This book was worth my time and worth it's place on my bookshelf!!

Review done by Heather

Awhile back a company called Bring it On Communications contacted me, inviting me to review a book for them. I was a teensy bit hesitant because A. It's not like I have a lot of extra time for reading and B. Non-fiction isn't exactly my favorite thing to read. However, I've been meaning to branch out on my reading habits -and this seemed a good opportunity. The description of the book they wanted me review intrigued me.

It's a historical narrative of the Native Americans living in the Northwest corner of our country, and their conversions to Christianity. The description included the fact that these Tribes had received revelation of the coming of white men who would teach them more about "He-Who-Made-Us." From an LDS perspective, which is my perspective, I was just too curious.

(For those of you unfamiliar with LDS teachings, we believe The Book of Mormon is a record of the people who lived on the American continent anciently. We believe that Christ revealed himself to the these people after his Resurrection, meaning the ancestors of Native Americans were Christians.)

The book itself seemed a little less about the specific revelations to the Native Americans, and more about the general history of their interactions with the White People. Although, by the end of the book, God's hand in spreading Biblical teachings to his people is revealed. I did find it pretty interesting, and the fact that it could hold my interest for 350 pages says something about the writer's talent..

Overall, worth my time, and worth it's place on my bookshelf.

Come read this intense, in depth review of The Forgotten Awakening!

Review done by Graphoniac

The Forgotten Awakening

How the Second Great Awakening Spread West of the Rockies

By Douglas McMurry

ISBN: 1-935265-63-6

Published by Deep River Books, © 2011

Softback $14.99 @ www.deepriverbooks.com

Overall Grade: A-

Deep, challenging, rewarding content; not my favorite writing style

Let me preface this review with a little background information, so you understand where I'm coming from.

I spent 4 years learning classic grammar, style and diction, to attain my writing degree. I have a proofreader's mind; I can't help but edit as I read. And I read everything. I despair at the decline of the English language, and find it especially offensive when professional print is subpar. I have been asked to review another writer's work, something I do with hesitation. I know what it is to have my own work criticized, what it is to fight the urge to take critiques personally. I must, for the sake of my integrity, and for the benefit of my readers give my honest opinion. So when I remark to the quality of writing, please know that I mean nothing personally against this author; I am merely relying on my classic training while comparing the manuscript to the ones I hold in highest regard.

All that being said, this book is pretty good. :)

Douglas McMurry spent two decades researching The Second Great Awakening, but not the same Second Great Awakening you may've heard of. It is all too easily forgotten that America's European settlers were not the only people on the continent at the time. And it is also too easily dismissed that the First Americans, the indigenous peoples could also be Christian. McMurry calls it ethnocentrism, belief in the superiority of one's own race. Too many of the missionaries and other settlers of the land were convinced that because the Natives were not civilized, they could not become Christians. Christ's love transcends all races, traditions, religious habits, and civilization. Because a few forgotten missionaries believed that, the Natives had their own Great Awakening while America's newest inhabitants had their Second.

Through the story of Jedediah Smith, American mapper, the story of Spokan Garry, a Great Spokan Chief's son, and the stories of several missionaries and trappers that affected Jedediah Smith and Spokan Garry, we get a glimpse of God's loving plan for all people. McMurry's research has found several accounts of God revealing Himself to Native tribes through their spiritual leaders, in ways familiar to The People, prior to the spread of European and American influence. It was prophesied to these tribes that the white man would come with "leaves bound together" to teach them more about God, "He-who-made-us." These prophesies were fulfilled to the detail--including the color of the hair and clothing of the people intended to bring the Gospel. 

In The Forgotten Awakening, McMurry relates historical details in a narrative, facts told as an intimate story. He brings to life characters of history, reminding us that they too were mere humans, regardless of their historical portrayal. By digging through letters, journals, and other historical documents, McMurry found and has presented us with the common thread of God's love and provision making a distinct impact on the lives of Natives and Immigrants alike.

I found the writing itself to be very difficult to read. Mr. McMurry's writing style is very modern, and includes modern phraseology even in 1st person thinking. I found several grammar, style, and diction errors that, though they may be commonly accepted in today's literature, I think greatly diminish a book's ability to last the ages. He also freely changes from 3rd person narrative to 1st person thinking without visual cues. These 1st person thoughts often carry on for full paragraphs of needlessly philosophical musings, sometimes interrupting narrative so that the reader has to stop and re-read to realize that the speaker has changed. I prefer to be shown details and to gather for myself how the character must have felt or thought. I find 1st person thoughts only necessary or helpful when the character doing the thinking is also the narrator throughout the book. But this comes of McMurry's conversational style. It'll be something that you either really enjoy or find difficult to get through. 

McMurry doesn't just preach about the injustice done to the Native Americans, he actually lives his beliefs. He and his wife created The Clearing Where Eagles Fly, a retreat and prayer center whose mission is to help heal and reconcile the American peoples of all heritages. While I am not a fan of his writing style, my hat's off to the Douglas McMurry. From reading this book, his bio, and his website, I believe he is as gentle, genuine, and compassionate as his portrayal of the godliest characters in this book.

