Book Reviews

“Judith Lethin’s tremendous spirit, love for all beings, humor, and compassion fill her memoir like a cup of communion wine. Her stories—which flow from her ‘cowgirl’ beginnings to her community service as a healer to her long devotion as “church lady” along the lower Yukon River—are infused with wisdom learned from Alaska Native elders and cultural practices, A Wonderful-Terrible God is a book about faith that is, at its heart, an exploratory and rewarding journey into the many ways of knowing.”

Nancy Lord, author of Fishcamp and Beluga Days, former Alaska Writer Laureate

“You can almost smell the wood smoke. In A WONDERFUL- TERRIBLE GOD, Judith Lethin has written an intriguing memoir of her quest to find her true self in Alaska. She shares a path with us rarely discovered and never forgotten.”

The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, VI Bishop of Alaska, retired

“A beautifully articulated memoir blending Reverend Lethin’s family history and her healing work in Alaskan villages. In her writing she pays tribute to Alaska Native Elders, past and present, showcasing their wisdom, strength and resilience. Many from Alaska will recognize their loved ones, respectfully remembered through Reverend Lethin’s writing that engages both poignancy and humor.”

Beth Ginondidoy Leonard, Research Professor of Indigenous Studies, Alaska Pacific University.

“The long arc of Reverend Judith Lethin’s spiritual journey begins in the hardscrabble American west and finds her at home in the Native villages of the Alaskan bush. Lethin’s ministry is borne of humility and the acute consciousness of the complicity of Christian missionaries in the many troubles that plague Alaskan villages. This book is written in that same spirit of humility, as if told to an intimate friend, cup in hand, woodstove ablaze. As the title implies, her story is full of both wonder and terror and, as cliched as this may sound, it is love that holds the two in balance. Lethin is the bearer of gifts—this book is one.”

David Stevenson, Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing, University of Alaska Anchorage 2008-2022.

“A moving, uplifting, and beautifully written memoir that documents both a personal search for meaning as well as fascinating practices and lifeways of Alaska Natives in the villages, including cultural attitudes about death and grieving. Even readers unaffiliated with any specific faith will find consolation and catharsis in this tender and insightful memoir.”

Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of Annie and the Wolves and The Deepest Lake

“A Wonderful-Terrible God is a personal story of healing. In the book, Judith Lethin shares with extraordinary vulnerability her personal journey to find her ultimate meaning and identity in the context and history of her life. Her stories echo what Blaise Pascale described in his 17th century work ‘Penses:’ that the human quest for healing and release from the infinite abyss of craving for happiness and purpose as defined by the world and the cruel human ego—a definition of happiness that mostly requires the denial of everything that makes one human, can be filled only by a loving God that knows intimately what it means to be fully human—what it means to experience betrayal, suffering, trauma, and even death. Her story is a testament to the fact that no matter how heroic, rewarding, and meaningful it may seem to bear the crosses of others and to be their healer, true healing can only happen when you lay those crosses down and pick-up your own.”

The Rt. Rev. Mark Lattime, VIII Bishop of Alaska.

“Judith’s life-giving stories transport us into the Alaska she loves ensuring that we fall in love with it, too. She illustrates beautifully what Indigenous people believe: We are all connected. We grieve when Beaver gives up his life, then rejoice in the holiness of his sacrifice to feed others. When Fire claims the lives of father and son, we cry tears of love and then sing songs of thanksgiving. Through these sacred stories generously shared, we discover joy born from sorrow, life victorious over death, and the beauty of holiness found throughout Creation. How wonderful!”

The Rev. Dr. Mary Crist (Blackfeet), Coordinator of Indigenous Theological Education for the Episcopal Church, U.S.A.