Title: The Shaws Multiplied
Author: Doris Howe
Publisher: Westbow Press
ISBN: 9781449711849
Pages: 138
Genre: Biography / Christian
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda

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In this elegantly weaved portrait of fortitude, endurance, and God’s enduring faithfulness and compassion, Doris Howe masterfully offers a disarmingly heartfelt and intensely honest glimpse into the lives of Douglas and Amanda Shaw and those of their descendants. Douglas D. Shaw, a plumber, married Amanda Ellen Shaw in the year 1890. Later, they moved to Nebraska where they purchased a home and resided for the remainder of their lives. The Shaws Multiplied tells the stories of the lives, occupations, education, personalities, relationships, experiences, Christian ministry, and family set-ups of some of their descendants.

The text does not shy from infusing these with the struggles the families faced during different periods such as the Depression years, the World Wars, and how these catastrophes shaped them as they navigated themselves. What stands out in these memories is the families’ faith in God, which was continually shaken but remained unwavering throughout. As the author writes in Jesus’ own words from the Scriptures: “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me“, she asserts that Jesus is a gentleman and doesn’t intrude in anyone’s life unless invited. She encourages us to answer God’s call to salvation, you can always depend on Him in a way one cannot depend on a human being.

Author Howe’s arresting work will inevitably invoke your memories from your heart as it did for me. You shall laugh and cry with the Shaws as you read this unvarnished text. These stories are bound to slow your feet and secure your life in motion so you may see where you stand from a unique point of view. By living their lives and sharing their lives in full, the Shaws manage to captivate readers by serving as a springboard to hold what we believe; the memories we hold dear and to take the reins of the story of our lives and penning down, the beautiful, the ill-favored, consequently extracting what’s gleaming, and take only that forward.

The Shaws Multiplied by Doris Howe is intrinsically an esteemed book with valuable takeaways and life mantras for anyone eager to learn more about the Christian walk.