{"id":870,"date":"2009-09-04T04:01:34","date_gmt":"2009-09-04T04:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/recommendation-peace-like-a-river-by-leif-enger.html"},"modified":"2009-09-04T04:01:34","modified_gmt":"2009-09-04T04:01:34","slug":"recommendation-peace-like-a-river-by-leif-enger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/09\/recommendation-peace-like-a-river-by-leif-enger.html","title":{"rendered":"Recommendation: Peace Like a River by Leif Enger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, okay, this book has been around since 2001. I’m sure many of my readers have read Peace Like a River<\/em><\/a> and loved it. But if you haven’t read it, I want to bring it to your attention. This is a book you will love.
\nI started reading this book on vacation. More accurately, I started listening to this book being read while we were on vacation, driving through the Montana wilderness. It isn’t the sort of book that reaches out and grabs you. It isn’t a thriller, nor is it meant to be. Peace Like a River<\/em> saunters rather than sprints. It draws you in slowly but powerfully through images that fuel the imagination, characters that move the heart, and stories that make you both laugh and cry.
\nThe world of Peace Like a River<\/em> is one in which miracles occur, though the protagonist\/narrator leaves it up to you to decide what’s real. This book portrays predominantly Christian people for whom faith is a genuine, essential part of their lives. At first, this made me nervous, I must confess. So often, especially in contemporary fiction, Christians end up looking like ghouls and Christianity like something either bizarre or dangerous or both. Yet, as I made my way through Peace Like a River<\/em>, I soon came to trust that the author would respect Christians and their faith. That’s not to say this book is preachy, not at all. Nor is it “Christian fiction” in the narrow sense of the word. The Christianity in Peace Like a River<\/em> is mostly genuine, humble, and faithful, though not without its rough edges. I wouldn’t be surprised if the author, Leif Enger, is a believing Christian. But whether he is or not, he treats faith, even as he treats people and the world in which they live, with respect.
\nPeace Like a River<\/em> is narrated by Reuben Land, an eleven-year-old boy with asthma. The novel largely focuses on crucial events during this season of his life, though these are framed in the context of his unusual birth and later life. To be honest, I found the beginning of Peace Like a River<\/em> rather strange, since miracles feature prominently. Don’t get me wrong. I believe that miracles happen. But I get nervous when a novel majors in them. Nevertheless, since I didn’t have anything else to listen to while I drove across Montana, I kept on listening to Peace Life a River<\/em>, and I’m glad that I did.
\nThe author, Leif Enger, used to work for Minnesota Public Radio. When his first “serious” book, Peace Like a River<\/em>, became a huge success, Enger focused on writing.\u00a0 His second novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome<\/em><\/a>, has been out for just over a year. I look forward to reading it.
\nBy the way, you can purchase Peace Like a River<\/em> in the ordinary paperback form from Amazon.com<\/a>. You can also purchase a Kindle edition<\/a>. The recorded version can be downloaded from iTunes<\/a>. The narrator, actor Chad Lowe, brother of Rob Lowe, does a fine job bringing the book to life.
\nIn a 2004 interview for Whitworth University Communication<\/a>, Leif Enger said something about writing that I find wise and provocative. I’ll end with his comment:<\/p>\n

[I]t seems to me that a writer’s job — and not just a Christian writer’s job, but I think Christians often have a harder time doing this than secular writers — is to become invisible in his or her work, to step back and let the story just be a story, to not preach, to bury your agenda, if you have one, to dare to be entertaining and to trust that the story then will become what it is supposed to be.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thanks to my son, Nathan, for reminding me of this quotation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okay, okay, this book has been around since 2001. I’m sure many of my readers have read Peace Like a River and loved it. But if you haven’t read it, I want to bring it to your attention. This is a book you will love. I started reading this book on vacation. More accurately, I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recommendations"],"yoast_head":"\nRecommendation: Peace Like a River by Leif Enger - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}