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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What Happens when Eden is Full of Weeds?, February 8, 2010
Some people write because they are gifted at shaping sentences into beautiful, poetic expressions. Holding a book from a gifted writer is like drinking out of a stemmed glass of fine crystal. The look and feel is captivating, even when the wine inside was poured from a cardboard box. Other people write because they have a story worth telling. Depending on the significance of the narrative the quality of the serving cup can be somewhat overlooked. So when you find a writer who not only has the talent for words but also a tale to tell, you have a found a rare gift.
When I started reading Sarah Cunningham's second book, "Picking Dandelions," I knew I had found one of those memoirs that were worth championing both for its prose and its purpose. Often times Christian books seem nothing more than an outline from a speaker's favorite sermon that have been fluffed up to fit between the covers. Even when the message is worth sharing the art of story telling lacks any creativity that gives the book real body. But my early response to "Picking Dandelions" was that Sarah Cunningham could write. And as I continued, fully enjoying her story telling, I recognized its significance as well.
Cunningham describes her "Search for faith among life's weeds" from her days of growing up the daughter of a Baptist minister to her current roles as a teacher and new mother. Along the way she recognizes that her faith wasn't a "one and done" event like a sinner's prayer, but incorporates a lifetime of growing. Her journey to and through this understanding is full of imagery that will pull the reader into their own faith pilgrimage as well.
Though broken into nine sections, Cunningham's book has three main parts. The first two sections tell of the observations she had about faith as a child and adolescent. The next couple of sections concentrate on the segment of her life when she attempted to change the world around her. (There is a very poignant section where she describes her various outreach positions that sprung from her internships while at a Christian college and her staff roles at a church.) About half way through the book her energies are turned inwards as she realizes her attempts at creating a new Eden means she has to embody that garden within herself.
What does it mean to change? Does it matter if your faith is stale? How do you go about dealing with spiritual weeds? Cunningham asks these questions of herself, never getting preachy with the readers, which make this dandelion wine a rare, and worth imbibing, vintage.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book. Here's an Interview with Sarah, March 17, 2010
So I interviewed Sarah Cunningham about her new book Picking Dandelions...
ME: Sarah, congrats on the new book. What's it about?
SARAH: "It's a loose collection of stories that play to a universal theme--that humans (especially people in the faith) can't afford the luxury of unchanged living. And it paints a metaphor of having to weed out one's life to make room for more Eden intentions; more of the life God intended."
ME: Who is it for? Cuz I see the dandelion, and I'm like...
SARAH: "I was thinking it would be 30 to 50 year old multi-tasking women, probably juggling a fast-paced career, laundry duty, and reading three or four books simultaneously. Maybe using a half-completed to-do list as a bookmark."
ME: But no?
SARAH: "I was surprised that six of the seven people who opted to endorse the book were... men. And after the book hit the shelves, men have consistently made up about half the reviewers."
ME: Well, there is a rumor going around that Donald Miller wrote the book under the pen name "Sarah Cunningham."
SARAH: "Its been funny to watch. A lot of the men who mention the book to me, in emails or online, abbreviate it as PD--as if the title and the bright fuzzy flower on the cover, becomes a little more masculine."
ME: Are you surprised that men are reading it then?
SARAH: "Sorta. I was a little surprised that men got over the cover image. It wasn't a bubble letter cursive font or hearts and lipstick smeared all over the cover, but it played to women. Now I imagine this underground group of muscle-y guys, flipping through the book with paper bags over their heads. Like the sports fans who are embarrassed by their teams."
ME: What do you think that means?
SARAH: "Maybe the metaphor is bigger than I realized then. Its not just women kneeling in their gardens pulling stray dandelions; it's men firing up the weed-eater and mowing down hundreds at a time."
ME: Yeah, that sounds like me.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Man's Perspective on Dandelions, March 10, 2010
I'm not sure who first penned the statement, "You can't judge a book by its cover!" but it's true. I'll be honest; the moment I saw the cover of "Picking Dandelions" I thought it would be a great book to pass on to my wife. However, I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. At first glance, a book on dandelions may seem like a ladies novel; but I discovered something very manly about "Picking Dandelions."
As Cunningham notes, a dandelion is not a flower---it is a weed. And if there was such a thing as a manly-weed the dandelion would be it for sure. The dande-lion actually took its name because its serrated leaves resembled the teeth of a lion. So whatever you do, don't call a dandelion dainty--call it ferocious.
As I began to read and process Cunningham's story, I couldn't help but think about the chronicles of my own life. As a man, I have a tendency to view life from a zip-cord--flying through life hoping to go faster and further. I'm all about the need for speed, in fact, most books I "speed read." Yet, for this book, I decided to stop and smell the dandelions. I loosened up and asked God to do something in my heart. Oh, did I just use the "H" word? Heart... Yes, something resonated in my heart as I contemplated the mile markers in my own faith journey. After going through a challenging season in life, "Picking Dandelions" provided a fresh wave of hope and a renewed perspective in my relationship with God.
I would highly encourage every man who is wild at heart to pick the ferocious dandelion. Cunningham's imagery and storyline will be sure to take you on an unguided journey---one that will leave memorable yellow stains on your hands. Give "Picking Dandelions" a whirl!
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