories, I encourage my son to so some writing of his own since he is full of good ideas and has a big imagination. He reminds me of myself as a child.

I am a single mom and feel very lucky to have Aidan in my life.

On a side note, whether you own any of my books or not, you can request a personalized digital autograph from me by going to the following link:
http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/c_...

Webpage | Facebook

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Surviving Hitler

Book Details
Author: O. Hakan Palm
Release Date: July 2014
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Biography

How blessed we are that people who experience horrific events are willing to share with us... That we might understand more fully...

Your heart will be touched~
Your mind will question~
Your life will be changed~

In April 1940, Germany invaded Norway...

"Norway was without a king or government...and the people believe anything they heard."

Not knowing what else to do Gustav Palm joined the National Socialist Party and ended up in the Norwegian battalion.

"After being forced to guard a Nazi prison camp, however, Gustav took his only option for escape: he volunteered for the Waffen-SS to fight at the front."

At this same time Agnes Erdös was living as a "privileged and prosperous child in Hungary."

She and her parents had joined the Catholic church, but in 1941 when Hitler's discrimination laws against Jews went into effect their heritage was found out and they were sentenced to the "death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau."

This is their story...all of the things that they experienced during the war.

Gustav as a soldier of war~

Agnes as a prisoner of war~

Each had terrible things happen to them.

Each had miracles that saved them.

Each were brought together after the war.

TWO PEOPLE "WHO OVERCAME THROUGH LOVE..."
WHO IN THE BEST WAY THEY COULD "SURVIVED HITLER." 

AN AMAZING BOOK!
DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!
A BOOK SO WORTH READING!
A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE SHARED!
YOU WILL LOVE THE INCLUDED PHOTOS!

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About the Author

Like his brother and three sisters, O. HAKAN PALM, eldest son of Gustav and Agnes Erdös Palm, has been shaped by his parents’ wartime experiences. 

A successful management consultant in Stockholm, Sweden, Håkan has served faithfully in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a bishop, as a member of two stake presidencies, and seven times as a counselor in the Sweden Stockholm Mission. 

He and his wife, Barbro, are the parents of seven children.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinions :)

Patchwork Reality

Book Details
Author: Pauline Hansen
Release Date: February 2014
Publisher: Plain Sight Publishing
Genre: Biography

WOW! this book is intriguing and captivating and intriguing and wonderful and intriguing!

A TRUE story!
Compelling!
Riveting!
SO WELL TOLD!

Pauline grew up dreaming of the day she would be 'happily married.'

But after her husband's dream~ her dream began to spiral downward.

Curtis dreamed that he was a person of importance and that he was called on to play 'The Game' that would lead them to great wealth.

He must live by certain rules, only talk to certain people, and play by certain numbers and colors.

Their family is greatly affected by 'the game.'

Not knowing what else to do Pauline tries to have faith in Curtis.

She lives 10 years in this dark reality that has become hers.

This is her story and how she lived before she found out her husband has paranoid schizophrenia.

Though her life has been like a "PATCHWORK REALITY" she is now "happily married to a schizophrenic."

I LOVE how Pauline talks about her husband in the book...
YES! there were incredibly HARD times...times she didn't understand...
But in the acknowledgments she states:

To my favorite person in the world--I cherish and adore you, sweetheart! I sure am glad you went to that dance."

This is a story worth reading!
A story of learning, loving, forgiving, and moving forward no matter what!

About the Author
Pauline Hansen grew up in a tiny town where she went everywhere barefoot, played in the ditch, and anticipated the arrival of the bookmobile every two weeks. Her love of reading led her to dream of someday becoming an author. In addition to reading and writing, Pauline enjoys traveling, spring cleaning, cooking, organizing, and spending time with her family. After nearly twenty-five years living in the city, she now resides once again in her tiny hometown in southern Utah with her husband, three of their five children, and two cats.Patchwork Reality is her first publication.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring w/ Book Giveaway

Book Details
Authors: Robert I. Eaton and Henry J. Eyring
Release Date: November 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Biography

I am always impressed with the magnitude of greatness that the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have.

How blessed we are to not only be lead and directed by these wonderful men...

But what an example of faith and fortitude they show for us.

It was fascinating to read about Henry B. Eyring...

