I will share with you the essence of the story without divulging details that would spoil the joy you would get from reading the book yourself. The book is not presented as a Christian book so that it can reach a broader audience - and rightly so.
Matt was a new author to me; I admit that I purchased the book at Ollie's because it was greatly reduced from $25 to $5. Having read the book, I would say it was worth the original price! The flyleaf states:
"Mike Mikalatos works for a nonprofit dedicated to
helping people live better, fuller lives. He has worked
all over the world, and he and his family lived in Asia
for several years. He currently lives in the Portland,
Oregon, area with his wife and three daughters."
From the back cover:
"Sky Lantern tells the miraculous events that followed Matt
finding the sky lantern in his yard - of meeting Steph
(the one who launched the sky lantern)
and forming a friendship that impacted him and his family..."
I read the book in one day. It gave me a new funny line: "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!" [p.167]
Matt is an excellent story teller. He tells other people's stories as well as he tells his own. One morning, he finds the remains of a sky lantern in his driveway. It includes a brief message to a father and is signed "Steph". The incident captivates his thoughts for the next day or so until he finally decides to post an open letter to Steph via his social media.
Overnight, the letter goes viral, even eliciting a response from the Today Show! Over the course of weeks, Matt hears from hundreds of women claiming to have benefited from reading his letter! Some even claim to be the real Steph.
But the real value of the book is the dual emphasis that Matt presents persuasively and persistently.
FIRST, fathers have an opportunity to make a dynamic and formative influence on their children and others who may need what they have to offer.
"...there has to be some sort of fraternity of fathers, doesn't there?
Some agreement that if one of us is unable to care for our kids,
then the rest will pitch in?" [p.22]
He provides wonderful word pictures of what this influence might look like from his own practices with his daughters.
Chapter 17 is priceless parenting counsel; I wish I could quote several pages. The following will have to suffice:
"I tell new dads who are worried about their impending newborns
to think about it like a video game: the skill set builds on itself.
When your kid is born, you don't know how to do anything.
Change a diaper. Feed the baby. Give them a bath. Nothing.
About the time you start to figure it all out, the kid starts to crawl.
Then to walk. It's all new levels, just like a video game.
You figure out one level and then the next, more challenging level comes along.
I remember spending a whole day trying to childproof our house.
I could barely use an electric drill and screwdriver.
By the time I was done, even adults couldn't access the kitchen chemicals.
If human children were like deer, we would be in trouble.
Fawns are able to stand, walk, and run within hours of birth.
It would be pure chaos for the human parents: we'd never survive.
But levels - we can do that." [p.141]
"I was surprised this small act of kindness (writing the letter to Steph)
had brought healing to other people and to myself -
how it had changed the world around me. So, I began an experiment.
A minor, tiny, inconsequential experiment.
What if I tried to do some small act of kindness like that once a week?
Something small that wouldn't take me more than an hour or so.
Something I could fit into my life without much trouble." [p.178]
"Finding a new friend increases the room in our hearts for love.
It's a lesson we've all learned at some point.
When my children were born, my heart grew larger.
Love is like a fire: it spreads.
The tiniest spark of love can grow into a massive fire. [p.197]
The world is full of these miracles.
There is beauty on every corner, near us at every moment. [p.198]
Matt's writing is considerably different than that of John Eldredge (Wild at Heart). Men will not as naturally connect with this book, yet they desperately need its message. Matt speaks primarily to men (although women would certainly benefit from it as well). One of his most practical suggestions is for men to write letters to their children. He actually provides an appendix: "How to Write a Letter to Your Children" [pp.223-231].
In a world where masculinity is in flux while also being mocked and ridiculed, Sky Lantern has a message that could help restore us to our God-given role! This is a book that would lend itself to a group of men who could have some lively discussions catalyzed by its content.
I give it five stars!
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