Book Review and Giveaway -- Don't Let Me Go

Don't Let Me Go: What My Daughter Taught Me About the Journey Every Parent Must Make by David W. Pierce is a book about growing up, letting go, perserverence, testing your strength and determination, and the bond a father and daughter can build doing all of this. When David's 15 year old daughter, Chera, announces she want to climb a mountain, David thinks, "No way!" but says, "Sure. Sounds like fun." Uh, yeah. Over the course of 3 years, they climb 5 mountains and run 2 marathons together . . . and learn valuable lessons along the way. Chera learns how to grow up while David learns to let go. They learn what they are made of. They learn about each other. Most importantly, they learn that the mountain top experiences are short lived; we learn to live our lives in the valleys and we also learn along the journey from valley to summit and back again. Here is my favorite quote from the book:

[I]t’s not always about making it to the summit – it’s about going. The summit
is small, usually, but you’re only there for a moment. But the journey . . . We
visit the summits, but we live in the valleys. That’s where we train. That’s
where we prepare. That’s where we grow strong.

God can move mountains, that’s true. But sometimes he just moves people up mountains – neither is easy, and both are miracles.

David W. Pierce is married to Christian comedienne, Chonda Pierce. Some of the "funny" has clearly rubbed off because David's accounts are very amusing. His self-effacing humor reveals a heartfelt humility. One of the best features of this book -- in my opinion -- is the fact that every chapter begins with a picture of David and/or Chera on their journeys. The family photos really bring the story to life. While Don't Let Me Go focuses on David's relationship with his daughter, he also describes his relationship with his own fathers -- his earthly father and his heavenly One -- how he his relationship with his earthly father caused him to lose God, and how he found Him again.

Don't Let Me Go by David W. Pierce is a great book. I would especially consider buying a copy as an early Father's Day gift. You can purchase it here: http://www.amazon.com/ and from other booksellers.

I also have a copy to give away. To enter the drawing for a free copy of Don't Let Me Go by David W. Pierce , please e-mail me at http://seewhykinsman@gmail.com. I will announce the winner on Friday, March 20th.

Below is the summary from the publisher:

Summary:

The true story of how a father and his teen daughter connected through an ice axe and well-worn running shoes.

One day after reading a book about a wilderness adventurer, David Pierce’s fifteen-year-old daughter Chera announced that she wanted to climb a mountain. What David heard behind that wish was a bold declaration: “I’m growing up, Dad—what are you going to do about it?” A few weeks later they bought matching backpacks.

Over a three-year period they climbed five mountains and ran in two marathons. Together they suffered sore muscles, bitter cold, sprung knees, shin splints, and broken spirits. But they also reveled in blazing sunsets, glissaded on a glacier, and celebrated numerous victories great and small. And in the process, they built an unshakable father-daughter bond that will stand the tests of time.

In Don’t Let Me Go, David Pierce—the husband of popular Christian comedienne Chonda Pierce—offers a down-to-earth, funny-yet-serious book for parents with the same universal appeal as Bob Carlisle’s heart-tugging song, “Butterfly Kisses,” only with well-worn running shoes and an ice axe.