Once again Lisa Samson was unafraid to tackle a murky subject, this time depression. To medicate or not to medicate, that is the faith question. She writes so honestly and right where we live, yet does it with a lot of style.

this is a wonderful book. Myrtle Charmaine Whitehead Hopewell is a lady every woman should know. She's someone you could put on your houseshoes with and eat food with your hands. Her life has been hard, jagged even. Yet Charmaine still manages to love, despite being abandoned by her pretty waitress mother at age eleven or a string of other tragedies that follow every time she tries to care, to stay. Her love is preserved in part by a special gift, tied up with a bow and placed in her throat by God himself, the voice of a songbird.

Lisa Samson never ceases to amaze me with the quiet strength her characters possess as they erase the lines between secular and sacred bringing the reader to a better understanding of humanity as a whole. So many times in this book, I saw something of myself or people I know. No wonder this won a Christy Award. It's magical.

Anyone who doesn't think that this book is more than wonderful, is CRAZY! I laughed at Charmaines joyous moments! I cried at sad moments! This is a book for anyone who is ready to Read, read, read!

Myrtle Charmaine is only 11 when her mother leaves her to fend for herself. Years of moving from state to state leave Charmaine longing for a place to call home. Yet, she marries a traveling preacher. Harlan encourages her in her gospel music, the stray children she accumulates, and the search for her mother. However, Harlan's anti-psychiatry messages prompt Charmaine to keep some secrets from him.

Jump on the RV and join Harlan and Charmaine as they travel church to church spreading the gospel, great music, and love. These are genuine characters that will linger in your thoughts long after the last page.

SONGBIRD reads both like a Southern folk poem and a motor home drive on a windy, bumpy road headed for a river baptism. A skilled writer, Lisa Samson pulls the reader into a waif's world and wills you to care what happens to her. Full of fresh explosions of insight.