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Elmo
Elmo is a story about an economic crisis in the small town of Miner. Fundraisers, food drives, and generous donations initially held the financial plague at bay. Eventually the township was forced to bend with the rest of the nation causing the dads to volley back with a clever remedy. They would brave the winter nights and secretly take shifts dressed as a hobo on the corner of Main Street and Elm...
162 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 26, 2014
This heart-warming book is well-written, clean, Christian, and quite uplifting. The book is a simple read, but it is truly powerful. The Christian and altruistic messages are very strong, encouraging, and clear. This book is something that will hearken back to a better time in our U.S., and it will inspire you to dare to dream that these old-fashioned values are possible in today's technological, fast-paced, me-generation world. I honestly had no qualms with the writing of the story nor the obvious message.
You might be wondering why I only gave it a four-star rating. Well, I have read many "feel-good" stories over the years, and I believe that in order to be truly impactful, a bit of reality is compulsory. I realize that the economy has affected this town, and the men are banding together to get through the difficult times. But my complaint is that the story is sugary-sweet. I know that sounds almost counterintuitive because the story is positive and inspirational. But it seems that everyone was too good to be true. I was looking for "meat" that never materialized. When I read that the author was inspired by Andy Griffith, it all made sense. "Mayberrys" still exist--I know. But I just needed some more realism--just a personal preference. I can say that there are some distinct touching moments that were worth the read even if they were predictable.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
You might be wondering why I only gave it a four-star rating. Well, I have read many "feel-good" stories over the years, and I believe that in order to be truly impactful, a bit of reality is compulsory. I realize that the economy has affected this town, and the men are banding together to get through the difficult times. But my complaint is that the story is sugary-sweet. I know that sounds almost counterintuitive because the story is positive and inspirational. But it seems that everyone was too good to be true. I was looking for "meat" that never materialized. When I read that the author was inspired by Andy Griffith, it all made sense. "Mayberrys" still exist--I know. But I just needed some more realism--just a personal preference. I can say that there are some distinct touching moments that were worth the read even if they were predictable.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
January 10, 2014
Elmo is not the character from Sesame Street. Far from it. Elmo is the name of a panhandler - a homeless, jobless guy begging for change. Except that there is no Elmo.
If that sounds like some kind of science-fiction starting, well, sorry to disappoint. What I'm trying to say that Elmo is actually a role played by many people. You see, in the town of Miner, jobs are scarce and the fathers don't have enough money. So they take turns being 'Elmo' to try and get some cash. Of course, they keep this a secret from their wives and kids.
Ben Skate, is one of the most respected men in town. And of course, he's also one of those playing Elmo. He's also the most loving, generous and God-fearing person you can meet. Seriously, I don't think he actually does anything bad. It would be annoying in most cases, but since he's struggling against joblessness and poverty, I ignored the too-much-perfection stuff most of the time.
The other protagonist of the book is Sam Skate, Ben's son. Sam is an all-round nice guy and a good baseball player, but when he finds out about his dad's secret life, he decides to do all that he can to help. The only part of his character that jarred with me was how he decided to get back at this guy that hurt him (while he was Elmo). It was a move calculated to cause physical injury while looking like an accident and made it seem as though Sam is not really a good guy, just conditioned to behave like one. The fact that the rest of the men were encouraging him to do so made me wonder what kind of people the men of the town really were.
But, if I were to ignore that, this is a heart-warming story about how a small town takes care of itself during an economic crisis.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book as part of the VirtualBookworm Blog tours in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted to Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
If that sounds like some kind of science-fiction starting, well, sorry to disappoint. What I'm trying to say that Elmo is actually a role played by many people. You see, in the town of Miner, jobs are scarce and the fathers don't have enough money. So they take turns being 'Elmo' to try and get some cash. Of course, they keep this a secret from their wives and kids.
Ben Skate, is one of the most respected men in town. And of course, he's also one of those playing Elmo. He's also the most loving, generous and God-fearing person you can meet. Seriously, I don't think he actually does anything bad. It would be annoying in most cases, but since he's struggling against joblessness and poverty, I ignored the too-much-perfection stuff most of the time.
The other protagonist of the book is Sam Skate, Ben's son. Sam is an all-round nice guy and a good baseball player, but when he finds out about his dad's secret life, he decides to do all that he can to help. The only part of his character that jarred with me was how he decided to get back at this guy that hurt him (while he was Elmo). It was a move calculated to cause physical injury while looking like an accident and made it seem as though Sam is not really a good guy, just conditioned to behave like one. The fact that the rest of the men were encouraging him to do so made me wonder what kind of people the men of the town really were.
But, if I were to ignore that, this is a heart-warming story about how a small town takes care of itself during an economic crisis.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book as part of the VirtualBookworm Blog tours in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted to Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
February 21, 2014
I liked this book. It was clever and easy-to-read. The story was unlike anything I had read before and I found myself easily identifying with the characters. Worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews