Under a Desert Sky

Redefining Hope, Beauty, and Faith in the Hardest Places



by Lynne Hartke

Revell

Christian

Pub Date 02 May 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Under a Dessert Sky through Revell and Netgalley:

This is the story of a woman who finds herself both literally and figuratively in the Desert. Set against the Backdrop of the Sonoran Desert Lynne finds herself asking the hard questions after a Cancer Diagnosis. She talks about the healthy diet that she thought would stop cancer from entering her life.

Not long after her diagnosis her Mom and Dad were both diagnosed with cancer as well. She talks about how Cancer amplified her emotions.

After she is told she is Cancer Free Lynne does not even have time to celebrate when she gets a call saying her Mother had a stroke.

This is the story of loss, and heartbreak but it's also a story of faith and hope.

Five out of five stars.

Happy Reading!

Cancer redefined life for Hartke. It started with her own diagnosis of breast cancer. Then her dad and soon after her mom were diagnosed with cancer – both incurable. Cancer redefined her concepts of strength and courage. It made her reevaluate her understanding of beauty and what it means to belong.

This is a well written and captivating memoir of struggling with unanswered questions, of being in hard places, of having more than she could handle. Hartke crafts a great parallel between her experiences and being in the desert.

Hartke draws great spiritual lessons from her experiences. I really like her analogy of the desert. It contains a beauty that can be discovered only through difficulty. There are lessons from God that can be learned only in the desert.

I also like her insight and honesty. She notes that people will sometimes say that God will not give you more than you can handle. “It's blatantly untrue,” she writes, “because if I never had more than I could handle, when would I ever need God?” (Loc. 1043/3717)

I highly recommend this book to those interested in an honest and insightful memoir of facing cancer. It would be of particular interest to hikers as Hartke shares many hiking stories. The book would be an encouragement to anyone waylaid by cancer. There are questions for discussion and personal reflection included. Hartke has also added a list of Scriptures for desert sojourners, arranged by need.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.