For the Love of Stories

Honest to goodness, I don’t remember where I used to find or read them. All I recall is the anticipation and delight every time a new copy made its way into my hands. Reader’s Digest was my favorite magazine as a child.

At one point, I memorized which sections featured jokes or humorous stories- I’d flip to those pages first. They were like comic strips for a word-girl.

And then there were the stories. I’d scan to find the brief, memorable, and inspirational tales. As I grew, I turned from Reader’s Digest to Chicken Soup for the Soul. One faithful aunt gave me a new copy annually.

The stories and bits I found in those resources were my guilty-pleasure as a kid. Even then, I knew many were embellished. I recognized that some were more myth than fact. Many focused on inspiration to the exclusion of context.

Robert Petterson seems to think so too.

A well-known storyteller, Robert Petterson has crafted short story-based devotions in The Book of Amazing Stories. As you might guess by the number of times “story” was used in the last sentence, this is a book of stories.

It’s that plain and simple.

Each devotion is 2-3 pages long. In every one, Petterson shares a story about a figure or event. Many are familiar- like Ronald Reagan or the Battle of Gettysburg. But Petterson approaches them from a unique angle, illustrating a basic principle about life, faith, or God with an element of surprise.

The devotions are wrapped up with a memorable statement like “monumental consequences are shaped by momentary choices.” A Bible verse is also shared.

There’s a lot to love:

• The devotions are concise and memorable
• The principles are faith-based
• The stories are surprising and impactful
• There is a lot of variety in the types of stories shared

Some elements may not find favor with you though:

• The facts behind some of the stories are murky
• The spiritual insight isn’t very deep
• Scripture isn’t directly applied
• If you can’t stand Reader’s Digest, this probably isn’t your style

If you enjoy a good story and are willing to take some “facts” with a grain of salt, I’d recommend The Book of Amazing Stories as a light-hearted read.

<This review is written in exchange for a free copy of the book provided by Tyndale House Publishers.>

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