A Sweet Fragrance

    Books Worth Reading

    Thoughts Concerning the King by Elizabeth Prentiss
    Originally published in 1890, these selections from Elizabeth Prentiss' private papers represent the cream of her thoughts and relationship with the Lord. While simply a collection of quotes and poetry, the depth and insight of these quotations make this book a treasure indeed.

    Children of the Storm by Natasha Vins
    Natasha Vins tells the story of life as the daughter of the persecuted Russian pastor Georgi Vins.

    Release the Power of Prayer by George Muller
    George Muller testified that he had received at 50,000 specific answers to prayer. Read the powerful testimony of a man who looked to God for all needs and believed that God delights in the prayers of His children.

    Studies In The Sermon On The Mount by Oswald Chambers
    The Sermon on the Mount would bring us to despair apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Oswald Chambers expounds on the meaning of these commands of Christ and shows us that Christ enables us to follow His teachings.

    Mimosa: A True Story by Amy Carmichael
    A young Indian girl one day heard of a Savior who loved her and from then on she chose to worship only Him even though for many years she could not remember His name. This story reveals the amazing power of our Savior's love.

    If by Amy Carmichael
    If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.
    This convicting book, in short, pointed sentences, reveals the true meaning of Calvary love.

    Rose from Brier by Amy Carmichael
    Written not from the well to the ill, but from the ill to the ill, this book contains the treasures of Amy Carmichael's spiritual life during the final years of her life. This collection of poetry, short stories, and encouragement for fellow-sufferers addresses many aspects of human suffering and points us to Calvary as the only source of peace and comfort.

    Set-Apart Femininity: God's Sacred Intent for Every Young Woman by Leslie Ludy
    In contrast to the shallow, selfish, pleasure seeking femininity found today, Set-Apart Femininity lays out a blueprint for life-changing, world altering femininity that is based on God's sacred call and purpose. This book calls young women to make an eternal impact on this world rather than indulge themselves in today's self-focused culture. Speaking forthrightly to the corruption of today's culture and its infiltration into the church, the message of this book drives deep into the heart of true set-apart femininity and the heart of God.

    Golden hours: Heart-hymns of the Christian life by Elizabeth Prentiss
    In this book, Elizabeth Prentiss puts into verse her experiences of both intense joy and suffering. Born out of a time of the darkest pain, these poems reflect the lessons learned by a life consecrated to God.

    Essays on Various Subjects Principally Designed for Young Ladies by Hannah More
    Written over 200 years ago, this thought-provoking collection of essays expounds on various qualities that are unique to femininity. Chapter topics include conversation, meekness, education, and religion. This book affirms the God-ordained distinctions between men and women and encourages young ladies to pursue excellence. A very refreshing book for those who desire to return to a Biblical pattern for womanhood.

    Vanya by Myrna Grant
    The story of a young Russian soldier whose faith did not die in the face of torture and martyrdom. The amazing miracles God did through his life fanned the flames of Christianity in Russia.

    A Day's Time-Table by E. S. Elliott
    Written over a century ago, this simple tale of one day in a young unmarried woman's life incorporates and reveals powerful truths concerning the relevance of God's Word to every detail of our lives. This fictional story is written in the style of a novel, yet is full of Scripture. God's design for womanhood flows throughout the book, untainted by modern feminism.

    Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot
    A collection of letters written to the author's daughter on the meaning of womanhood.

    No Graven Image by Elisabeth Elliot
    The fictional story of a young single woman missionary who is given the enormous task of starting a work among the Quichuas of the high Andes. As she begins her life as a missionary, she quickly learns that she is supposed to project an image of herself as a successful, spiritual missionary. Then something happens that shatters that image and she learns to put no created image, no matter how "spiritual", in the place of God.

    The 1599 Geneva Bible
    The original 1599 Geneva Bible with notes written by the reformers. Nothing has been updated except the spelling. This translation is characterized by simple and beautiful language that is surprisingly understandable even to modern readers.

    Aunt Jane's Hero by Elizabeth Prentiss
    The heartwarming story of a Christian couple seeking to establish a home whose happiness flows from a beautiful relationship with the Lord Jesus. Biblical truths about marriage and family life are interwoven throughout this lovely story.

    Gold Cord by Amy Carmichael
    The story of the Dohnavur Fellowship in Amy Carmichael's own words. An amazing testimony of the work of God.

    They Found the Secret by V. Raymond Edman
    This is a book about the exchanged life, the life that is of Christ. This collection of 20 short biographies of men and women who discovered the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will increase your desire to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in your own life. The Christian life is, first and foremost, about a mighty, resurrected Lord whose Spirit can indwell and completely transform those who surrender to Him.

    Toward Jerusalem by Amy Carmichael
    A collection of poetry and songs written for those who are about the King's business.

    His Thoughts Said. . .His Father Said . . . by Amy Carmichael
    The thoughts of a child of God are often troubled and questioning. The Father has an answer to all of them.

