Life & Death & Giants: A Book That Reminded Me What Really Matters

Life & Death & Giants: A Book That Reminded Me What Really Matters

By Ron Rindo | A Worthy Heart Book Review

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 out of 5 stars!

Well, friends, I must be on a roll with books lately because I just finished another WINNER!

And when I tell you I could not put this one down, I mean I could NOT put her down!

Life & Death & Giants by Ron Rindo was one of those books that pulled me in, kept me turning pages, and then left me thinking long after I closed the cover.

Could not have loved it more.

Get your copy of Life &  Death & Giants here!

How This Book Found Me

Funny story. I get a lot of my book recommendations from Instagram.

I follow my baby brother's best friend's wife, Brooke (who is married to Chad), and I love watching her book reviews. Sometimes I watch Shay Shull from Mix and Match Mama, too. Between the two of them, I have found some pretty wonderful reads.

Well, Brooke mentioned this one, and I thought, Hmmm, that sounds interesting.

Now, here is something you need to know about me.

I LOVE a good triumphant true story. Give me some chick lit, a funny story, a story about family, or something that makes me feel all the feelings, and I am your girl.

But historical fiction?

Ehhh.

For some reason, I struggle. Unless it is really good and juicy, I have a hard time getting through it.

But I am also that girl who will drag herself through a book or movie she isn't enjoying because I am a Nosy Rosy and HAVE to know how it ends!

And maybe, just maybe, I need to prove to myself that I can finish it. Ha!

Which, by the way, is exactly why I have not picked up Yesteryear yet. Those mixed reviews have me wondering if I really want to try my hand at that one.

But alas, I digress.

Back to this wonderful book.

A Story I Didn't Expect to Love Quite This Much

When I first started Life & Death & Giants, I thought, Oh gosh. Here we go. Historical fiction.

The story revolves around an Amish community, and because the Amish preserve so many traditional ways of living, I immediately assumed I was headed into a historical novel.

But I was wrong.

This story takes place in the modern world, and what fascinated me was the contrast between the Amish way of life and the fast-moving world around them.

I found myself admiring their commitment to their faith and traditions. In a world that seems to change by the minute, there is something remarkable about people who hold so tightly to what they believe.

Now, did I agree with everything?

Absolutely not.

There were things I learned about Amish life that I loved and others that made me think, Oh, that would NOT be for me!

But I appreciated their devotion, their loyalty, and the sacrifices that come with living according to their convictions.

What I found especially fascinating was watching the Amish and English worlds intersect. Some people step outside the life they have always known and choose to stay. Others discover that the world they left is where they truly belong.

And isn't that interesting?

How two people can experience the same world and walk away with entirely different understandings of where they belong?

But that wasn't even my favorite part.

The Good We Leave Behind

Without giving too much away, what touched me most was the idea that one humble person can change an entire community without ever realizing the impact they made.

One person.

One life.

One heart.

And that person may go to their grave never knowing how many lives were made better simply because they were here.

There was a passage in this book about the two journeys we each take—our arrival into this world and our departure from it—and how the life we live between those moments is measured by the good we leave behind.

Oh, friends.

That hit me right between the eyes.

Because isn't that what it is really all about?

I did find myself wondering about those two journeys.

Do we really make them alone?

When our time comes to leave this earth, are there angels waiting to bring us home? Do the people we have loved and lost come to meet us? And when we arrive in this world, perhaps angels accompany us then, too.

Who knows?

That is one of the great mysteries of life and faith, and I suppose one day we will have our answers.

But what isn't a mystery is what happens in between.

The life we live. The people we love. The good we leave behind.

And that got me thinking about my own life.

How Do I Want to Be Remembered?

When my time comes, I hope people remember the good.

I hope they remember the sparkle.

I hope they remember joy.

I hope they remember that they were worthy, that they mattered, and that they were loved.

Oh, how I hope they remember how BIG I loved them.

Because I do.

I love my family.

I love my friends.

I love my job.

And goodness gracious, I love this life.

Not because it has always been easy. It certainly hasn't.

But because even in the hard, there has been so much beauty.

And if there is one thing I hope to leave behind, it is love.

Not perfection. Not accomplishments. Not how busy I was or how much I managed to squeeze into a day.

Just love.

The kind that makes someone feel seen.

The kind that makes someone feel important.

The kind that reminds another human being that they are worthy simply because they exist.

And isn't it something that a novel about a giant could remind me that the biggest thing we can leave behind has nothing to do with our size?

It is the size of our hearts.

My Final Thoughts: Read This Book!

If you love a story filled with family, faith, heartbreak, triumph, unexpected twists, and all the emotions that make a book impossible to put down, this one is for you.

Ron Rindo has written a story that will have you turning pages just to see what is waiting around the corner.

And when you finally close the book, I have a feeling you might sit with it for a little while.

I certainly did.

Five out of five stars from this girl!

Grab your copy of Life & Death &  Giants here and get lost in this beautiful story!

And when you finish it, come back and tell me what you thought. I would LOVE to know.

Because sometimes the best books don't just tell us a story.

They remind us how we want to live our own.

Love like Jesus. 🩵

Worthy Heart