3 out of 4 stars
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Green Hero by Mervin Timothy Reyes is the life-story of a man who has struggled with and overcome addictions.
Mervin grew up in a Christian home in Belize. He was naturally rebellious and in trouble so much as a child that he was eventually sent to a boy’s juvenile facility. There he excelled and became a responsible young man. Eventually he joined the Belize military and became a soldier, or Green Hero. A bad marriage, alcoholism, and an introduction to cocaine set him on a downward spiral that nearly destroyed him. Throw in a few robberies, incarceration, escape, and treks through the jungle and this is a fascinating story.
Mervin’s story is also one of faith. Throughout his life, he has always had some sort of belief in God. As a young boy he would pray and desire to know more about God. As a young adult, he received Christ and was baptized. As an adult he rebelled against God for many years, but he knew who to turn to when he hit rock bottom.
This book touched me personally because I have a father who is addicted to drugs. Reading about the author’s life helped me understand a little more about my father. I used to work at a prison aftercare ministry and have heard many stories. I thought Green Hero would be a similar tale. Boy was I wrong! It is entirely unique; from his upbringing all the way to the end. I find it most encouraging that his recovery from addiction does not happen overnight. It takes years of trying and failing. It gives me hope to never give up on anyone who struggles with addiction. For all I know, their healing may just be around the corner.
Unfortunately, the book does have numerous grammatical errors. There are missing words, incorrect capitalization, and a misuse of homophones. I find that people tend to discredit opposing ideas or philosophies in a book if there is poor grammar which is a real shame because we can learn a lot from other people’s lives.
I thought there were some slow parts about half-way into the book. This is mostly due to the fact that the author was at a very low point in his life and I started to get depressed about his situation. The second half of the book was much more exciting for me; to the point of not being able to put the book down!
My rating for Green Hero is 3 out of 4 stars. I debated on a lower rating because of the grammatical errors, but because I could not put the book down, I think it deserves 3 stars. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with an addiction or has a loved one who is.
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Green Hero
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