Hopscotch

I am sure everyone has played the game Hopscotch, a childhood game using chalk and some rocks as markers. Mostly it was a game girls played but even boys got into the hang of it as well. In the book, Hopscotch by Steve Cushman, the premise revolves around a hopscotch that is drawn just at the entrance at a hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina. The book revolves around several characters viewpoints in what they see and feel when they encounter it. The hospital board and CEO want it removed as they see it as graffiti. A child facing leukemia sees it as an invitation to spend just a bit of time outdoors instead of being stuck in her hospital room by well-meaning but over protective parents.

For a war veteran who has lost his legs during the war, the game reminds him that he can no longer enjoy what most people take for granted every single day. For a hospital janitor who receives several calls from the hospital administration to remove it, he sees it as a way to give hope to those who have lost their way. Every time he removes it, it comes back the next day. For an elderly couple, the game reminds them of a romance that created a marriage that spawned 60 decades but now has had Alzheimer's steal way the husband's precious memory. For another child Mike, who is nicknamed Metalhead Mike, for the steel plates used to repair his skull fracture, he is faced with coming to terms with his parents death in a car accident that left him with fragments of a memories he find pieces of beneath the covers of his bed.

I received Hopscotch by Steve Cushman compliments of Livingston Press. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. The game Hopscotch touches each person in the book differently yet is a common factor in bringing some of the patients and staff together. It is a reminder of a simple time when the worries of life haven't robbed them of their childlike hope for something better. It reminds us that life is but a vapor and can disappear at any moment. A reminder for us to cherish the time we have now, instead of waiting on tomorrow. It gives us hope that for the moment, life is on pause, while we can enjoy of few minutes to escape the real life and simply remember that childlike faith once more. For me, this book rated a 4 out of 5 stars and is a simple read with 146 pages. Great story and a reminder for us to not forget to live each day!

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Hopscotch by Steve Cushman