I believe that if you read The Forgotten Awakening, regardless of your personal beliefs, you will see how the God of Christianity lovingly allows all people to come to Him in the ways familiar to them. You will see how Christ's love is not tied to civilization, but rather to each person's choice to obey God's calling, even through rituals unfamiliar to The Church. Christianity is simply a matter of obedience, not of religious icons, traditions or clothing choice. This book simply glows with stories of America's first Christians, both white and red.

Pros:

• As a historical narrative, the facts and impressions of years and years of research become much more enjoyable to read
• The story line supports and makes the concept easier to understand
• Decent organization for such a vast amount of information
• Includes simple maps, excerpts from journals, and pictures (in the center fold)
• If you like the conversational style of writing, the whole book is written as though told at an intimate gathering, using modern terms and idioms
• The whole point of the book is obvious, poignant, and powerful. It sticks with the reader

Cons:

• Written in a very conversational style, which I personally find difficult to read
• Has minor diction, style, and grammar errors that I found distracting. However, the average reader probably won't even notice them
• Switches between first, second, and third person almost excessively and without visual cues, a habit that this speed reader finds rather annoying
  This product was provided free of charge to Graphoniac, for review. All opinions are my own.

Brand New Book! The Forgotten Awakening

Review done by Amber

I love to read a book every so often, but with kids, the house, the outside, and well my blog is my get away I don't get to do it that often. So, when I get the chance to read a book I love the escape and really get into the story completely. I had the chance to review the  "The Forgotten Awakening" By: Douglas McMurry which is such a great book and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure if I would at first but the more I read it the more I really loved the story line. I really enjoyed the characters in the book and the roles they played. It is a great way to read about the spread of Jesus Christ in such a different way and I really enjoyed it so much. My mother is now borrowing the book and so far she has really loved it as much as I have. The dedication in the book is so fulfilling and could not have asked for a better read and to learn so much myself.

Description of the book: During the Second Great Awakening (1799-1830, the years of James McGready and Charles Finney), God was drawing our nation powerfully to Jesus Christ. What few people realize is that He was working to draw certain Western tribes to Jesus also, through tribal prophecies given to their most respected leaders. The Forgotten Awakening tells of the historical events that resulted from these early prophecies, and the Christian spiritual awakening that resulted among those tribes in 1828-30.

Unfortunately, in 1830 came Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act, followed by the Trail of Tears, the Manifest Destiny ideas in the 1840’s, and the false belief that Christianity is “the white man’s religion.” These developments eclipsed the more hopeful memory of what God did in the earlier years. 

Based on years of original research of trappers’ and missionaries’ journals and oral traditions of the Plateau tribes, Doug McMurry has pieced together the gentle story of the earlier years, in which both whites and Natives were earnestly seeking God and finding Jesus. Clearly from the evidence, God intended both groups to come together on an equal footing in mutual respect, exploring each other’s strengths. 

The Forgotten Awakening is not a novel, but a historical narrative designed to convey real people and events. By restoring a forgotten piece of spiritual history, perhaps we can appreciate more accurately God’s vision and purpose for America. To this end, Doug McMurry has studied published and unpublished journals, letters and oral histories, and has attempted to tell the story that emerges from them without adding fictitious characters or undocumented events. He traveled to the locales of these events to imagine them as accurately as possible—and the result is a story that will challenge our stereotypes of trappers, Natives, and missionaries—even of God. 

The story follows two men, the trapper-mapper Jedediah Smith; and the son of the chief of the Middle Spokanes, Slough-keetcha, who was renamed Spokan Garry by the English governor, George Simpson. Having received word of Jesus from Jedediah Smith, and guided by tribal prophecy about “leaves bound together that white men would bring,” the great chief Illim-Spokanee surrendered his son to be educated about Jesus, the one whom the tribes called “The Master of Life.” After three years under the tutelage of missionaries David Jones and William Cochran, he returned to find tribal leaders from hundreds of miles around gathered to meet him, all eager to hear what he had learned of Jesus, the Master of Life. Spokan Garry thus became the first Christian evangelist west of the Rockies, on a preaching tour in 1828-29. And the result was: a great spiritual awakening that has been entirely forgotten. 

Douglas McMurry believes that if we could do a better job of listening to the heart of God, we could yet achieve the vision of Jesus the Master of Life, who stands above all cultures and plays no favorites. 

Title of the book: The Forgotten Awakening
Author: Douglas McMurry
ISBN: 13: 978-1-935265-63-4
            10: 1-935265-63-6
Publisher: Deep River Books
Price: $14.99

About the author: Pastor of Presbyterian churches for 35 years. Founder of "The Clearing Where Eagles Fly," a house of prayer in Virginia. 

You can go here to learn about all kinds of other books that I sure you will love.

You Can Buy: you can go here and order from Amazon for $$11.69.

Disclosure: I was sent products for free to review for my honest opinion, from either a PR agency or a company. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: " Guides concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. You can also go here and read my PR Polices.