J's Pages

I confess that I'm a cynical man--all to quick to roll my eyes when stories start effusing about things like goodness and love. I'll usually skip any story that might make it to the Hallmark channel. That said, goodness and love are worth effusing about, and a good story can feature them without having to mix in a dark edge to the plot and characters. For example, you have this book.

Bright Valley of Love is the true story of Gunther and the place where he grew up. Gunther was born in Germany in 1914. He was handicapped, due in part to neglect by his birth family. When Gunther was seven, his family brought him to Bethel, a community for the physically and mentally impaired. In a world where disdain and neglect was common for many handicapped people. Bethel offered a loving community dedicated to physical and spiritual care for its members. The book takes us through Gunther's childhood, as he finds a new family at Bethel and thrives despite his handicapped body. The tale then goes on as Hitler gains power in Germany and Gunther and his brothers and sisters are threatened by the Nazi's twisted plan to "purify" Germany. 

I'm not sure how this tale pierced my cynical shell--maybe it was all the quoted hymn verses--but I'm sure glad it did. I may have to find a copy for my shelf. 

LibraryThing link

Labels: OnMyShelf

// posted by John @ 5:36 PM