Review of Home For Christmas: Stories For Young And Old (Paperback)

Most Christmas stories are sentimental.On a "sentimentality scale" of 1 to 10, I would rate this collection of 20 stories a 7; but, a magnificient seven.

My introduction to this collection was by way of the Bruderhof website, that included "No Room in the Inn" by Katherine Paterson.A very well-written short story that tells the message of Christmas with a New England directness and with dry humor that bites. It remains my favorite in the compilation.

The collection includes a few old classics such as "The Christmas Rose" and "The Other Wise Man".

Four of the stories are written in a humorous style that sound better when read aloud for an audience.They include "Riders of St. Nicholas", about three cowboys left on the ranch to fill some idle time; "The Vexation of Barney Hatch", like a tale from O'Henry; "The Carpenter's Christmas", cussing and hammering as a devotional prayer; and "Willibald's Trip to Heaven", a Tyrolean tale of a creche maker who fights with St. Peter.Both young and old will enjoy these four tales and they would lift the spirits of anyone stuck in the hospital over the holidays.

Pearl Buck's "Christmas Day in the Morning" is a sentimental, yet beautiful tale that would have a special appeal for anyone who has worked on a dairy farm.

A common thread of kindness links each of these stories.An added bonus are the woodcut illustrations by David Klein that accompany each story.What an appropriate Christmas gift!I'll buy a few copies of Home for Christmas to give as gifts for next year.



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Review of Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns (Paperback)

"The sacred is in the ordinary. It is found in one's daily life - in friends, family, and neighbors; in one's own backyard."

The above quote comes from a thank-you note Cindy La Ferle keeps in an "altar" above her kitchen sink. Its simple observation pretty much sums up the philosophy expounded in her book, Writing Home. A columnist for a Detroit area paper and freelance article writer, La Ferle writes about what she knows best - home - and how our home life shapes and colors who we are.

My personal favorite essay is "Quit Picking on Barbie." The big-breasted fashion doll has been getting a bum rap for years... Most little girls just enjoy dressing her up and designing homes and careers for her. She doesn't scar our sense of femininity at all. Another column, "Recovering Perfectionist," stirs up many familiar emotions as well. Women do seem especially susceptible to perfectionistic behavior, La Ferle observes. Our "people-pleasing" impulses prevent us from attempting many worthwhile endeavors because we're afraid we won't be able to do them perfectly. We need to let go of this need to "be right or look good" all the time. In the humorous "Seeing Red" we learn about the pros and cons of being a redhead - or at least the Miss Clairol version of it.

From "Baghdad and Banana Bread"- finding security from the horrors of the world in simple baking - to "The Lost Art of Loafing"- an art I really need to take advantage of this summer- Writing Home wisely reminds us that truly there is no place like home. -- Cindy Appel for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

Product Description
Both a "motherhood memoir" and a handbook for living, Writing Home is a heartwarming anthology of domestic essays and lifestyle columns by award-winning journalist Cindy La Ferle. This timeless collection speaks to every suburban parent who has ever attempted to combine work, parenthood, and homekeeping. La Ferle's essays address such key issues as losing a parent, aging gracefully, reinventing family traditions, facing the empty nest, and finding deeper meaning in the small but defining moments of everyday life. Writing Home has won four awards for creative nonfiction, including one from Midwest Independent Publisher's Association and another from Writer's Digest. Think Club Publications voted Writing Home Book of the Year in 2005, praising it for its values-driven content. Midwest Book Review describes Cindy La Ferle's essays as "Little gems of wisdom from a modern working woman who has a valuable and interesting philosophy on life." The book has been featured on Sirius Radio and in other national media.



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