About the Book

Book: Turtle Heart

Author: Lucinda J. Kinsinger

Genre: Memoir

Release date: February 22, 2022

What happens when a sheltered young Mennonite befriends an ornery old Ojibwe woman in order to lead her to Christ—and finds that old woman has more to teach her about God and humanity than she ever dreamed? These two women from widely differing cultures and belief systems soon build a connection that runs deeper than their differences. Kinsinger’s memoir of friendship reads like a novel, at once riveting and introspective, timeless and surprising.

Turtle Heart invites you into the world and perspective of a young Mennonite woman who allows love to lead her beyond her comfort zone into uncharted territory.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Lucinda J Kinsinger has always viewed herself as a shy little Mennonite girl but refuses to let that stop her from pursuing what she loves—whether that’s writing with honesty and vulnerability or traveling to a remote village in China. She is the author of two memoirs—Turtle Heart: Unlikely Friends with a Life Changing Bond and Anything But Simple: My Life as a Mennonite, as well as a children’s book, The Arrowhead.  She writes a column for Anabaptist World Review and blogs at lucindajkinsinger.com. Lucinda lives with her farmer husband Ivan and her baby daughter Annalise in the rolling hills of Oakland, Maryland.

 

More from Lucinda

I Met an Old Lady

On a foggy morning one early March, I met a tiny woman encased in a puffy tan coat. I loved her from the moment I saw her—the tiny, intense perfection of her, the way her glasses sat sharp and clean on her face, the bright look of her slanted eyes, and the way all her wrinkles massed upward when she smiled. She was Ojibwe. Her name was Charlene.

At that time, I drove for a company called Indianhead Transit and had been assigned to take Charlene to her dialysis appointment. I helped her to my car, my steps excruciatingly slow to match hers, got into the driver’s seat, and backed into the foggy street. “The Ojibwe have a saying about the fog,” Charlene said. “They say, ‘The Creator sent the clouds to earth.’”

We talked a lot about God that dialysis trip. “I am amazed at how He made everything on earth round,” she told me. “The leaves are round, the drops of water are round, the scales on a fish are round, and even the little blades of grass, when they first come up, are curled into a ball. It just makes me love Him so much.” There was wonder in her voice, joy in her eyes.

I asked her if she believed in Jesus. She considered a moment. “Yes, the Ojibwe have taken the Creator’s Son, Jesus.” But when I mentioned the Bible, she snapped, “The Bible is just a white man’s book!”

I wondered how she could believe in Jesus while not believing in the Book that taught about Him.

As I got to know Charlene better, I found her a study in contrasts.

She would coo at her little dog in the sappiest, drippiest form of baby talk possible, and fifteen minutes later when the dog displeased her, would yell so harshly it would streak for its crate, her hand raised threateningly behind it.

She was the sharpest, meanest little lady I ever knew, with a perverse sense of humor and a penchant for original slams. “I dig your shoes!” she crowed to a Croc-shod woman once. “Dig a hole and bury them,” she muttered as the woman passed.

She was the most loyal and loving lady I ever knew, a lover of beauty, lover of God. She went hunting only once and when she had the opportunity to shoot a buck, couldn’t do it—the buck was just too beautiful, she told me.

She held a vehement dislike of Black people and spoke so disrespectfully of them I grew angry. Then she turned around and voted for Obama in national elections.

By that time, I realized that with Charlene, you had two choices: you could let her drive you mad, or you could accept her. I chose to accept her.

She also chose to accept me.

She understood what it was to be Mennonite and different. After all, she had grown up Ojibwe and different. She didn’t ask, like others might, if I got cold in the winter because I didn’t wear pants or why I couldn’t go to the fair. She accepted my oddities as a matter of course.

“People have to label everything. Whether Mennonite or half-breed, they label you and that’s what you are to them,” she said to me one day. “But our friendship doesn’t have to fit a label.”

Fit a label our friendship did not.

We were different in almost every way—one young and one old, one shy and one feisty, one sheltered and one who had experienced the harshness of life. And yet in the middle was a spot we connected, where we shared nerve and muscle and bone like conjoined twins.

She dispelled multiple prejudices of mine—yes, I also carried them—and taught me to see that people are people wherever you find them, taught me I could understand and be understood by someone from a very different background.

Charlene did eventually read the Bible I gave her and grew in faith as a result.

I also grew. She, with her fresh eyes and unboxed faith, strengthened and deepened my own faith as few people have. I learned from her to see God in the small, everyday things of life that even a child can understand—things like fog and blades of grass and water at the kitchen sink.

I wrote a book about our friendship. The book is called Turtle Heart: Unlikely Friends with a Life-Changing Bond and came out recently with Elk Lake Publishing. It is available on Amazon.

MY REVIEW 

I wonder how many opportunities we have had to get to know other people but shunned them because we didn’t agree with their beliefs or lifestyle? The Bible says “to love  one another.” It doesn’t say we only have to love people who agree with us. I thought this book was good because it brings two women together in friendship from different beliefs and lifestyles. 

Luci grew up as a Mennonite and is conservative in many ways. She has a big heart and enjoys helping others. When she meets Charlene I think she had hopes of changing  her beliefs. Now Charlene is Ojibwa and very set in her ways. At times Charlene can be harsh but deep down there is a woman crying for acceptance. 

Getting to know Charlene more helps me understand how this frail little woman has hidden secrets from everyone for fear of rejection. The book does talk about some sensitive subjects such as same sex relationships, race discrimination, rape and drinking. The author does a good job of sharing both sides of these subjects without shaming anyone. As the two women get to know each other better, they start to understand that even though they may have different opinions about things, they can still be friends and learn from each other. 

There are times that Charlene is a bit harsh in how she feels about certain things. Although I don’t agree with everything  she says or believes I still find that I can learn from her.  She teaches me to love unconditionally and give grace to those who I disagree with. After all God has told us “to love our neighbor as ourselves.” We are not to judge but show kindness and compassion to everyone. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 5

A Reader’s Brain, March 6

Texas Book-aholic, March 7

All-of-kind Mom, March 8

Lots of Helpers, March 9

A Melodious Sonnet, March 9

Inklings and notions, March 10

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 11

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 12

deb’s Book Review, March 13

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 14

For Him and My Family, March 15

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 16

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 17

Mary Hake, March 17

By the Book, March 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lucinda is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card with a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1b4c2/turtle-heart-celebration-tour-giveaway