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When we think of the founding of our country, we see images of noble patriarchs and billowing flags, the dreaded red coats and stories of the Liberty Bell. Most often we forget about the revivals that are referred to as the Great Awakening, as well as the sometimes bloody rivalries of the political parties that couldn’t agree what kind of country it was they had founded. In Storm, Bright and Cavanaugh take us back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the country was still new and the glow of revival had faded into a gathering darkness that threatened the very core of the nation. Set on the campus of Yale College, the story follows Asa Rush, a young Christian man who came to the college because his mentor became its president in the hopes of reclaiming it for God. Asa has long dreamed of being a great preacher, and hearing the rousing sermons of Dr. Dwight always make that vision burn brighter. But Dr. Dwight charges him with the task of befriending and winning for the Lord an older boy named Eli Cooper–the same boy that has been making his life miserable since the beginning of the year. Determination to not disappoint Dwight falters in the face of the need for revenge for all the torment he suffers under Eli’s hand. And what makes it worse, they’re both courting the same girl. Through faults we can all understand and a deep faith whose falters we’ve probably experienced, Asa is a character that at once inspired me with his ability to reach out to some people and confounded me with his failings with others. In other words, he was a realistic boy who wanted to do great things the way he wanted to do them, and when that wasn’t God’s way, he tended to rebel a little. With Asa, as with all of our walks of faith, it required accepting God’s will for him before he could overcome his own demons. When I read the description of this book for the first time, I have to admit that I was expecting a historical novel that would blend in with all other historical novels in my mind. And since the backward Asa is pursuing the beautiful and crafty Annabelle Byrd, there were a few moments when I winced in embarrassment for him. But Storm managed to surprise and intrigue me, and once I got into the story, I didn’t want to put it down. It’s complete with political intrigue, the mysterious and terrifying secret organization called the Illuminati, the underlying passion for the Lord that brought about huge revival in those days, and the subsequent surges of evil that tried to drown it out. Storm is many things, but typical is not one of them. It not only entertained me, it reminded me that a stagnant faith does us very little good: revival is not just to claim new believers to Christ, but to renew the hearts and souls of those spiritual soldiers who have lost their fervor along the way. My only complaint was that at the end, we saw more of the other characters and less from the point of view of Asa, who had become very dear to me. I would have liked to have more of his opinions on how things turned out, where the authors gave me Eli’s instead. However, this in no way detracted from the book as a whole, since I could infer by his actions and his previous thoughts what he’d be thinking then. I would recommend this book for just about anyone: man, woman, adult, and teenager alike would enjoy the historically rich and beautiful Storm.
Publisher: Howard Books
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