Hope Springs - book review

Kim Cash Tate's book Hope Springs was a quick easy read. It's the story of two families, the Sanders and the Dillons, in the small town of Hope Springs, North Carolina. Grandma Geri, the matriarch of the Sanders family, is diagnosed with cancer as the families mourn the death of Jim Dillon, one of the town's beloved pastors. This Christian fiction book drew me in to the lives of the many family members as they struggled with issues of loss, deception, humility, hope, following God's call on their lives, love, and servanthood (to name a few). I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it as a great read.

The story also addresses the issue of race relations in a small southern town - the Sanders are a black family and the Dillons are white. These two families have been friends for many years and several generations, however they've always attended separate churches based on their race. When one of Grandma Geri's granddaughters approaches a white waitress at the town diner about starting a Saturday morning Bible study, ladies from both churches come together to meet and discuss God's Word. This small gathering begins a discussion among the two pastors that results in a once a month church service where both congregations meet together. Since the story is set in modern times (cell phones, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook all make an appearance), it may seem strange to some of you that this type of segregation and prejudice is an underlying theme in this story. Unfortunately, this book depicts a true picture of many small town (& city) churches today. I thought the author did a wonderful job of addressing this issue in a positive light and stressing (through the characters in the story) that all Christians are a part of the body of Christ.

[I downloaded this e-book free from BookSneeze, but as always this review contains my own thoughts, opinions and recommendations.]