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The People of the Sign
What do divorce, kidnapping, ancient prophecies, and the collapse of the Soviet Union have in common with the music of the Beatles? The People of the Sign effortlessly weaves these together, proving once and for all that truth really is far, far stranger than fiction.
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 14, 2013
A Great Courageous Journey on a Spiritual Path...
Though I have very Stint knowledge for Church, Christianity and WCG, I really appreciate the persistence and resilience of author who delivered a ground breaking, highly inspiring, compelling, intervening and ferociously thriving story.
The story is a spiritual journey of author contemplating the evolution from a lanky boy living in distrust to a wise man, searching for real meaning of life and walking on the path of Christianity.
The Story is Raw, The story is real and as claimed, each and every word is true and accurate.
The People Of The Sign is clearly a book which shows, there's a source of light at every end of tunnel, if one has drive, passion, persistence, will and most important, COURAGE to look for it.
I had no idea the early life of Wade Frannson (author) was so horrific, terrible, neglected, abused, abandoned and socially discarded and yet he traveled the journey on spiritual path with courage and integrity.
His childhood was lost until he discovered the Worldwide Church of God, which transformed him to a critical thinker and a man seeking for real meaning of life.
Wade brilliantly used the musical references and positively narrated his story and uprising through darkest times of his life that just made me sit with stony silence and wonder about the other phase of world, that I was unaware of.
I just kept reading, re-reading, regressing, retracing and recalling several times as the story proceeded and dramatically blowing a gust of air through my lungs at times, as the writing skills were Deep, Much deeper and complicated (at least to me) than 21st century authors or YA superstars.
The highly complicated writing style was one of the factors that I hated BUT as well as adored at the same time.
(Much of a Irony huh?)
I kept drumming my fingers across the table in various rhythms since I could barely grasp and decipher the complicated writing before regressing it over the second time.(but that's much of my fault, not book's right?)
Despite I'm not much exposed to Worldwide Church of Christianity, The People Of The Sign changed my perceptions and views about the words of god and contradictory malpractices carried out by people representing Church.
At times, I was worried that this book may face controversies and lots of criticism (I remember controversies for Da Vinci Code, being a Robert Langdon Fan), but Wade enticingly surprised me with his insights and thought evoking and veritable views that stabled my shuddered faith and draped misconceptions.
The People of The Sign is an extremely well written book about the personal Triumphs of author, that will highly motivate and encourage anyone walking on the path of faith and spirituality.
This book teaches about accepting failure and yet having the courage and positive spirit to accomplish just anything that's meaningful,
raising from loss or losing without being a loser, advancing ourselves for the betterment of humanity and mankind, forgiving the worst and living with dignity and courage to strive for Best In The World.
The People Of The Sign by Wade Frannson (The only person with this name in entire universe, for better or worse) is not a book that you'll want to read sprawling in your bed or couch.
It needs deep perspective view and deeper understanding with a open mind and believe me, if you're ready to devote few days reading, comprehending and practicing the views, World can be a far better place (offcourse you shall process and analyze it several times before practicing and find out what works best for you).
Overall, The People Of The Sign is targeted to a limited audience, but it's worth of an Atom Bomb in a small nut-shell.
Readers looking for Christian books, and wanting to enhance their conceptions and belief for Church and being a critical thinker for following religious and spiritual paths, most definitely look for this book.
We assure, you won't be disappointed.
4.5/5 Stars. (But for limited audience)
Though I have very Stint knowledge for Church, Christianity and WCG, I really appreciate the persistence and resilience of author who delivered a ground breaking, highly inspiring, compelling, intervening and ferociously thriving story.
The story is a spiritual journey of author contemplating the evolution from a lanky boy living in distrust to a wise man, searching for real meaning of life and walking on the path of Christianity.
The Story is Raw, The story is real and as claimed, each and every word is true and accurate.
The People Of The Sign is clearly a book which shows, there's a source of light at every end of tunnel, if one has drive, passion, persistence, will and most important, COURAGE to look for it.
I had no idea the early life of Wade Frannson (author) was so horrific, terrible, neglected, abused, abandoned and socially discarded and yet he traveled the journey on spiritual path with courage and integrity.
His childhood was lost until he discovered the Worldwide Church of God, which transformed him to a critical thinker and a man seeking for real meaning of life.
