You'll Get Through This

July 8, 2013
Penning his 30th trade book of hope and inspiration, bestselling author Lucado (Grace: More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagine) turns his attention to helping people get through illness, job loss, depression, financial woes, or any type of crisis, using the biblical story of Joseph of the-coat-of-many-colors fame. With chapter titles like “Alone, but Not All Alone,” “Stupid Won’t Fix Stupid,” and “Now, About Those Family Scandals and Scoundrels,” Lucado narrates personal stories and those of people forced to find their way through various crises that he weaves together using a thread of Joseph’s story and how the biblical figure remained steadfast in his faith in God through a number of difficult and unjust circumstances. Less fluffy than he can occasionally be, Lucado is solidly anchored in an appropriate biblical story that trumpets the lesson that there is a way through crisis, and God will use bad circumstances for good. This assurance is bolstered with helpful advice, practical applications, and other scripture verses that pave a path to perspective, survival, and strength on the other side of any crisis encountered. Agent: Steve Green, Anvil Management.

June 15, 2013

Once again, Lucado (Oak Hills Church, San Antonio; Cure for the Common Life) has come through with a hit. The author of dozens of inspirational books for Christians, Lucado has a special talent for storytelling. Here, his goal is to encourage people, especially the brokenhearted, through tough times. He does so in his usual personable style. Using the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers as a background, he expertly interweaves real stories with the biblical narrative, creating an accessible whole. Carefully avoiding religious platitudes, Lucado acknowledges the depth of sorrow and trouble in modern life, and offers realistic hope in a faith in God, even when such hope is hard to find. The author makes his points without being heavy-handed. Chapters such as "Stupid Won't Fix Stupid" tell it like it is in a lighthearted way. VERDICT Lucado fans will be pleased with this new release. Any reader comfortable with a Christian mind-set and looking for encouragement through difficult circumstances will be glad to turn to this work.--Holly Hebert, Brentwood P.L., TN

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
New York Times best-selling author Lucado uses the Old Testament's Joseph to illustrate that, no matter what happens, we fare better facing challenges with God's help. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, but he made the best of his circumstances by looking out for others, avoiding seduction, remaining honest, and staying true to his heart and intuition. After two decades, he progressed from prisoner to prince of Egypt. For those facing difficult timesjob loss, illness, loss of a loved one, accident, divorcemaintaining integrity may seem out of reach, but Lucado offers countless examples of those who have done just that and reaped untold rewards. He insists that what kept these individuals rock solid was the understanding that God was with them. Lucado also touches upon several universals: understanding your specific calling and destiny, absorbing God's grace, doing what's morally right, the benefits of gratitude, the power of forgiveness, and the importance of making a life plan. With this book, and maybe the intercession of the divine, those facing tough times can make it through.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 31, 2006
Pradsad's Outwitting the Job Market included meditations on diversity and the workplace; her choice of fiction over nonfiction for this anthology may reflect her own shifts: her novel One of the Boys is due in 2007. All of the contributors are from mixed or multiracial backgrounds; Prasad notes in her foreword that there is "some commonality" among them: "being proof of an increasingly global society, acting as the solder between various communities, straddling cultural expectations." In "Footnote," memoirist Carmit Delman (Burnt Bread and Chutney) writes of a quarter-Indian girl raised in West Virginia who takes a carnal route to discovering identity. Mat Johnson's "Gift Giving" uses the typical story of the cuckold (the author dedicates the story to an ex-fiance) to dispel numerous cliches of biracial coupledom: "The women I knew who socialized white always had some mythic white ex-boyfriend to whom no Negro could compare." In "The Caste System," Mary Yukari Waters (The Laws of Evening) sends Sarah Rexford to Japan with her grandmother for a visit to her mother's grave, and to her aunt Kimiko. There are short author bios written by the writers themselves, and thumbnail photos of each author. At the end of each of the 18 stories, the writer gives a brief description of what inspired it.