While I have a paper form of this book, a friend also bought me the digital version from Amazon. So made it super easy to read while caring for Denise, and recovering from her birth. I was able to complete the entire book. I read the unabridged version (NOT the abridged).
Facing the Lion, is a true biography written by a sister about her life during World War II as a Jehovah's Witness child.
Simone is the sister's name. She starts the book by giving the reader a background of her childhood and family, starting very early in life. Then gradually gets to the time when her mother found the truth and became a Jehovah's Witness, Simone was still quite young, if I recall around 6 or 7 years old.
Simone goes on to explain how her mother taught her Biblical truths with out disrespecting her father, who was a devout Catholic and did not want Simone to be a Jehovah's Witness. As time goes on she tells of how so many of her family, friends and neighbors eventually learned the truth because of her mothers faithfulness to Jehovah, and her mildness, respect and love!
Eventually though as we know World War II hit the area that Simone lived in, and Hitler targeted Jehovah's Witnesses and banned our religion. Simone's story of faithfulness and integrity is so inspiring during this time. She even seen Hitler herself! And other sad and shocking things happened to her during this time.
There is however, some even more sad, and harsh times that came. Simone was taken from her parents, and both her parents were put into prison and concentration camps for remaining servants of Jehovah. While parts made me cry in emotional pain for this family, and Simone's situation, it was also VERY faith strengthening to read how Jehovah always helped them to feel his love and loyalty, and how they too remained faithful and loyal to Jehovah, never turning their back to serving him.
Some parts of it were so sad it was hard for me to continue reading, BUT, I knew that Jehovah had always stayed by the brothers who lived through World War II, so I kept reminding myself I knew it would have a good ending if I just kept trudging through and it did not disappoint. The ending was amazing! The love from our world wide brotherhood I had not heard of in the past that I remember (as far as some things provided specifically for and to Simone's family).
Now take this paragraph with the mind set that I am NOT in any way, shape or form, saying that modern day Public School is any where near the torture and pain that the place Simone was taken from her parents and ordered to live, by the Nazi Regime. However, there was some distinct similarities. The ending chapters explains that Simone's time in the placement home/school had taken away some her of natural curiosity and momentum to progress in life, that is normal for most people, who had not lived in the home that Simone had been mandated to live in. Public School in the USA has actually specifically been designed to do so on a less intense level. John Taylor Ghatto explains this much deeper. But, the constant, just do as your told and do not learn anything that the rest of the class is not learning yet, or only color a picture this particular way and this particular color, gradually and by design takes away many children's, in the USA and other counties public schools, natural desire to learn and progress with out being told specifically to or how. I have heard this from so very many mothers, who are new to homeschooling and just pulled their children out of public school to start homeschooling. That their children just are not naturally curious or interested in learning or progressing in anything! It's a huge reason many people encourage deschooling before starting to homeschool, to recapture that natural learning ability and love. It took Simone's mother a lot of love, tenderness and time to rehabilitate Simone's passion in this way. And that is with Simone obviously having this natural passion before going to the home that the Nazi's ordered her in, that had been nurtured by her parents, and other brothers and sisters for years. In coming articles I will be addressing this more specifically and in detail.
In conclusion I highly recommend reading this book! Both parents, and children. I would not read it to very young children, as much of it would not be understood and it could get boring or even scary for them. But, a child in 6th to 8th grade should be fine reading it. And I think all Jehovah's Witness children should read it. Simone's integrity through such harsh times is so amazing. I felt wonderful, and even closer to Jehovah and like my faith was even stronger because of reading her story. Her and her family are very inspirational in their faithfulness to Jehovah.
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