From the way his parents raised him to his schooling and military service to being married and raising his own children to being a prominent leader in science and church.

Filled with pages of photographs, journal entries, quotes and stories!

I knew he kept a journal, but did you know he adds drawings to the margins..how FUN!

AN AMAZING BOOK

ABOUT AN AMAZING, COMPASSIONATE MAN!

Deseret Book has graciously offered a

BOOK GIVEAWAY for MY readers :)

(US Address only PLEASE)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Authors

Robert I. Eaton began serving as president of the Washington Federal Way Mission in summer 2013. Prior to that, he was a professor of religious education at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is a graduate of BYU and of Stanford Law School. He and his wife, Diane, are the parents of four children.

Henry J. Eyring graduated from Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in geology and graduate degrees in business administration and law. He is the advancement vice president of BYU-Idaho and has served as director of the BYU MBA program. He also served as president of the Japan Tokyo North Mission. He and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of five children.

(A review copy was provided, however, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

Follow Me to Zion w/ Book Giveaway

Book Details
Authors: Andrew D. Olsen and Jolene S. Allphin
Release Date: September 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Biography

I LOVE reading the "preface" of a book...you can learn SO MUCH from it!

And this book has a wealth of information in the preface...

Tucked inside a journal belonging to handcart pioneer Thomas Normington are two fabric strips, each about six inches long and one inch wide, that were likely used as bookmarks. Attached to the center of each strip is a piece of cross-stitched fabric with the words "Follow Me to Zion." These simple words are an invitation to devote one's life to God and his purposes. They are also an invitation for each person, whether in 1856 or today, to consider his or her path.

Follow Me to Zion tells stories of members of the Willie handcart company who accepted those invitations with full devotion. In doing so, these Saints made tremendous sacrifices. Most of them left family, friends, property, and homelands so they could answer the call of a prophet to gather to Zion...Their faith is our inheritance. Their faith is a reminder to us of the price they paid for the comforts we enjoy.

Handcarts were less expensive than wagons and more affordable for the Saints who had left practically everything.

Five handcart companies traveled the plains in 1856.

Three came quickly and with out much loss.

But the last two~ the Willie and Martin companies~ had a different experience...

They ran short on provisions and they were caught in winter storms.

While they lost some 200 members of these companies they left a legacy of faith.

"The timely assistance of rescuers and the sacrifices the people made for each other helped save the lives of some 800 Saints."

These are their stories~

This book also includes beautiful art by Julie Rogers

Also included are photographs, journal entries, and memories from a descendant.
A fascinating and thought-provoking book.
A book to be treasured and shared.

Let us remember these pioneers and know that 

IF they did what they did, we can do what we need to do.

Deseret Book has graciously offered a

BOOK GIVEAWAY for MY readers :)
US address only please

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Authors and Artist
Andrew D. Olsen is an editor for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the author of The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Pioneers. Andrew and his wife, Linda, are the parents of 3 children.

Jolene Spendlove Allphin has a love for the 1856 pioneers and rescuers that continues to grow. She has published nearly 300 biographical sketches of them inTell My Story, Too. Jolene and her husband, Michael, are the parents of 11 children.

Julie Boswell Rogers is an acclaimed artist who has won many awards. Her art has been featured in Church publications, visitors' centers, and the Church History Museum.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

God Doesn't Write With A Pen

Tour Schedule

Book Details

Author: Christi Lynn Pauline

Release Date: June 2013

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Genre: Biography

Words cannot express the amazing journey of this man and his family.

Heart-touching, and sometimes heart-wrenching, you will find yourself being amazed at the story that this book tells.

A story of Blema and Fatoumatou and their family.

You will read and wonder and feel like surely this cannot be true...for you will read of a life journey so truly different from your own.

But this is a true story...a true story of a West African family who must live through some pretty terrifying moments.

A family who is separated for more than 12 years.

A family who seeks safety in a refugee camp to only realize that refugee life is not that glamorous or private or healthy.

A family who goes through tremendous efforts to be resettled to the United States.

A family who will praise the Lord even through the midst of their trials.

A family who receives tender mercies from the Lord

A family who will find a place in your heart.

