A gift. The baby. The pageant. The parties. The worship. The afterglow. The story. These are the elements of most every Christmas. In Startling Joy, award-winning author James Calvin Schaap takes a look at each of these elements through seven stories that show how imperfect people can find joy and grace in an imperfect world. His eyes turn on an outgoing bus driver, a passionate mother, a daughter reluctant to return to church, and even his own assumed-mediocre performance at a Christmas pageant. Along the way, readers see how the amazing message of Christmas can be found in the oddest of places. This heartwarming read is both moving and magical and will help readers usher in a joyful Christmas season even amidst the howling winds of winter.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
The well-known Schaap collects seven short stories--and a preface that reads like a short story--set at Christmas. In "Forgetting Jesus," a bored teenager goes to look for a doll that will stand in for the infant Jesus and has an insight into what it all means. In the goodhearted, rather complex "Facts of Life," two aging cafeteria workers come to an understanding about who is grandmother to whom. As Walter Wangerin points out in his delightful introduction, Schaap's stories are epiphanies, moments of startling joy leading to grace. But if Wangerin needs to contribute an introduction, it underscores what is always Schaap's plight: he's too Christian for the mainstream and too literary for the evangelical. Still, this little book will have some appeal for those who think Christmas is more about joy than mammon.
John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
James C. Schaap teaches literature and writing at Dordt College in Sioux City, Iowa, and is an award-winning author.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
inspirational collection - find little miracles in everyday life,
This review is from: Startling Joy: Seven Magical Stories of Christmas (Hardcover)
"Mystery". The professor is an academia sophisticate while the bus driver is obese working crass. He is polite, but scornful as she relates her tale of marriage means abuse until he realizes in her clumsy way she has told him the STARTLING JOY of Christmas.
"The Baby". Eighth grader Gina plays Mary at the school show, but director Nelvie forgot to bring the "baby Jesus"; Gina finds the right "old doll". ""The Party". Verona's son sired a child with Kelly, but refused to marry her. Kelly married someone else who adopted Mandy as his. However, Verona wants to be part of Mandy's life, but cannot until Kelly's mom gives the sad secret grandma a special Yuletide present. "The Gifts". Julia is downhearted that her fifteen-year-old daughter is pregnant and wants to raise the child while she prefers the baby be given up for adoption. While waiting for her daughter at the airport, Julia sees God's miracles. "The Church". Mom wants her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren to attend church, but they insist they have not found any. She comes from Iowa to Seattle to help them understand there is more to life than work. "The Pageant". Kathy insists that too much sentimentality spoils the true meaning of Christmas so there are no kids acting as singing animals in the manger. Thirteen years old Angela challenges the adult insisting that is part of celebrating. "The Afterglow". The day after Christmas humanity returns to normal ignoring places like the Bethany House orphanage. Aunt Mary is dispirited when little Laney says her father is near, but will never visit the orphanage. She must find her post Christmas spirit to insure Laney and the others can rejoice in love not rejection. "The Snowfall". The theater professor is upset that the girls disrupted the performance, but afterward a retired missionary thanks him for a refreshing show that leads him to an epiphany about Luke. These are flawed selfish people who in small ways learn the true meaning of Christmas without any divine miracle; James Calvin Schaap encourages his audience to find their own little miracle in everyday life. Harriet Klausner
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Writes well, but depressing stories for the Holiday,
This review is from: Startling Joy: Seven Magical Stories of Christmas (Hardcover)
Schapp writes very well. He is east to follow and you can see things clearly through his eyes. The problem is that each story leaves you wishing you hadn't read them. They are stories that depict the ugly parts of ourselves but the stories are too short to help us see what we can do to fix ourselves. They are depressing. NOT a good book to read for a fun holiday season,
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
