From the White House to the Amish

Title: From the White House to the Amish
Author: Katrina Hoover Lee
Major Themes: Thomas Kirkman, Washington, D. C., Indiana, Eisenhower, Presidents, Amish
Synopsis: For much of his adventurous life, Tom Kirkman was bitter against God—what happened to change him?

I have decided that one of my favorite genres is what might be called “imaginative biography,” or “biographical fiction.” I’m not sure what the proper wording is, but basically these books that I really enjoy are the story of a person’s life, with the gaps filled in from the author’s imagination. The story reads more like a novel than a biography, but sticks as close as possible to the person’s life. The most recent one of these books that I’ve read is From the White House to the Amish. I’ve been wanting to read it since before it was published, and finally had the chance. This is a good book! Katrina Hoover Lee has mastered the art of making a person’s life story very interesting and inspiring.

Tom Kirkman had quite an adventuresome life. As a boy, his family lost their home in the Depression, and ended up living in a chicken house for awhile. I admired his mother for making it into a home the way she did—and had to marvel, like the Kirkman family did, at the way God provided a broom for them. Tom’s mother was often sick; she had high blood pressure, and there was no medication that worked for it, in those days.

Tom was quite artistic; he was always drawing something. After finishing high school, he wanted to learn drafting, but there was no way he could afford it, so he joined the Army. Before he got as far as learning drafting, however, he was chosen to work in the calligraphy department in the White House. He enjoyed learning to know President Eisenhower a little, and found himself called on to do secret jobs at times. Not too long after he got married, though, he moved back to Indiana, where his and his wife’s families still lived. The White House decided they couldn’t get by without him—after only a few more years, he returned to Washington for a time. By now, his mother had died, despite Tom’s fervent prayers for a cure, and Tom was bitter against a God who couldn’t save her life.

Some time after returning to Indiana, Tom had some amazing experiences with God. His life took more incredible twists and turns after that. This book is full of amazing events, with a unique perspective of life behind the scenes at the White House. I highly recommend From the White House to the Amish to anyone who enjoys a great story of an unusual person. It is wonderful to see what God can do in someone’s life!

No warnings!