William Schuh gives readers an inside look at the personalities of medical personnel and the politics of hospital life. In his story, former friends, now bitter enemies, Doctors Michael Hamilton and Greg Jameson have been avoiding each other until Greg’s son, Will, is diagnosed with leukemia. Greg must reluctantly place him in Michael’s care. It is apparent early on that the young patient has been the strong one in his family, caring for his younger brother and alcoholic mother.

Emotionally starved and neglected by his work-addicted father, Will quickly forms a bond with his doctor. Love for Will is the catalyst that begins the painful healing process of the two doctors and for their families. The sub plots and background stories of the characters are intriguing. I was drawn into the drama, anxious to solve mysteries and to discover the root of the conflict between Hamilton and Jameson. I was surprised by some revelations and rejoiced with each character as they overcame personal battles.

I enjoyed “Gathering Pearls” and recommend it for your leisure reading. It is a story of real people dealing with some very real and all to common problems. Although not a typical “Christian novel,” it is written in a family friendly format and expands on a Biblical theme. On the first page is a quote from 1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

[The Message translation puts it this way. - Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"?]

This book is pleasurable light reading, taken at surface value, but I suggest going a little deeper and looking for the “nobodies” and the “somebodies.”

Gathering Pearls
at Amazon.com