Prodigal Song: A Memoir

By James Eugene Robinson

"Maybe our memories are markers," writes author James Eugene Robinson, "like bread crumbs discreetly dropped along the path, clues glimmering in the moonlight by which we hope one night to find our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974224804
• ISBN13: 9780974224800
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Good Apple Press
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

hard to put down

I have a cofession to make right up front. Jim Robinson married my cousin. Ssooooo-maybe I did begin reading the book with above average expectations. I was, however, not prepared for it to touch me as it did. I really didn't know much about Jim's childhood. I knew he had some substance abuse problems before he met my cousin, but I had no idea of the extent and how much he has overcome. I read the book in two days-couldn't put it down. I found myself smiling at some of the tender childhood memories and actually weeping during the more lost, painful times in his life. Jim is a true witness to the power of God and how He will never give up on you no matter what paths you choose to take during your time on earth.

A beautiful story, beautifully written!

James Robinson's gift for songwriting shines in his memoir, PRODIGAL SONG. Written like a beautiful ballad, this poignant story is gut wrenching, heart-warming, tragic, and hope-filled. James shares his journey from youthful innocence, through a troubled childhood in a home devastated by emotional illness, into the darkness of his own addictions, and back "home again" in the healing arms of his heavenly Father. About this experience he writes, "...life exhilarating and horrible, life lived to the fullest and to the most shallow, a seemingly Godless time in which He had never before or since wrapped Himself so tightly around me. And looking back now, though much of it all seems so unreal, I know one truth that runs deep in my flesh: Every time I turned my back on Him, He was always facing me" (p.166). PRODIGAL SONG is a powerful reminder of the truth that our heavenly Father will never forsake us, even when we stray into dangerous and desolate lands. He is always waiting with open arms, and the power of His love can draw even the most wayward child home! You won't want to put this book down! -Sharon Fawcett, author of Hope for Wholeness: The Spiritual Path to Freedom from Depression

Has God been leaving messages for you?

James Eugene Robinson takes us through his life journey; it's ups and downs, through family mental illness, drugs, and alcohol. He goes from what appears to be an idyllic boyhood to rock bottom as an alcohol and drug addict. And, he writes of how he rose from that rock bottom with the help of his "Friend", God.This story touched me more than any other story has touched me for a number of years. Robinson writes eloquently of his boyhood and brings you back into his memory..."I remember riding on Dad's shoulders, perched proudly there atop his strong, straight back, on which all the weight of my world was supported, my hands on his ears and my head nearly touching the clouds, never more frightened and never so safe--I could see everything from up there." Can't you see that little boy up on his father's shoulders? But something went wrong and Robinson's life took a turn for the worse, much worse.Robinson believes that many of his memories are messages from God, that you can always come back to him no matter how far you stray. Luckily for Robinson, he finally heard that message and pulled himself from the rock bottom reality of drug and alcohol abuse.Many of us have been confronted with less than idyllic childhoods and have made different choices about how to deal with our problems. You may find some memories similar to your own when reading Robinson's story. Has God been leaving messages for you?

A moving and life-affirming portrayal

Prodigal Song is the memoir of James Eugene Robinson that traces the story of his man's life through the nightmares of alcoholism and drug addiction... yet something called to him and showed him another path. Postulating the idea that childhood memories could be messengers of spiritual healing, it follows Robinson's revelation of God's whispers, of looking back to see that Someone has been with him all this time, and his long journey back to life from the depths of despair. A moving and life-affirming portrayal, Prodigal Song is spiritually rewarding and reader inspiring.