    A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
    My favorite biography of Amy Carmichael. Full of excerpts from Amy's writings, this well-researched book gives us a glimpse into the life of one of the great lovers of God.

    Love to the Uttermost by F. B. Meyer
    An exposition of John 13-21. The author digs deep into the events of Jesus' last hours in order to bring us to a closer, passionate devotion to the Messiah.

    God's Missionary by Amy Carmichael
    "The Cross is the attraction." This fiery little book reveals Christ's standards for the true soldiers of the Cross.

    Testament From Prison by Georgi Vins
    A collection of personal testimonies, stories, sermons, letters, and poetry written by Georgi Vins, his family, and other persecuted Russian believers.

Book Review: Journey Into The Whirlwind & Within The Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg

August 17th, 2011

“Of course you’re not guilty! Would they have given you ten years if you had been?”

Ten years imprisonment and five years in exile. The penalty for being innocent.

Eugenia Ginzburg, a 30 year old Communist idealist and card-carrying Party member, received this sentence in 1937 for failing to denounce a purportedly “Trotskyist” colleague. One of the victims of Stalin’s blood-crazed purges, she joined millions of her peers on a journey through the Soviet Gulag, a system of prisons and labor camps that far exceeded the Nazi Holocaust in size and number of victims.

In Journey into the Whirlwind, Mrs. Ginzburg recounts the story of her arrest, initial imprisonment, and transport to Siberia in a train car labeled “Special Equipment”. Her ability to remember events and conversations and turn them into a page-turning narrative reveals her exceptional skill as a writer, a skill that the Gulag did not take away from her. In this first book, however, she is somewhat restrained in expressing her thoughts and feelings. She paid lip service to Communism in hopes that the book would be published in her own country, which did not happen in her lifetime.

Within the Whirlwind continues the story of her life in the Gulag in the Kolyma region of Siberia, an extremely remote area in the far east. In this book, published only after her death, she is far more open about her disillusionment with Communism, the horrors of the Gulag, and her emotions about the evils she saw daily. She shares detailed accounts of the horrors she saw and experienced, yet without being crass. Throughout her story she maintains a sense of dignity that sharply contrasts with her circumstances.

Her chance of surviving to be released was greatly increased by becoming a nurse at a camp hospital. This protected her from the deadly combination of exposure to the elements and back-breaking work that most camp inmates had to endure.

“Sometimes mad thoughts occurred to me: What about crossing out the words “History of Illness,” instead writing at the top “History of Murder”? But I, of course, did not have spirit enough to do that. Besides, whom would it have helped?

Mrs. Ginzburg goes far beyond simply narrating events. She digs deep into the emotions of things, describing how she experienced the Gulag as a woman, a wife, and a mother. This is perhaps the most human book about the labor camps I have ever read. In spite of years of continuous exposure to brutality, she never lost her ability to see and feel the humanity and personhood of those around her. She puts a face to this decades-long Holocaust, and an expression to the sorrow that those of us who know the Man of Sorrows must be willing to feel ourselves.

When she heard that Stalin had died . . .

“I collapsed on the table, sobbing loudly. My body shook. It was my unwinding, not only for these last months spent awaiting my third arrest; I was also weeping for two lost decades. In the space of a minute the whole procession of events swept by before my eyes. All the tortures and all the prison cells. All the long files of those who had suffered the final penalty, and the countless legions of those who had been made to suffer. And my own life destroyed by his diabolical will. And my boy, my dead son . . .

“Somewhere over the hill and far away in a Moscow that had become unreal to us, the blood-stained graven idol of our century had breathed his last. That was an event of overwhelming importance for millions whose suffering had not yet reached its term, for those nearest and dearest to them, and for each small, individual life.

“I must confess that I was sobbing not for the monumental historical tragedy alone, but most of all for myself. What this man had done to me, to my spirit, to my children, to my mother . . .”

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Related posts:

  1. Book Review: Rose From Brier by Amy Carmichael
  2. Book Review: Konshaubi: Free On The Inside by Georgi Vins
  3. Book Review: Testament From Prison by Georgi Vins
Filed under: Book Reviews Comments (2) Article tags: , , , , , , , ,

2 Responses to “Book Review: Journey Into The Whirlwind & Within The Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg”

  1. Marianne Lordi
    Marianne Lordi
    September 6th, 2011 - 6:55 pm

    I have ordered Within The Whirlwind. I cannot believe the extent of man’s inhumanity to man. When I read of such things, I can see the faces of evil that roam this earth. It makes me cling to my Savior all the more.

    [Reply]

  2. Amy
    Amy
    September 19th, 2011 - 4:20 pm

    I remember reading this book several years ago. It really is a powerful narrative. It’s one thing to hear about what Stalin did to his own people, but quite another to read the words of someone who lived it.

    [Reply]

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