Recommended Book

Ted writes: In June the Fort Worth newspaper ran an article about a book which intrigued me. Hearts of Courage, by John Tippets (2008) January 1943, Southeast Alaska, a small plane with six passengers goes down in extreme weather. This book recounts the story from the perspective of one of passengers, Joseph Tippets, an employee of the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the first LDS branch president in Anchorage. Joseph's wife, Alta, with her two-year-old son in Anchorage did not give up hope and continued to encourage others. 29 days later, four survivors (presumed dead) were found by the Coast Guard on a routine patrol. Shortly after the rescue the Church News called the story "a source of inspiration to every Latter-day Saint and to many others who believe in a God who hears and answers the prayers of the faithful." I like to refer to the book as "The Other Side of Hatchet." It is unbelievable what they went through. The article I first read made no mention of the Utah and LDS connection, so it was an added bonus after I ordered the book. Heber J. Grant and the First Presidency actually wrote the wife a letter sending condolences before the husband was found. There are some pretty neat miracles mentioned in the book. The author lives near me and we have been in correspondence. I have one of the first copies; the book should be available soon through Deseret Book. There will be a documentary about this story on BYUTV in January 2009.