By George Bryant
Day Star Books
ISBN 978-0-9582591-4-9

Surely George Bryant must be one of New Zealand’s most prolific Christian authors. It’s only quite recently I reviewed his autobiography, George: The Secrets of an Ordinary Kiwi. Yet here he is again with a new book that looks at the lives of ordinary Kiwis who have struggled and overcome pain, suffering, disaster, disease, abuse, persecution and hardship in their lives.

George brings us the stories of 21 Kiwi overcomers – some familiar names, others not so. Their stories are varied; some make for very uncomfortable reading. Yet in each case, the human spirit has prevailed.

Why does bad stuff happen to good people? It’s a common theme of the Christian faith and one that has been the subject of Christian writing ever since Jesus was nailed to a cross.

George doesn’t get bogged down in the theology of suffering. Instead, he lets his subjects speak for themselves as they offer insights into how they managed to overcome crushing adversity in their lives.

No two stories are the same. Each person offers different reasons as to how they have managed to survive with hope renewed. But there are some common threads – faith, attitude, setting goals, perseverence, hope and faith – and George explores these in his concluding chapter.  The book ends with some quotes from famous people about overcoming personal trials.

I have now read several of George Bryant’s books. This is the best.

– Duncan Pardon