Book Review: "Life, and Death, and Giants" by Ron Rindo

“The last night they’d spoken, she told him everyone takes two journeys alone, the one that brings us to Earth and the one that takes us to heaven, and it is the path we have trod in between that gives the measure of a life. It is the good we leave behind us, she said, that makes a life worth living.”

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. This was an emotional and thought-provoking read with some of the most memorable characters, and I was all choked up at the end.

Gabriel Fisher’s mother died while giving birth to him. It’s no wonder: he weighed 18 pounds and measured 27 inches long at birth. But despite his tragic beginning, Gabriel was an absolutely wonderful child—friendly, affectionate, and good with animals (they loved him, too). And he never really stopped growing: he was the size of a full-grown adult by the time he was 11 or 12.

When his older brother dies, Gabriel is taken in by his Amish grandparents, who were forced to shun his mother when she became pregnant the first time. When Gabriel starts becoming popular because of his athletic prowess, his grandfather isn’t too pleased, but they do their best to raise Gabriel to understand their customs and rules.

When the town’s high school football coach gets a glimpse of Gabriel when he is playing in a field with other children, he convinces Gabriel—and his grandparents—that the boy will be a football star. This discovery sets Gabriel and those who love him on a life-changing path.

The book is narrated by Gabriel’s grandmother, the doctor who delivered Gabriel and became both mentor and surrogate father, the football coach, and a local bar owner. I liked how the book portrayed the Amish characters as so much more than stereotypes. This will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year.