Book Review: A Train Called Forgiveness by Dan Erickson

Over the past couple of years, I’ve met some tremendous people through the blog world.  Each person has their own stories and unique perspectives on life.  Dan Erickson is one of those people who I’ve met on-line who has a unique story to tell.  You can follow Dan on his blog at danerickson.net.  (Dan wrote a guest post here a couple of months ago titled Musical Stretch.)

Per Dan’s Twitter bio, Dan is an author, songwriter, musician, teacher, and single dad who saves the best for last.  If you follow his story, you’ll soon discover that Dan grew up in a cult.  This part of Dan’s story had a huge impact on the book he wrote called A Train Called Forgiveness.

I had the privilege of reading Dan’s book, and it’s a story I couldn’t put down.  I received the book for free from Dan as one of his top commenters last month.  He didn’t ask me to write a review, and I certainly wasn’t required to write a positive review, but I couldn’t help it.

In A Train Called Forgiveness, Dan tells the story of Andy Burden.  Andy is now in his late twenties.  The story details a train trip from Seattle to Nashville and from Nashville to New Orleans and back to Seattle.  During the trip, Andy burden deals with the personal demons left by a youth tarnished by a religious-based cult.  The story flashes back and forth between Andy Burden’s time in a cult and his present reality of trying to move on.

The book takes the reader on a journey that wrestles with forgiveness and judging others.  I don’t know how closely the story mirrors Dan’s own experience, but A Train Called Forgiveness definitely left me with a lot to think about.  How does our upbringing and previous experiences impact our perspective on life and on others?  How do we struggle with forgiving those who have deeply wronged us?  How do we get past these wounds?  Can there be any hope for healing when we’ve been wronged in such a damaging way?

I’d recommend A Train Called Forgiveness to anyone who is interested in exploring the topic of forgiveness.  The story will challenge anyone to open their eyes, arms, and hearts to others.  I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book.

How have you experienced forgiveness in your life?  Who do you need to forgive?  Have you every taken a trip that has changed your life?