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Recent Reviews for Shirley P Johnson
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A Song (Book) - 7/6/2009 8:19:05 PM
children will love this title,,,,
WHISPERS OF LIFE (Book) - 7/13/2003 6:13:29 AM
Shirley Johnson is the author of several published books - A Divorced Mother Talks to God was her first. Two delightful children's books, Billy Brimly and Red and His Fur Hat quickly followed. This time, Ms. Johnson has given us a book of poetry. True to everything she does, Whispers of Life is a gift from the heart of a woman of faith.
The book is divided into several topics. The first group of poems addresses her thoughts and feelings after our national tragedy of 9/11.
In "Another Day" she captures clearly what so many of us were thinking on that awful day:
I sit and try to hide the tears
I'm still not sure what happened here
My world is shattered in pieces now
I hear a plane and hit the ground
In "Dear America" she writes from the spirit of an American serviceman who now fights the war in Iraq:
Dear America, remember me
I fight on the battlefield for Liberty
I stand proud for the Country I love
I am your brother, your father, your son
"I Know This Evil" is one of my favorites because of its quiet eloquence:
You've come to kill us, our very souls
To take our loved ones and cause us woes
To rip our hearts to tiny bits
And use our tears to fuel your ships
It isn't only her thoughts on terrorism and war the author shares with us. Tender tributes to her family and friends comprise the second segment of Whispers of Life. All are touching and thought provoking paeans to the people she loves in life or remembers in death. In the final segment, she ponders life and all its many trials. "Fleeting Life" expresses well her thoughts:
Why are these things always hidden
And not revealed till our eyes grow dim
The things that we deemed so important
Mean nothing at the end
I could continue quoting, but will end this review with an excerpt from
"Horses and Missiles":
Leaders are dignified, but ready to fight
Smiling broadly, eyes dark as night
Innocent bystanders watching their gaze
Not wanting at all to be a ploy in the game
Refugees, hunger, disease and the like
Socialite dinners, food by candlelight
Whispers of Life is a hearts cry against injustice, a pleading question to the Almighty God who says He loves us all, and a gentle protest at how swiftly life defeats us. Her poems are simple and rhyming, intense with sorrow and joy. If you like poetry you don't have to decipher, rhymes that will bring tears and smiles, you will want to read this book.
Laurel Johnson
Midwest Book Review
A Divorced Mother Talks To God (Book) - 5/26/2002 7:49:25 AM
by L.A. Johnson for Midwest Book Review:
Every so often I run across a book that stays in my mind and heart for weeks after reading it. This is just such a book. It was not what I expected in any way. Oh, I suspected it would be well worth reading, but the raw heart of this woman embedded in her prose was overwhelming. Her story made me cry until my nose ran and I couldn't see to read.
Shirley Johnson's non-fiction story is simply written, from a heart that manages to hope despite her struggles. How this young mother with small children found the strength to hope that her marriage would hold together is beyond my imagination. Years of physical and mental abuse, infidelity, and broken promises were all she had to show for her devotion. Despite it all, she still believed her marriage could be saved.
Hope finally dies on a long road trip south. With a callousness I found blood chilling, the author's husband puts on a loving masquerade to lure his wife and children far from home. He abandons his frightened wife and helpless babies, leaves them to fend for themselves. His parting shot is that he's found another woman and he wants a divorce. Reading of her shock and fear, her loneliness, almost broke my heart. In the wake of this abandonment, she turns to an always faithful God in her despair. Her painfully honest talks with God about every aspect of her life are recorded in stark detail. I imagined Shirley Johnson's tears on every page, in every prayer.
Don't expect closure or a happy ending to this first book of a continuing series. She will find her treasure with God's help before the series ends, I'm sure, and I look forward to future books with anticipation. The author's writing style is simple, effective, and her walk of faith is inspiring. I recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves in the throes of a divorce, or to those who need to understand the pain that comes of broken hearts and marriages.
Billy Brimbly (Book) - 5/4/2002 5:20:30 PM
I wish I had Shirley's talent !
Red And His Fur Hat (Book) - 5/4/2002 5:18:56 PM
My kids laughed :) Let's read some more
A Divorced Mother Talks To God (Book) - 4/5/2002 9:27:18 AM
I can't believe what this woman went through. I too went through a terrible divorce, and didn't have much money, but she had nothing.
I wish that she would send a copy to that horrible excuse for a husband she had. He might repent and maybe find the God that she drew her strength from.
I would recommend this book highly. I cry everytime I pick it up. God bless you Mrs Johnson.
A Divorced Mother Talks To God (Book) - 4/5/2002 7:25:42 AM
I really enjoyed this book very much. I went through a similiar back ground and remember my talks with GOD. Brought back a lot of old memories that I can face today.
A Divorced Mother Talks To God (Book) - 4/4/2002 7:38:04 PM
This book, I believe, is intended to minister to those who, in suffering, have felt deserted and abandoned. Through Shirley's personal journey filled with suffering and feelings of desertion and abandonment, anyone reading it can find the comfort God gives His people by revealing Himself to them and teaching them about HImself through the Bible. It is informative as well as spiritually and psychologically therapeutic . And it is simple in its conveying of profound Biblical concepts. The emphasis on Christian hope and trust in the face of things we cannot understand is what provides stability in suffering. This message comes through loud and clear. It is valuable reading for those enduring the pain and loneliness that other humans can sometimes inflict
A Divorced Mother Talks To God (Book) - 4/4/2002 7:17:18 PM
I prefer books that make me think and feel, no matter what the genre. This book fit my criteria, and went far beyond. I can't stop thinking about Ms. Johnson's honesty, or the simple, heartfelt way she talked to God. So many feelings came to the surface as I read that they almost overwhelmed me. This is a wonderful book, a gripping story about a heartless husband and father who abandons his family far from home. His was an act of deliberate, premeditated cruelty to top off years of abuse. The authors conversations with God through her trying times broke my heart, but also gave me hope. You will have to read the book to understand.
A Divorced Mother Talks To God (Book) - 3/26/2002 8:27:59 AM
A helpful view of a subject so relevant to our society today pesented by someone who knows what she is talking about because she has experienced the pain and struggle of divorce and has emerged a winner.
I find this book refreshing, helpful and easy to read and am happy to recommend it as a good reading for anyone and I give her 5 stars.
Whispers of Life (Poetry) - 2/7/2003 3:38:32 AM
Sent chills down my spine! Awesome!
Whispers of Life (Poetry) - 2/6/2003 10:44:54 PM
Beautiful! Welcome aboard.......
Jill
Whispers of Life (Poetry) - 2/6/2003 6:20:12 PM
Great! And words that we should remember.
Thanks for sharing!
Whispers of Life (Poetry) - 2/6/2003 6:18:15 PM
wow...superb...love n luck...BHUWAN
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