Desert Medicine by Judy Alexander

Desert Medicine is about a young mother of twins who is going through a divorce and has lost her sense of family. Laurelle refuses to feel sorry for herself or be called a “bitter divorcee,” so she volunteers to help an elderly woman with cancer. Laurelle discovered that the older woman, Rhoda, had also lost her sense of family many years ago.

Laurelle grows closer to Rhoda, while struggling to be a good mom. Through the stories shared by Rhoda, Laurelle begins to find healing. But in the end, Rhoda and Laurelle discover that life is tough and there can be a lot of pain in the journey, but hoping for the future is a conscious decision they both had to make.

This is not a book you can read and walk away from. You think about it a few days later. If you are involved in a book club, this book would be a great book to discuss. Desert Medicine brought out all the emotions in me, anger, joy, frustration and crying at different points in the book. As a reader, you are part of Laurelle’s life, and when you finish the book, you feel like you’ve lost a friend. Even when you are about to finish the book, you still have no idea how it will end. Alexander took all the emotions I felt throughout this book and pierced my heart until the last page. This is a book you don’t want to give up halfway through; there is a treasure at the end. Life is messy and full of imperfect people, but God is sovereign and can work in any situation. I recommend adding this book to your 2008 must-read list.