So God Made a Grandma: Caring, Faithful, Creative, Devoted, Wise, Generous, Resilient—Just Like You
By Leslie Means
Reviewed by Sonya VanderVeen Feddema
In her follow-up to So God Made a Mother, author Leslie Means shares her experiences of her grandmother and invites other women to relate theirs, too. Some of the contributing authors are grandmothers, others are granddaughters writing about their grandmothers, and some talk about having an adopted grandmother.
In brief essays, contributors repeatedly return to the theme of God working through their grandmothers or through the experience of being a grandmother to plant the seeds of faith in children. Contributor Hadassah Treu sums up this truth, writing, “God is a generational God. The seeds in one generation become mature plants in the next, bearing fruits in even more generations ahead.” Recommended as an encouraging, meaningful gift to show love and appreciation to grandmothers and mothers on Mother’s Day. (Tyndale Momentum)
In the Garden
By Doug Tjapkes
Reviewed by Robert J. Keeley
For this anthology album, Doug Tjapkes sits down at the piano and records a number of hymns he has loved over the years. The 88-year-old Tjapkes plays freestyle, changing keys and chords as he plays through hymns and gospel songs old and new. His renditions include melodic references to other songs, such as “I Love You, Lord” in his version of “My Jesus, I Love Thee” or a line from “It’s a Wonderful World” at the end of “This Is My Father’s World.” Tjapkes knows the songs and his instrument well enough that he plays with the songs, adding color and interest to each one. You can get a free CD by making a donation of any size to Humanity for Prisoners in Grand Haven, Mich., and then emailing Tjapkes at thedouger@comcast.net.
Thelma
Reviewed by Sam Gutierrez
Thelma (June Squibb) is 93 years old. Her daily routine is filled with hearing aid adjustments, solving word puzzles, brewing Keurig coffee, and slowly watching daylight fade while she relives fond memories of her recently deceased husband.
When Thelma becomes the victim of a scammer, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Taking inspiration from a Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible movie, she decides to track down the scammer herself.
Thelma is a movie that stays light, even when exploring heavier themes. Much of the humor comes from subverting the action movie genre with slow-motion set pieces performed by actors in their 90s. In the end, the movie can be summed up with the single line flashed across the screen during one moment in the movie: Asking for help is a sign of strength. (PG-13, Disney+)
Good Dirt
By Charmaine Wilkerson
Reviewed by Lorilee Craker
Perfect for book clubs, this wise and enthralling novel from the author of Black Cake weaves between the present—a young woman mysteriously jilted at the altar—and her ancestors’ past as enslaved people paving the way for her with courage and ingenuity. I didn’t think I would like this as much as I adored Black Cake, but Wilkerson has done it again, hooking me early and keeping me turning pages until the book’s hope-filled resolution. Though this is a mainstream novel, notes of faith appear, and the content is PG except for a couple of brief nongraphic yet sensual scenes. Riveting and brimming with truth. (Penguin Random House)
The Lowdown
From the author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood: As a pastor’s wife for 25 years, Beth Allison Barr has lived with assumptions about what she should do and who she should be. In Becoming the Pastor’s Wife, Barr draws on that experience and her academic expertise to trace the history of the role of pastor’s wife, showing how it helped and hurt women in conservative Protestant traditions. (Brazos Press)
Season 2 of Star Wars Prequel: Andor, also known as Star Wars: Andor and Andor: A Star Wars Story for its second season, follows thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor during the five years leading up to the events of Star Wars (1977) and Rogue One (2016). (April 22, Disney+)
The King of Kings: This animated film for Easter is loosely based on Charles Dickens’ short story The Life of Our Lord. In the film, Dickens shares the story of Jesus Christ with his son, Walter. As his father narrates the stirring tale, Walter becomes captivated with the events of Jesus’ life. Starring Oscar Isaac as the voice of Jesus. (PG, in theaters April 11)
New Book Celebrates Jane Austen’s 250th: In Austen at Sea, Henrietta and Charlotte Stevenson are desperate to experience freedom of any kind in a time when young unmarried women are largely kept at home. Striking up a correspondence with Jane Austen’s last surviving sibling, 91-year-old retired admiral Sir Francis Austen, the two sisters invite themselves to visit. (St. Martin’s Press)