For "God doesn't write with a pen... not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart." ~ 2 Corinthians 3:3

Click HERE for the BOOK GIVEAWAY :)

Offer ends 9/1/13

One-half of all the royalties are going to help support 

two clinics in West Africa

About the Author

CHRISTI LYNN PAULINE was born in the humble town of Blackfoot, Idaho, near the Fort Hall Indian reservation. It was here that her interest in other cultures was cultivated at an early age. With a yearning to see the world, she has traveled with her husband, Ernie, to fifteen different countries, and in so doing, has developed a great appreciation for the amazingly beautiful and diverse world that we live in.

Love of God, people, and literature has fueled Christi’s desire to write, and her favorite theme is that of ordinary people who possess extraordinary faith. She also enjoys reading and writing poetry, and especially admires the works of Eliza R. Snow.

As a wife, mother and grandmother, Christi treasures the time she spends with her family. Among her favorite pass-times are, gardening, genealogy, sewing, and playing her cello.

No Excuses, No Regrets: The Eric Weddle Story

Book Details
Author: Trent Toone
Release Date: May 2013
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Biography

I am not what you would call a "sports fan." And I will be honest...some of the football terms in this book went over my head.

But with that said...
I LOVED this book! 
I LOVED the story of Eric and the trials he overcame and the determination he has...a man who gives it his all!

Every day I would say to my husband, who is a sports fan, did you know this about Eric? I am SO impressed by Eric! Let me tell you what Eric did!

I even found myself thinking...that's how I do things...give it my all...(Oh...to be as great as him...maybe someday... :)

There is so much to learn from this man...so much to understand...so much to admire...so much to help you strive to be a better person.

And the author tells it so well...don't miss out on reading this book!

About the Author

Trent Toone is a journalist for the Deseret News, where he writes for a variety of feature sections. He graduated from the University of Utah in 2003. He has worked for several newspapers and received several awards over his fifteen-year journalism career. Trent and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of three children and reside in Syracuse, Utah.

(A digital review copy of this title was provided by the publisher for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

GIVEAWAY

Hardback copy of the book

PERFECT for Father's DAY 

(US/Canada only please)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hitchhikers

Book Details
Author: Bernard Poduska
Release Date: March 2013
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Genre: Biography

EVERYONE needs to read this story!
Although this sounds like a really good fiction story...this is a TRUE story!

A story of an amazing journey one man has made!

I love the how the book puts it:

This is a true story of one man's amazing journey from a homeless and hopeless childhood to a life of conversion and faith. 

In 1947, due to lack of rent money, 8-year-old Bernard and his family are evicted.

Having no where to go the Poduska family join the ranks of the homeless.

For two years, one thing after another keeps this family on the run.

And with no money the only way to get from one place to another is to hitchhike.

But as Bernard, (Buddy), states at the end of the book:

You will never know what's on down the road until after you've made the journey; be grateful for any rides others may give you along the way, and whatever your destination, the journey is everything--make the most of it.

EVERYONE needs to read this story!

About the Author:

It has been a long journey; however, along with opposition in all things, God also gave us agency and the spiritual love and support we need to enable us to prevails. In my case, although I was declared “functionally illiterate” in high school, I managed to go on to earn a BS and an MS in psychology and a PhD in marriage and family therapy. I taught at colleges and universities for over thirty-five years, twenty-one of which were spent at Brigham Young University. I have also written a textbook on personality adjustment, a self-help book on managing stress, and two books on finances and relationships.

Eliza, The Life and Faith of Eliza R. Snow

Book Details:

Authors: Karen Lynn Davidson and Jill Mulvay Derr

Release Date: 2013

Publisher: Deseret Book

Genre: Biography

What a BEAUTIFUL tribute to Eliza R. Snow!

Book Description:
"Eliza R. Snow is one of the most revered women in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We hear stories of her faith and strength, and we sing her beloved hymns. She was fondly known as "Zion's Poetess" and also as "Presidentess," because of her leadership of Relief Society and her role in forming and directing organizations for young women and children.                                                                            

She has remained a legend for generations of Latter-day Saints, but we know less about her "variegated life," as she described it—the personal joys and sorrows brought about by unfolding events in the young Church of which she was a part.

This intimate look at Eliza R. Snow, by authors Karen Lynn Davidson and Jill Mulvay Derr, reveals a more private side of this extraordinary woman. She emerges as a bright young poet in Ohio, a new convert to the restored Church, a seamstress, and a sharer in the persecutions and hardships of the early Saints. We see a member of the households of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, a dedicated temple worker, and a traveling Relief Society president with a zeal for teaching the gospel.

