I recently read A Place Called Blessing by John Trent. It is a story about a boy named Josh who became an orphan early in life, bore the guilt of a terrible tragedy and was separated from his two brothers, all within a few years. He "graduates" from the orphanage a bitter, solitary man and tries to live a recluse-type life with little human connection. He has just about hit rock bottom when he ends up renting an apartment from Mike, a co-worker, and his mom, Anna. They completely take him in and love him, and slowly he starts changing in response to their love. He then undergoes several other tragedies that test his new values.
Overall, I liked the book. It was a quick, easry read. There was one twist I totally didn't see coming, but several events in the book were quite predictable. It was encouraging to think about how someone's life might be changed by interaction with mine, if I took the time and effort to offer them the "blessing," a concept of meaningful human interaction that was presented at the end of the book. The overall message was inspiring, and I enjoyed the story. The author outlines what he means by "the blessing" at the end of the book, and he included good thoughts for anyone dealing with other people even if you didn't make a commitment to give someone "the blessing" like the author recommends. It wasn't literary brillance, but I would recommend the book to someone who wanted an easy, feel-good type story.
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