The Mixed Media editor picks four worthy reads to enrich Black History Month, from a propulsive multigenerational saga to a faith-based novel based on real-life events during Reconstruction.
Mixed Media
Reviews of books, movies, music, television, websites, and more, looking at the world of arts and entertainment from a Reformed perspective. To submit a review, click here.
After the devastating 2019 fire at Notre Dame, two sarcophaguses were discovered under the cathedral’s stone floor. Follow a team of archaeologists and historians as they attempt to solve centuries-old mysteries.
Not Pop-Pop
By Angela De Groot. Illustrated by MacKenzie HaleyIn this tender picture book, a trip to the library turns into an adventure in kindness and a reminder that people experiencing homelessness deserve compassion and respect.
Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield were the three most prominent early evangelicals—and all three were deeply compromised on the issue of slavery.
This podcast invites us to see the entertainment in between the pages of classic novels.
All We Were Promised
By Ashton LattimoreA housemaid with a dangerous family secret conspires with a wealthy young abolitionist to help an enslaved girl escape, in volatile pre-Civil War Philadelphia.
Lockerbie: The Search for Truth
Otto Bathurst & Jim LouchA new streaming series explores how a father grieved Pan Am Flight 103, the flight of grief, now more poignant in light of recent plane crashes.
A Healing Touch
By Suzanne Woods FisherWhen a baby is left on her doorstep, formerly Amish doctor Ruth Stoltzfus must confront the state of her marriage and a life out of balance.
Yonder Come Day: Exploring the Collective Witness of the Formerly Enslaved
By Jasmine L. HolmesExperience the struggles, sorrows, triumphs, and hopes of real people who survived one of the darkest periods of American history.
Matin 3: Turn
By Jess RayA meditative album recorded between first light and dawn.
Between Two Brothers
By Crystal AllenInspired by real events, Between Two Brothers is a powerful and uplifting story about forgiveness, brotherhood, and the power of a family’s unconditional love.
A breathtaking look at a disappearing way of life among the haenyeo sea divers of Jeju Island, South Korea.
Harvest of Hope
By Amanda H. Midkiff. Illustrated by Christopher FowlerIn her sequel to her middle school novel, Where the Crops Never Fail, author Amanda Midkiff returns 10 years later to the idyllic Riverside Farm in Virginia.
The Ache
By Brandon HeathReflecting on his mom’s death, Brandon Heath releases his ninth album with themes of mourning and joy.
The Laundryman's Boy
By Edward Y. C. LeeFall 1913, St. Catharines, Ont.: 13-year-old Hoi Wing Woo, the son of a scholar, is forced to give up his dreams of an education when he is sent to work in a Chinese laundry in Canada.
Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting
By Katherine Wolf (with Alex Wolf)Sometimes the most valuable treasures are found in the darkest of times. It's often in the heart of our deepest pain and struggle that God chooses to reveal his most precious gifts.
Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself–and to God–When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering
By Chuck DeGroatWe can’t always control what happens to us. But we can discover how to heal the hidden hurt it leaves behind.
Spiritual warfare in the Vatican—and in us.
Othered: Finding Belonging with the God Who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed, and Marginalized
By Jenai AumanFor anyone who has felt left out or pushed out of the church, this is your invitation to find spiritual rest and belonging in a God who loves, pursues, and blesses the outcast.
Look Up
By Ringo Starr84-year-old Beatle Ringo Starr releases a delightful country music EP, produced by T-Bone Burnett.
‘Keep Writing!’
Mixed Media Editor Encourages Student ReviewersThe Banner’s Mixed Media editor responds to review pitches from B.C. Christian school students.
Penny Preaches: God Gives Good Gifts to Everyone!
By Amy Dixon and Rob Dixon. Illustrated by Jennifer DavisonWhen preaching from the front porch to her friends doesn't turn out as she expected, Penny wonders if she was wrong to want to teach others about God.
This prequel continues the Prime Suspect story.
Maurice
By Jessixa BagleyThe winning personality of Corduroy meets the fable-like storytelling of Extra Yarn in this uplifting story about a dog and his music amidst a changing Paris.