Wade brilliantly used the musical references and positively narrated his story and uprising through darkest times of his life that just made me sit with stony silence and wonder about the other phase of world, that I was unaware of.
I just kept reading, re-reading, regressing, retracing and recalling several times as the story proceeded and dramatically blowing a gust of air through my lungs at times, as the writing skills were Deep, Much deeper and complicated (at least to me) than 21st century authors or YA superstars.
The highly complicated writing style was one of the factors that I hated BUT as well as adored at the same time.
(Much of a Irony huh?)
I kept drumming my fingers across the table in various rhythms since I could barely grasp and decipher the complicated writing before regressing it over the second time.(but that's much of my fault, not book's right?)
Despite I'm not much exposed to Worldwide Church of Christianity, The People Of The Sign changed my perceptions and views about the words of god and contradictory malpractices carried out by people representing Church.
At times, I was worried that this book may face controversies and lots of criticism (I remember controversies for Da Vinci Code, being a Robert Langdon Fan), but Wade enticingly surprised me with his insights and thought evoking and veritable views that stabled my shuddered faith and draped misconceptions.
The People of The Sign is an extremely well written book about the personal Triumphs of author, that will highly motivate and encourage anyone walking on the path of faith and spirituality.
This book teaches about accepting failure and yet having the courage and positive spirit to accomplish just anything that's meaningful,
raising from loss or losing without being a loser, advancing ourselves for the betterment of humanity and mankind, forgiving the worst and living with dignity and courage to strive for Best In The World.
The People Of The Sign by Wade Frannson (The only person with this name in entire universe, for better or worse) is not a book that you'll want to read sprawling in your bed or couch.
It needs deep perspective view and deeper understanding with a open mind and believe me, if you're ready to devote few days reading, comprehending and practicing the views, World can be a far better place (offcourse you shall process and analyze it several times before practicing and find out what works best for you).
Overall, The People Of The Sign is targeted to a limited audience, but it's worth of an Atom Bomb in a small nut-shell.
Readers looking for Christian books, and wanting to enhance their conceptions and belief for Church and being a critical thinker for following religious and spiritual paths, most definitely look for this book.
We assure, you won't be disappointed.
4.5/5 Stars. (But for limited audience)
January 18, 2015
As a person who really doesn't take religion seriously and more like a hobby, I found this book quite enjoyable. Mainly because it's not about the history of a certain religion or someone's POV of religion and how all people who disagree with him or her are wrong. It's simply an autobiography. Wade Fransson, the author of the autobiography just happened to not only have religion in his life but religion saved his life as well....and the Beatles too. But we'll get to that later. Wade Fransson starts the book by explaining how his parents met and how hardworking and how much of a risk taker his father was and how his mother seemed loving at first but then as they had children, she developed a love for alcohol that was so strong that she ended up loving her family a lot less. Born and raised in Sweden (which tends not to be a religious country) Wade's father hears the voice of Garner Ted Armstrong on the radio as he promotes religious values. His father takes a liking to him and starts to become more involved in the religious world by entering The Worldwide Church of God which is funded by Armstrong's father. Wade's parents' marriage crumbles because the mother is not a religious person and becomes more involved with booze. After their divorce and after the mother wins custody, the father "kidnaps" the children to introduce them The Worldwide Church of God. Finally the children feel not just loved but safe. The only escape Wade had from his mother and bullies at school were songs from the Beatles. But once the mother gets the children back, the children are returned to an unsafe environment but thankfully the father gets the children back. However, Wade isn't happy and rebels against his father and the commandment; "Honor Your Mother & Father". Wade goes even further by slipping into drugs but after he physically suffers from an accident, he hears a calling to better himself. Which takes him and us back to The Worldwide Church of God. Through it all, Wade becomes apart of The People Of The Sign again but not without some obstacles. But hey, that's life whether you are a religious person or not. Although I had a great childhood, I can relate in some ways to Wade's because I was bullied a lot in school and the only escape I had from it outside of my loving family was the Backstreet boys (I was a 90's kid). I was raised Catholic but I never really took it seriously but I always did feel this sense of warmth and safety whenever I went to Church. So I can relate to Wade as a child feeling safe while in the Church. The second part of the book wasn't relatable to me because I didn't go that route but I still enjoyed it because I enjoy every evolution of a protagonists and in this case; the evolution of a Christian.