Her delight in nature, her love for family and friends, and her outlook of hope for the cause of Zion are reflected here through selections from some of her best poems. Photographs, artifacts, and personal letters add visual beauty to this inspiring introduction to her fascinating life."

So BEAUTIFULLY DONE :)

You will feel a greater love and understanding for Eliza!

You will rejoice in her life!

You will treasure the legacy she left for us to follow!

May we add our prayers with hers 

"O Lord my God I pray...that I may be useful."

(A digital review copy of this title was provided by the publisher for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)

L. Tom Perry, An Uncommon Life: Years of Preparation

Book Details:

Author: Lee Tom Perry (son of L. Tom Perry)

Release Date: March 2013

Publisher: Deseret Book

Genre: Biography

Book Description:

Elder L. Tom Perry, a senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is fond of describing himself as being "as common as dirt."

Yet his life is uncommon by any standard. After spending most of his early years in his hometown of Logan, Utah, and additional years on a mission and in the military, young Tom Perry launched a twenty-year professional career that took him from his first job as an internal auditor in Boise, Idaho, to executive positions in retailing on the west and east coasts of the United States. Soon after his fiftieth birthday, he was surprised to be called as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve. Not long afterward, President Spencer W. Kimball extended to Elder Perry the call to join the Quorum of the Twelve. Elder Perry has now served for forty years as a General Authority.

For Elder Perry, the value of life's experiences is determined primarily by the lessons they teach. As the story of his life shows, his positive attitude has created positive lessons that we can learn from. He has lived a life of faithfulness to God, family, and country, and he continues to be blessed with faith-promoting experiences.

This first volume of Elder L. Tom Perry's biography extends from his birth on August 5, 1922, through his marriage to Virginia Clare Lee, the births of their children, and his career in the world of retailing to the time of his call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the passing of his beloved Virginia.

Uplifting and inspirational, this story of a remarkable man of faith encourages us to live better lives by drawing closer to God, selflessly serving others, and leading our families along the path of righteousness.

My Review:

I am always amazed at how the Lord prepares his leaders. Even from early on they seem to be trained to one day lead the church in a specific way and in a specific era.

L. Tom Perry is an amazing man. I loved reading about his ancestors and how they shaped his life. I enjoyed reading about his early life and his shyness. I really liked reading about his work history, his church service, and his family life. What a great example he is to all of us.

One thing I learned about Elder Perry is that the "L" is for Lowell, his given name. And that he used to go by that name, but when Elder Perry's younger brother was born and couldn't say his name and called him Wo-Wo instead...Elder Perry pleaded with his family to start calling him Tom...and he has been L. Tom Perry ever since.

One of my favorite stories is when Elder Perry used to take his young son, Lee, with him on speaking assignments. To help his son be quiet and attentive, Elder Perry gave him the task of watching and then signaling like the three monkeys representing see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil...
If Elder Perry was not standing up straight the son was suppose to cover his eyes.
If Elder Perry was speaking too loudly the son was suppose to cover his ears.
And when it was time for Elder Perry to finish speaking the son was suppose to cover his mouth.

I especially loved reading about his love for his wife and children. And his love of the Lord and his willingness to serve where ever he is called.

I also loved that they included pictures...

About the Author:

Lee Tom Perry, son of Elder L. Tom Perry, holds a PhD from Yale University. An associate dean at the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management, Dr. Perry is the Sorensen Family Professor of Organizational Leadership and Strategy. He served from 1998 to 2005 as associate dean over both graduate and undergraduate programs at the Marriott School.

Brother Perry has served in the Church as a bishop, as a stake president, and from June 2005 to July 2008, as mission president of the California Roseville Mission. He presently serves as a member of the Sunday School General Board. The author of Righteous Influence: What Every Leader Should Know about Drawing on the Powers of Heaven, he also wrote the lyrics of the Latter-day Saint hymn “As Now We Take the Sacrament.”

Brother Perry and his wife, Carolyn Bench Perry, live in Orem, Utah. They are the parents of six children.

(A review copy of this title was provided by the publisher for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)