| Longing for a Homeland: A Review |
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 Discovering the Place You Belong
As reviewed by E. Dian Moore, Ministry in Motion, July 2004.
Volume 3, Issue 7
Longing for a Homeland follows author Lynn Anderson as he sets out to discover his roots. Anderson explores his ancestors' search for new homelands after leaving their own, and he searches for the places that housed the beginning places of his roots. He shares his travels to ancestral homelands and visits to the North American homesteads that his forefathers and mothers called home.
Readers will enjoy looking over Anderson 's shoulder as he rides a train across Canada , finds the house his mother lived in as a child and touches the scribbles written in her childish hand.
Throughout "Homeland," Anderson employs an inner dialogue with Moses, perhaps the most famous wanderer of all as he explores man's repeated efforts to find a homeland.
Anderson discovers the phenomenon of man's repeated efforts to take away a nation's homeland--from Israel 's continued wars to the American tragedies visited upon the native tribes. He tells of Sitting Bull's sad history, whose life was ultimately ended by a gunshot fired by one of his own people.
Anderson raises the question of whose land is it, really? Where is home for generations of wanderers? Since the beginning of time, people have not felt at home, wandering aimlessly, searching for that perfect place.
Midway through "Homeland," a poignant scene plays out as Anderson stands on the land where he was raised, excited to share this place with his children. Tearfully, Anderson realizes that a place is not home. People are home. But people go away, too. So where, really, is home?
Anderson ultimately discovers, "home is among the people of God."
Lynn Anderson is a man of rare talent, one whose words resonate in the minds of readers almost as if he is speaking aloud. His words will remain with the reader and instigate a journey of their own as they, too, search for the meaning of home.
"Homeland" is suitable for pastors, and it is filled with topics which will spark discussion and self-discovery. Small discussion groups ages 16 and over will find Anderson's book easy to navigate and would be well-used as a chapter-by-chapter review, such as in a book club.
Readers will especially enjoy Anderson 's journey as they recognize themselves in the various characters introduced by the author, as well as the common circumstances all mankind encounters at some point in their lives. The format of the book will prompt discussions such as returning to your birthplace, immigrant ancestors, ownership of land, and ongoing wars designed to remove man of his native land.
Ultimately, the discussions will uncover the true meaning of home--God is home.
E. Dian Moore is a Christian freelance writer and editor as well as the hands behind Hands for Hope, a small entrepreneurship in the northern panhandle of West Virginia . Visit www.handsforhope.com for more information.
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