Book Review by Angela Reinhardt

I was excited when I learned that Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church member Bill Elder had written his first book and was open to having it reviewed for the Frazer Family News. I agreed immediately, without knowing so much as the title, nor what the book was about.

I was suprised when I found out the book was an autobiography of Bill's life as a college basketball coach in segregated Alabama.

Admittedly, I am not a big sports fan, but I decided not to let that deter me from giving the book and honest chance and seeing how God would speak to me through it.

With that said, I can say that Bill's book, All Gut and Not Glory, is more that a coach's story about how he lead his team to victory, or how he got to be a coach in the first place. In fact, the book has something most don't; an underlying foundation of historical facts interwoven with a gentle mention of Christ.

In 1970, Bill met much opposition and prejudice when he recuited the first black basketball player for a small community college in Sand Mountain, Alabama. From that point, both Bill and the players he was coaching became the target for many racial attacks including attempts on his and his players' lives on more that one occassion.

Elder tells his story with great passion and proves readily that God truly does endow His chosen with great courage and wisdom.

I am not from Alabama, in fact I grew up in California, and can honestly say that I was taught nothing about the struggles and hardships that occurred in the South during the 1960s and `70s. This book not only taught me what a battle it was fighting for desegregation, but how important such an act was for the country as a whole.

Bill's story is an empowering one. He not only writes with honesty and recounts the various trials he faced, but he presents it with an non-threatening tone and quietly speaks of his love for Christ and the way it influenced him. In fact, Bill avoids saturating his story with sermons and teachings, and instead focuses on letting his experience as a whole speak for itself. Truly, it does.

As I read the autobiography, I felt a bit convicted. In his early 20's, Bill had the courage and wisdom to stand up for what was right, and aid in the change for freedom and viewing everyone as equal. To tackle such a feat proves the strength of our God has and reflects His will to truly use His people to make a difference and stand up for what is right.

I met Bill briefly just before I started reading his story. During our discussion he said something that has stuck with me during my time of reading the book. "As a child I can remember observing the ways of racial prejudice and never having it sit well with me. I guess God was always preparing me for my first job."

What a great God we have! A God that works and develops his children early on, and is always preparing us for something much bigger than we could ever imagine. I truly believe this story will inspire everyone who reads it to seek the Lord's own will for their lives, and to make a change somewhere, somehow, for His Kingdom.

Angela Reinhardt is a news staff writer for the Frazer Family News.