November 19, 2012
Wade Fransson's "People of the Sign" is an engaging, no holds barred, look into the life of young boy who becomes a man in search of the real meaning of life and his very existence. It is a well-written story of personal triumph with universal appeal - one that will both be of interest to, and motivate, seekers of all faiths, in their noble quest, to understand the Mystery of God. Wade uses his life, with its many ups and downs, its failures and accomplishments to explore the meaning of reconciliation, of growth, forgiveness, strength and courage as we all go though life trying not just to survive, but to find meaning, contribute to, and advance ourselves, our family and society. His exploration of religious identity and faith, his quest for "Pure and undefiled religion" (from James 1:27), will be of interest to all, no matter one's religious identity. Fransson provides the reader an opportunity to explore what is truly important in our own lives and he does it without preaching, but by allowing us to participate in his own unique and captivating journey, a journey we are all on. The "People of the Sign" is, but the beginning of a fascinating voyage that Wade has undertaken, and thankfully has been willing to share with anyone who is as curious and in awe of life as he is. I highly recommend this book to you, and I can't wait for the next volume to be released.
August 13, 2013
I found the author's writing style a tad serpentine, a little over the top on vocabulary, but this is an author's choice.
There was a lot going on in the book, but the raw story is sincerely narrated and given with as much of a present-tense POV(point-of-view)that one can gather when writing from a twenty-forty year separation of events recollected in a narrative autobiography.
Fransson's use of the Beetle's repertoire of songs as chapter headings is a literary tool of sorts...it is a matter for the reader to appreciate or not...I didn't see some of the connections coming together perfectly, as there are quite a few threads running through the book that may be tied together in the book's sequel.
Fransson's tale of coming-of-age, world travelling, kidnapping by a parent, custody battles and difficulty with sobriety and trying to find a spiritual connection somewhere in the world while growing into adulthood are certainly a unique journey--reminiscent of Frey's A Million Little Pieces, but in a different vein--minus the controversy of Frey's book incurred with Oprah.
There was a lot going on in the book, but the raw story is sincerely narrated and given with as much of a present-tense POV(point-of-view)that one can gather when writing from a twenty-forty year separation of events recollected in a narrative autobiography.
Fransson's use of the Beetle's repertoire of songs as chapter headings is a literary tool of sorts...it is a matter for the reader to appreciate or not...I didn't see some of the connections coming together perfectly, as there are quite a few threads running through the book that may be tied together in the book's sequel.
Fransson's tale of coming-of-age, world travelling, kidnapping by a parent, custody battles and difficulty with sobriety and trying to find a spiritual connection somewhere in the world while growing into adulthood are certainly a unique journey--reminiscent of Frey's A Million Little Pieces, but in a different vein--minus the controversy of Frey's book incurred with Oprah.
November 17, 2017
My rating on this book is based solely on the style of book it is. This is not the type of book I generally read, but I entered a Goodreads giveaway and I felt obligated to finish the book. I feel a little fooled really. The cover of the book and the synopsis on the back make it sound like a fiction, if not a Sci-Fi book. Make no mistakes though, it is a biography about the author and his experience with the Worldwide Church of God. While there was some interesting chapters, I found it didn't keep my interest and was hard to stay focused on the story. The book is 207 pages and it took me 4 months to read it. I think the book is well written, I just think it is for a limited audience.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
May 29, 2020
The People of the Sign is Frnasson's memoir that I was told read like a thriller. To say Fransson had a roller coaster of a life would be an understatement. From a young age, he was subjected to many trials and tribulations from being kidnapped to living in a tent outside his father's Alaska home and drug abuse/alcoholism. One unique element of the book is that he found that he related a lot to music so much of the story is broken into sections based on different songs that he has related with. Fransson is a former minister in the Worldwide Church of God and spends a great majority of the book explaining the religion and its core belief systems. I feel that he did it to try to get the reader to understand the context of his mindset during each of his trials however to me, it felt like the book was mostly a description of the religion with his life experiences sprinkled throughout. I would have enjoyed the book a great deal more if it were the other way around; Fransson's life experiences with a sprinkling of the religion to add some context. Finally, this book is the first in a 3 part series. If you like a book that provides some kind of closure this is not the book for you. The book parts with Fransson on the cusp of yet another major turning point in his life and it had me feeling like I had invested alot of time into his narrative and only to not be told how everything turned out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2021
Absorbing, at times startling
I stumbled across this book by pure serendipity the day after I attended an online presentation by the author titled “How the Gospel of Matthew speaks to Jesus’ Birth and His Return” (super interesting whether you’re religious or not, BTW — it’s on YouTube). The presentation displayed a depth of knowedge about the Bible that was incredibly deep and detailed and laid out clearly and interestingly. I thought, that’s an interesting coincidence, and bought the Kindle version. Well, it’s a page turner, going into detail about a tumultuous, to say the least, childhood; reckless and difficult teen years, and his transformation into a scholar and rising minister of the Worldwide Church of God. The ending is a cliffhanger, no spoilers here, have just bought the second book and urge you to start this trilogy.
