[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Into the Cloud of Knowing” by Renato Bonasera.]
5 out of 5 stars
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Into the Cloud of Knowing by Renato Bonasera is about God’s presence in Renato’s life and in the lives of family members, friends, and strangers who were suffering, dying, or encountering the supernatural. You will read about a woman who had a vision of four-year-old Peter meeting Mother Mary and would not pass until he received permission from his father; a teenage girl who murdered her baby and kept him in her bag; 17-year-old Rachel, who died at the Columbine massacre with 12 others; Sofia, who was murdered at the age of nine; elementary students who died at Sandy Hook School; a haunted house; the Rwandan genocide that killed 1,000,000 people, including 800,000 Tutsi and 17 priests, seminarians, sisters, and laypeople; and many other stories about faith, forgiveness, evil, and love. You may ask how God’s presence could be present during these horrible and sad times. Throughout this book, Renato Bonasera explains the mysteries surrounding God and how He is always with you.
My favorite aspect of this fantastic book is that the author does not come across as preachy when he explains a story with scriptures from the Bible. He shows how he resembled many people before and after his religious conversion and clarifies that everyone’s experience is unique. I enjoyed reading his thoughts about the scientific side of our creation and how it plays a role in religion. His stories about angels who prevent harm were thought-provoking. My heart broke for Peter and his father when he died. I cannot imagine telling one of my children that their death is okay. Renato’s writing style made reading this book enjoyable with his use of pictures, illustrations, poetry, and song lyrics. My favorite quote in this book was, “We are all born for love. It is the principle of existence, and its only end,” by Benjamin Disraeli. The book has audio and video links to a music album that Renato wrote, which follows the themes and stories in this book. I recommend you listen to these as you read the book, as I found them inspirational.
The only negative I found in this book was the formatting issues in the Kindle version. This book has a well-written and smooth-flowing narrative that kept my interest throughout the book. The author does discuss non-believers and topics, like abortion, that may be controversial, but he does so positively. As he says, “one cannot judge the souls of others with any degree of certainty.”
It is with great pleasure that I give this professionally edited Christian book 5 out of 5 stars. I found no reason to give it a lower rating.
Christian readers who enjoy reading how scriptures relate to real-life events are the ones I recommend this book to. If you have a child or know anyone else who may be struggling to understand the world we live in, this book can help you make them understand the role God plays in their lives.