Literally, in fact. For Christmas this year, marked by really quite a bit of hate and bitterness, give the gift of empathy.

“It is Charles that is speaking in the first person. This I found to be an important distinction. It is not Joel D. Hirst talking. It is how Charles is talking about how he feels.  It is his passion and his black and white views we meet. Indeed, Joel. D. Hirst gives Charles a powerful voice. We get to know Charles, identify with the way he interprets things.  Especially we identify with his love of reading! Charles, however, is not a character that causes great fondness and admiration.  That is not attempted. Of course not, one might say. Yet Charles makes an impression in your heart. He is a prototype. You know that this fictional character exists in multiple forms in the real world. And circumstances make a difference. They matter. Luck too.”

Read the whole review here.

Then, buy the book for somebody you care about this Christmas. Because 2021 is gonna be a rough year for those who are from the camps; learn to see the world through their eyes, the precursor to doing what you can to help.