Golden's Rule by C. E. Edmonson

My teenage daughter and I read this book together as a read-aloud. Here are some thoughts we have put together concerning this book:

R in a few sentences tell your friend about this book:
This book moves back and forth between Maddie's life struggle living with a brain tumor and Golden Lea's (Maddie's great-great-great grandmother) life struggle living as a slave girl and gaining her freedom.

Did you find the story suspenseful? (give example)
Reading Golden Lea's part of the book was most suspenseful. How she and her pa made their way out of slave life to freedom.

What did you like about the book?
In the end everything ended good.

The message or theme in this book?
Thought out the book the message of overcoming hardships and trials in life was very predominate.

Was there anything you didn't like about the book?
It wasn't a happy book. It was a sad book. Although everything came out in the end. If you want a happy book this isn't the book.

Favorite character in the book and why?
Golden Lea was my favorite character. Her story was most interesting. The life of a slave and how she gained her freedom.

How could the book have been better?
I think some of the use of words that Maddie used could have been better. I don't like it when people curse which Maddie did thought out the book. (see curse words)

What age group do you think this book is geared toward?
10 years and up.

Book Recap:

Golden’s Rule is the story of how a slave’s diary provides inspiration to a modern-day girl battling cancer. The plot focuses on multi-racial fourteen-year-old Maddie Bergamo who seems to have it all—brains, mad moves on the basketball court, true friends, a cute boyfriend, and understanding parents—when suddenly, she is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Caught now in a fight for her life, Maddie tries to remain upbeat and positive, and live as normally as possible. But the tumor starts to claim her coordination, speech, and even her ability to read—and soon it all becomes too great for her to handle. In this darkest hour, Maddie receives an unexpected gift: her great-great-great-grandmother Golden Lea Jackson’s extraordinary diary of life as a slave. Golden Lea’s weathering of trials and hardships are woven into Maddie’s own story of survival and the result is portraits of two girls who find strength and dignity in the direst of circumstances. Golden Lea’s courage against overwhelming odds in the mid 1800s is an inspiration to modern-day Maddie.

Author Bio:

Chuck Edmonson was born a stone’s throw from the historic Alamo in San Antonio and grew up deep in the heart of Texas. Fourth of eight children in the family of Jack and Mattie Edmonson, the summers during his formative years were spent on the plains and cotton fields of West Texas where he developed a respect for our country’s past and a passion for the people who lived it. Chuck has been interested in writing as long as he can remember. His first publication was The Edmonson Express, a handwritten collection of articles scratched on the back of old paper sacks and distributed to family members. He was seven. Chuck has two previously published books, Peacemaker of the Pecos (Aventine Press, August 2007) and Prodigal of the Pecos (Aventine Press, April 2008). He is a member of Western Writers of America and the recipient of the 2008 Grand Prize from the Creative Arts Council for Prodigal of the Pecos, the 2007 and 2008 Reader Views Literary Awards, and the Ilima Award for his magazine article, “Kid Courage.” He is also a regular contributing writer to Island Scene, a health and wellness magazine. An award-winning writer and author, Chuck Edmonson is known for stories that combine lessons in history with positive moral messages. Chuck now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Cheryl. They have two daughters, Chelsea and Christa.

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A copy of this book was provided for review by WinePress Publishing