An Awesome Book and Giveaway!

An ice axe,
well-worn running shoes,
and two hearts woven together forever.

Oh wow. I have a great book for you. And for your husband to read if you have a daughter. It will be meaningful if you have a son as well, but the uniqueness and increasing rarity of the father-daughter bond in today's society makes this an especially poignant read. Nurture those relationships!


Don't Let Me Go
by
David Pierce
This is the story of how a teen-aged daughter convinced her dad to climb a mountain with her and the journey that resulted. They climbed one, then another, and kept it up for a total of five mountains in 3 years. In the midst of this, they decided to run a marathon, and then ran a second one as well. Along the way, they navigated the trails of communication, boys, and high school graduation. And they discovered that some of the lessons they learned on the mountainsides and in the marathons translate to life as well. While their hearts are bound together forever in the process, the author also discovers the strength to let go of the carabiner in his hand as he completes his shortest but hardest climb - escorting her down the aisle on her wedding day.

Filled with tender moments, this book is not sappy. It is, after all, an account written by a dad! At times humorous, at other times painful as they struggle in the cold or with blisters or other setbacks, there are also spiritual metaphors to be discovered:

The summit is small, usually, and you're only there for a moment. But the journey. . . We visit the summits, but we live in the valleys. That's where we train. That's where we prepare. That's where we grow strong. For that lesson, I want to tell Chera "thank you."

As soon as I finished this book, I handed it to my man and said "You have to read this." Whether you head to REI and grab two backpacks or find another father-daughter activity, this book will inspire dads (and moms) to spend the time investing in the relationship with their children, discovering you will both reap the rewards.

BOOK SUMMARY:
The true story of how a father and his teen daughter connected through an ice axe and well-worn running shoes.

One day after reading a book about a wilderness adventurer, David Pierce’s fifteen-year-old daughter Chera announced that she wanted to climb a mountain. What David heard behind that wish was a bold declaration: “I’m growing up, Dad—what are you going to do about it?” A few weeks later they bought matching backpacks.

Over a three-year period they climbed five mountains and ran in two marathons. Together they suffered sore muscles, bitter cold, sprung knees, shin splints, and broken spirits. But they also reveled in blazing sunsets, glissaded on a glacier, and celebrated numerous victories great and small. And in the process, they built an unshakable father-daughter bond that will stand the tests of time.

In Don’t Let Me Go, David Pierce—the husband of popular Christian comedienne Chonda Pierce—offers a down-to-earth, funny-yet-serious book for parents with the same universal appeal as Bob Carlisle’s heart-tugging song, “Butterfly Kisses,” only with well-worn running shoes and an ice axe.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David W. Pierce is the coauthor of two children's books with his wife, popular Christian comedienne Chonda Pierce, and a memoir, Salvage. He has written ten short stories appearing in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. David is an adjunct English professor at Middle Tennessee State University. He was the guest writer-in-resident at Taylor University in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 2004 and again in 2007, where he taught a two-week course in crime writing. He also works as a writing mentor with the continuing education curriculum at MTSU known as The Writer’s Loft. David and Chonda live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Their daughter, Chera, recently married and their son, Zachary, attends a nearby university. David Pierce's website is http://www.davidwpierce.com/ .

GIVEAWAY!!
The publisher has graciously provided a copy for me to give to one of you! To enter, leave a copy on this post no later than 6:00 p.m. CDT tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/17). Continental US residents only, please. I'll draw a winner and post the name Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

Happy reading!

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