I stumbled across this book by pure serendipity the day after I attended an online presentation by the author titled “How the Gospel of Matthew speaks to Jesus’ Birth and His Return” (super interesting whether you’re religious or not, BTW — it’s on YouTube). The presentation displayed a depth of knowedge about the Bible that was incredibly deep and detailed and laid out clearly and interestingly. I thought, that’s an interesting coincidence, and bought the Kindle version. Well, it’s a page turner, going into detail about a tumultuous, to say the least, childhood; reckless and difficult teen years, and his transformation into a scholar and rising minister of the Worldwide Church of God. The ending is a cliffhanger, no spoilers here, have just bought the second book and urge you to start this trilogy.
November 12, 2019
I'm a big fan of memoirs when the life is interesting and the author faces it squarely. Hence my five stars for "The Glass Castle" - and my five stars for this book, "The People of the Sign." This one is a doozy! It starts as a somewhat familiar story of a child in a dysfunctional family - compelling but not so unusual - that takes a sudden flip into the world of religious fanatacism, where he first rebelled and then went all in, rising high in the ranks of a church that then proceeded to splinter when its charismatic leader died. What a roller coaster. It ends with a man, who if not broken, is certainly breaking. Where's that sequel ???
September 15, 2018
Great book!
This gives a detailed look at our lives including ups and downs. It also shows the difficulties many ministers go through fighting to get God's "Message" to those in need.
Great job Wade!
This gives a detailed look at our lives including ups and downs. It also shows the difficulties many ministers go through fighting to get God's "Message" to those in need.
Great job Wade!
December 18, 2012
Tumultuous indeed is Wade Fransson's early life and horrific also. It raised the question - how is it so many dynamite people survive horrific abuse, neglect and end up on a spiritual path? The People of the Sign is a story of Wade Fransson's journey, which journey takes the reader through trials of a lost childhood. This childhood reveals addictio issues within the family, abandonment, punishment, upheaval in home, such a loose word. By age 13, Wade could not trust anyone, rightfully so.
By chance, by quirk, or by Divine Hand, he discovers the Worldwide Church of God. He is young, and he lurches through attraction and rejection; through addiction, homelessness, alienation, and return. The Church has its own frailties but it seems to have provided Fransson with a framework within which to turn to God, as he knows God.
This book reveals an amazing man of courage. In the later chapters, he speaks of the follies and foibles of the Worldwide church, and its hypocracies also. I do not see vengeance in the author's tone. I see an accounting clear, unremitting of events.
I am amazed that Fransson emerged through all crises in his life and developed into a man of integrity and critical thinking. The People of the Sign is an engaging book; you may have questions of the author. His journey is obviously not over. Where will he go?
I wish him myriad paths of grace and knowledge.
By chance, by quirk, or by Divine Hand, he discovers the Worldwide Church of God. He is young, and he lurches through attraction and rejection; through addiction, homelessness, alienation, and return. The Church has its own frailties but it seems to have provided Fransson with a framework within which to turn to God, as he knows God.
This book reveals an amazing man of courage. In the later chapters, he speaks of the follies and foibles of the Worldwide church, and its hypocracies also. I do not see vengeance in the author's tone. I see an accounting clear, unremitting of events.
I am amazed that Fransson emerged through all crises in his life and developed into a man of integrity and critical thinking. The People of the Sign is an engaging book; you may have questions of the author. His journey is obviously not over. Where will he go?
I wish him myriad paths of grace and knowledge.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews