book review: under the overpass.

It's been awhile since I've done a book review. So, I thought it was time for another one!

I (well, my Dad) discovered a site called Blogging for Books a week or so ago. I have done reviews for other book review sites before, but I had been really disappointed in the quality of books up for review. I mean, I can't complain since I'm getting them for free, but really...I don't want to read a lame book. It's just not fun. Well, I was pleasantly surprised by Blogging for Books! They have some really great titles to choose from (From David Platt's Radical to Matthew Paul Turner's Churched and more...). I chose a book called Under the Overpass to review. It was a hard choice.

The forward to the book is by Francis Chan. So, I knew it had to be a good book. And, I wasn't disappointed. The book lived up to my expectations and then exceeded them. It's the story of a college student named Mike and his friend named Sam and how they experienced homelessness for 5 months in 5 different U.S. cities. What I liked was the fact that Mike didn't portray himself to be any better than the rest of us. He mentioned at many points that after he returned home, he wasn't suddenly perfectly kind to the homeless. And, he also warned that him and his friend were never truly homeless. They knew that they could never claim that title. They had emergency contacts and could return home any time they wished. But, they set out on a beautiful journey to experience homelessness and see what it was like on the streets of America. It wasn't easy: physically, mentally, or spiritually. But, through the experience, they gained so much in their knowledge of poverty and received a heart for the down and out. The Updated and Expanded edition that I reviewed had a "5 Years Later" chapter where Mike shared where they were at 5 years after the journey, which I thought was neat. It also included a Q and A with Mike about his adventures. Overall, this was an amazing book. It was an intriguing read; I read it all in a few hours. It would definitely be worth adding to your collection...and if it wasn't 4 days until Christmas, I would say that you should give a copy to everyone on your Christmas List! (Haha, maybe next year?)

I received this book for free in return for a review. I was not required to give a positive review...but I liked it so much that I had to! :)