I am somewhat self-conscious about writing a column for a newspaper. I don’t know if I will have anything to say that will be of interest to folks. However, since I am writing about books and libraries (two things I love) perhaps I won’t mess up too badly.

It is my objective with this column to talk about interesting books I read, as well as books that others recommend to me. I will also provide information concerning what’s new at the library. Sometimes I might talk about books, videos, and so on. Other times, I might mention programs and services at the library. Also, I will keep you posted on the library expansion project.

I must admit that the first book I selected to review was selected because of length. I wanted to read a few short books to get a few reviews done quickly. I managed to select a book that I found fascinating. My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life by Howard Storm is a recounting of Rev. Storm’s "near death" experience. Life after death is a topic which probably is of interest to most people. It certainly is to me.

Howard Storm was 38 years old and an avowed atheist on June 1, 1985, when he almost died. While on an art tour of Paris, Storm suffered a perforated stomach. He was rushed to a hospital but didn’t receive medical attention for ten hours. As he describes it, during this time he was transported both to hell and to heaven. According to Storm, hell was absolute darkness and the absence of God’s presence. Beings (demons), who he could not see, ripped at his body and called him the foulest names. Even today he blocks from his memory some of the things that transpired.

On the edge of oblivion, a voice deep within himself told him to pray. He had never prayed and thought prayer was a ludicrous endeavor, practiced by the ignorant or foolhardy. He did pray, however. His prayer was a combination of the Lord’s Prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and God Bless America, but it worked! He was immediately transported by angelic beginnings to the light, and there taken into the presence of Jesus. He was given an opportunity to commune with the divine. Like most people who report these experiences, Storm did not want to return to his earthly body. He was told that he was still needed on earth and returned to his desperately ill body.

After returning to the United States, Howard Storm suffered months of agony, recovering from peritonitis, but his life was transformed. The avowed atheist became an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ. The Reverend Howard Storm now makes it his life’s work to share his experience and to share with others God’s unconditional, redeeming love. This book moved me. I hope you will enjoy it too.

Other new books of interest along these same lines would include:

The Silence of John by D. S. Lliteras – A story about the women who surrounded Jesus

at the cross.

The Warrior by Francine Rivers – A continuation of Rivers’ series about five men who answered God’s call. This book is about the warrior, Caleb.

The Real History of the Da Vinci Code by Sharon Newman – Medieval historian Sharon Newman provides the historical truths and myths behind Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

Christ the Lord by Anne Rice – A radical departure from Rice’s usual vampire tales, this is the story of Jesus early life, narrated by Jesus of Nazareth.

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