The People Factor by Van Moody

Title: The People Factor

Publisher: HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Date: January 7, 2014

Paperback: 292 pages

Language: English




About the book: The right relationship will launch you to the heights of achievement; the wrong one will tether you to mediocrity. Your relationships will be your sources of greatest joy and your venues of greatest pain. Van Moody says, "When people show you who they are, pay attention."

Van Moody saw this need every day of his pastoral life, but he could not find a concise, practical resource for people who need to become more relationally savvy. He needed a beyond-the-basics study guide for Relational IQ.

About the author: Vanable H. Moody II, affectionately known as "Pastor Van," serves as pastor of the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition, he serves on the board of Joel Osteen's Champions Network and is an associate trainer in Japan for Dr. John Maxwell's EQUIP leadership organization.

My take: To be perfectly honest, I thought this book was going to be about how to better your relationship between couples and not necessarily friends and colleagues. So, once I started reading it, I had to completely change my mind frame. Learning about how to deal with the relationships of people you meet everyday is also a good thing. Most people just tend to go with the flow and what ever happens, happens. But there is a way to handle this so as to achieve the best relationships you possibly can.

I feel as though the book is laid out like a study guide. He goes into every chapter describing what he wants one to do to better their lives. Then there are bullet points that list relationship reminders and questions that help you raise your relationship IQs. Sprinkled throughout the book are Bible texts and quotes. He also gives examples of different situations one might be in and how it can be rectified.

Like I stated before, this book wasn't what I thought it would be at all. The style of it just isn't think kind that I really like. There are a lot of people who will probably be able to benefit from reading this book and those are the ones that I say should go out and buy it.

This book was given to me by BookLook in exchange for my honest review.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be...in the U.S. Army!, by Wigu Publishing

 Age Group: 6 and up

Series: When I Grow Up I Want To Be...

Paperback: 56 pages

Publisher: Wigu Publishing 

Language: English

Here is another great book to add to the series of When I Grow Up I Want To Be.... I really enjoy reading these books and so does my child. I love that they give her an idea of what is out there. There isn't a limit to what she can become and these books give her a chance to realize this very thing. 

We occasionally talk about what she wants to do when she becomes older, but I have to say, after she started reading this series, I think it really sparked something in her to take a broader look at what is out there and not settle for something typical. It never hurts to start thinking about what you want your life to be like, even though you are young. In this present time, I think it is becoming more and more imperative for one to start thinking about this sooner rather than later.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be... in the U.S. Army! is about a boy named Jake who has to do a school project and decides to do it on being a soldier. The book takes you on the journey of him learning what it all entails. 

Jake's father takes him to a local GI store, which is neat because we have one that I will be able to take my child to so she can see everything that he saw. This is where the book starts to give you background knowledge of what it's like to be a soldier. As Jake sees different things in the store, we learn right along with him what they are, like badges and their rankings, the different positions a soldier can hold (not just for fighting), types of soldiers and their equipment, and training. By the time Jake is ready to give his report, we have learned just as much as he has. There is also a glossary in the back to further explain some of the words that are in the story.

Like the other books in the series, they mix "cartoon" form with real life form. I believe the cartoon form pulls the children in and keeps them reading and the real life form helps them relate to life around them.

This book was really helpful because my child has a cousin that is thinking about joining the army and it gave her a better insight into what he was going to be going through. It would also benefit a child who has a parent in the army. It would also give them a better understanding and help answer any questions that they may have.

Like I stated in all the other reviews, these are awesome books and are very helpful in opening up a whole new learning world for young children.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Dads of Disability, by Gary Dietz

 Title: Dads of Disability

Publisher: Gary M. Dietz

Date: April 15, 2014

Paperback: 248 pages

Language: English





 A touching heartfelt book filled with stories and poems that will tug at your heart strings and make you realize how strong an individual is and just how wonderful all children can become.

The minute I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. I remember receiving it in the mail and wondering if it was going to be as good as the description. I was wrong. It wasn't as good as the description, it was better.

The great thing about Dads of Disability is that most of it is from a father's perspective. Being a mother, I was able to go out there and find a plethora of books for moms with children, but there aren't too many out there for fathers. Even though this one is based on children with disabilities, it can still help fathers have an understanding of what other men feel like and are experiencing.

Just to give you an idea of what the stories are like, I have picked a couple of my favorite to share. My first one, ironically being the first one in the book, is about a first time father who had to be there for his son alone, due to the fact that his wife had major surgery. To hear a father's perspective on taking care of a newborn is amazing. The fact that he was the one who had to do the skin to skin contact and how much he loved it, showed a softer side that most people don't get to see in men.

Another story that set with me is about a father who was in the Marines. He had a "Man up" attitude toward his son who has a couple of disorders. He had to realize that his son had to be treated with a softer touch and not his typical "hard knocks" way of thinking. Reading how he had to get to this realization, was awe inspiring.

The third story that set with me is from a woman's perspective on how she assumed her husband felt or even knew how to take care of their children. They, their daughters, both have sensitivity issues and her husband would always tell her to leave them alone. Let them come to you. She always assumed he didn't know what he was talking about. She was the one who carried them. She had them. She knew how to take care of them. Come to find out, through it all, his advice was the best. He knew and understood their children better than she had assumed. Even though he is the man, doesn't mean that he doesn't have the same understanding, caring and nurturing feelings that a mother has.

Dads of Disability is a book that everyone can learn from. Whether you have a child with a disability or not, you will find this book to be a really great read.

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.