My sweetie and I have a rule about books. I am only allowed to buy books that I will read more than once. (I read very fast and have been known to finish even very large books in less than a day.) Amy Grant’s Mosaic now has a place on my shelf. I’ve read the book twice now. I’ve read some pieces more times than I care to count.
In the meantime, I’ve written…and rewritten…this review just as many times. It’s not that the words didn’t take their rightful place. No, I knew what I wanted to say. I didn’t know how to marry my honest ideas with what I thought the publisher wanted me to say. I even considered using the description they provided for me. Then I read this: “Don’t worry about the consequences of having integrity.” I think Amy herself would agree with this statement.
Mosaic certainly lives up to its title. Amy has woven together a collection of essays, journal entries, songs, poems, and photographs that present us a glimpse of her life. For the avid Amy Grant fan, some of the stories are repeats of interviews and fan club newsletters…with a twist. I remember reading about Johnny Gillepsie during a Behind the Eyes article, but the story Amy shares here is much more revealing about her unforgettable encounter with the stranger. I see more clearly the connection between that afternoon and the song, “Turn This World Around”.
Amy does a beautiful job of sharing her life, from childhood reminisces to the raw emotions of a real woman. Certain passages have haunted me for the last few weeks. I have yet to go a day without a refrain from “What the Angels See” echo in my head. I’m making a more conscious effort to greet my day with grace, even using Amy’s own technique described in “First Thing”. “Moonlight Conversation” has made me more aware of less traditional moments I share with my Creator. I'm still dumbstruck by the thought that I spend so much of my life blind to the greater work going on throughout eternity. At the same time, the lives we lives have been given to us as part of that greater plan.
Great job, Amy! This is a book I wish I had written.
4 comments:
I'm glad to hear about this book from you. It's going on my Christmas list right now...if I can actually wait that long to get it.
I'm a longtime fan of Amy's - her Unguarded album was the first music I ever owned. I've only seen her in concert once, and never participated in fangirl stuff, but for some odd reason, I've always felt a distant kinship to her. A strange something that tells me we'd be friends - or that we're a lot alike....and I used to dream of being a back-up singer for her :) I own all of her music, thanks to a hubby who likes collections and wanted to complete mine, but I confess I have never listened to much of it. But Behind the Eyes hit me at a time in my life when it was just what I needed to hear. I can't wait to read her book for myself!
Well, the publisher says I have 3 copies to give away. You may get an early Christmas gift! :)
The best part of this book is that it really is an extension of Amy's music. I, too, have always loved her music because of her perspective. The book is the same way, but she is actually a LOT more spiritual in this book than her music ever was. Not in a preachy way, but a down-home, let's sit on the porch and drink coffee way. Ya know!
Oh, and Behind the Eyes also hit me at the right time. To this day, BTE and Lead Me On are always on rotation. (And Straight Ahead was the first music I owned.)
Hmmmmm.....early Christmas gifts are awfully nice:) One way or the other, I'm looking forward to hearing more of her spiritual side. But I always have presumed that, like mine, hers runs deep. It doesn't have to be to be obvious. Sitting on the porch with coffee is one of the truest things around.
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