Review: Tattooed by Jesus by Bonnie Kae Lentz with Patti Lacy and Angie Reedy

Book Review and Content, Memoir, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Tattooed by Jesus by Bonnie Kae LentzTattooed by Jesus by Bonnie Kae Lentz
with Patti Lacy and Angie Reedy
CreateSpace

Amazon | Goodreads

Looking back at her life, Bonnie recognizes a hunger for spiritual things. Throughout the course of her mixed up life, she searches for something deeper in relationships with men, experimentation with drugs, and the darker spirit world of the occult. She and her husband Tom journey across the US looking for stability, peace, and hope. Ultimately it is an encounter with Jesus that changes Bonnie’s life forever.

The dark parts of Bonnie’s journey get pretty dark. She’s witnessed some brutal things and though the narrative is gentle, reading the memories evokes deep feeling. Yet it’s a story that so many who lived through the same decades will recognize. Their children will hear echoes of parents’ stories within it.

While many memoirs relay a valuable story, Lentz’s tale also tells it well. Not only are the events relayed in a meaningful way, but the people around Bonnie come to life in each scene. Strong narrative pulls one girl’s recollections together and stitches them into a more meaningful, focused whole. True peace, Lentz reveals, can only come through faith in and relationship with a loving God.

Language Content
Heavy profanity used infrequently.

Sexual Content
Bonnie very briefly tells of being molested as a girl. She’s specific about what happened but not graphic. It’s brief but intense and may be difficult for some readers. Later, she discusses her own sexual journey – no details, but mention of encounters with boyfriends, lovers and her husband. See violence section for more info.

Spiritual Content
Bonnie feels a pull toward spiritual things throughout the course of her life. At one point, she experiments with some witchcraft with two female roommates. Those experiences become really negative. Eventually she becomes a Christian and is moved to make several big life changes as well as finding her internal self irreversibly changed.

Violence
Bonnie grows up with an alcoholic father who becomes pretty monstrous when he’s drunk. She listens to him brutalize her mother and rape her. (We realize what he’s doing through his ignoring her refusal and some references to sounds that indicate sex, things like that.)

Drug Content
Bonnie’s father is an alcoholic. She begins experimenting with drugs herself, and particularly develops a fondness for marijuana, which she smokes often over a number of years.

Why We Need Christian YA

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Why is Christian YA Important?

Some of the answers to this question seem obvious. Evangelism (introducing Christian beliefs to those unfamiliar or searching.) Reinforced values. “Safe” stories without graphic sex, profanity or violence. Those are all important reasons.

I spent a considerable portion of my early teen years figuring out what I believed, why I believed it and what I wanted to do about it. I think this is the case for a lot of people. As a public school kid, I wasn’t surrounded by Christian faculty and curriculum. (For me, I think this was ultimately a good thing, though that’s another story.) I found friends who shared the same moral ideas that I did, though not always the same faith base. (I think this was also ultimately good, but also another story.)

When I read Christian YA featuring characters facing that struggle – the wrestling with faith to craft our own beliefs, or perhaps more accurately, make our beliefs our own – it reminds me of my own battles. Reminds me that I’m not the only person to ask those questions.

Because I’m involved (or at least a fly on the wall near) some pretty mainstream YA discussions, I hear a lot about how teens need freedom to experiment, need access to stories in which characters have the same kinds of experiences that their readers have. Sometimes this is an argument in favor of including explicit language or sex. I have lots of thoughts about why I think this very often is a flawed argument, but one of the bloggers I love says it really well on her blog Reading Teen.

Perhaps ironically, I think that same argument can be made about more books including authentic spiritual experiences in faith shared by readers. For me, those are experiences in Christian faith. We need those stories. We all need to be reminded that life throws us curve balls we didn’t expect, and sometimes it’s easy to fall back on faith, but sometimes it’s hard. Stories that explore those trials can be very validating.

Why Aren’t There More Christian YA Novels On Bookstore Shelves?

The single reason I hear most is that it’s difficult to get Christian YA books actually onto those shelves. Think about your local bookstore. Is there a section for Christian YA? (At my local Barnes & Noble, there’s possibly one half of a shelf, I mean maybe 6 books or so last I looked.) If there is a section, is it with the other YA books? (Not at my B&N.) Is it easily accessible? (Or is it buried back near bathrooms or kids’ Bibles or something like that?)

If you have a great Christian YA section in your bookstore, that’s super awesome, and I might move to your town. For most people, I’m betting that’s simply not the case.

I find it fascinating that we segregate books and separate out the Christian fiction. Wouldn’t it be easier to shelve them all together? If you want to buy Christian fiction, learn the publishers or authors you love and shop by them. (Isn’t that pretty much how everyone else buys books?)

Some Christian publishers have seemed to give up on YA altogether. Others seem to have focused on stories with milder Christian content. Sometimes there’s talk about God but maybe not Jesus. Maybe prayer, but not really any specifics. In some stories, that’s really where the protagonist’s journey takes him. I’m glad to read those stories, but it’s also important to hear the bold ones, ones in which characters share deeper parts of a Christian life.

The Good News: There Are Some GREAT Authors Out There

Through my own journey as a writer and blogger, I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible Christian authors. I’m humbled by their excellent stories and challenged by the messages within them. If you’ve been a long-time follower at The Story Sanctuary, you’ve heard their names.

Here are some of the great books by Christian authors that I’ve reviewed:

By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson

Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurk

It’s Complicated by Laura L. Smith

 

Upcoming Summer Reviews

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Seems like this time of year more than any other, my To Be Read list just explodes. It’s summer time! The perfect time to kick back and read a book or two. Or seven. Maybe thirteen…

Here are just a few of the books I’m most looking forward to this summer:

Storm Siren and Siren’s Fury by Mary Weber

Originally I’d requested to review Siren’s Fury via NetGalley, but as I started reading, I realized book two wasn’t going to be enough. While I could follow the story, I was too interested in the things that happened in book one: in Nym’s dark past, in her romance with Eogan, and in her part in a terrible war. I ordered the first book with a gift card and caught up. Totally worth it. I’m excited about reviewing these.

Feuds and Torn by Avery Hastings

I read Torn without knowing it was a sequel (though I probably wouldn’t have minded if I had known.) I had no problems following the story, but some parts, while not confusing, clearly referenced events that had happened in book one. I liked the story world and characters well enough to immediately order the first book.

Turning Point by Various Inspirational Authors

I’ve read and really enjoyed several of the ebooks included in this set. I’m excited to explore the other stories. It’s an incredible deal – seven books for $0.99. (Sadly it seems to be no longer available.)

Draven’s Light by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

If you’ve followed The Story Sanctuary long, you’ll know I’m totally in love with Stengl’s Goldstone Wood series. I love that the stories all take place in the same story world, but often at drastically different times or in very different places. Good stuff.

More to Come

I’ll also be reviewing Those Girls by Laura Saft and Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone this month. Look for Tattooed by Jesus, a memoir review coming later this week.

What tops your summer reading list?

Review: The Truth Commission by Susan Juby

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

The Truth Commission
by Susan Juby
Viking/Penguin Group

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Normandy Pale and her two best friends Dusk and Neil embark on a mission to strip away the insulation around fellow students and teachers’ lives and expose the truth. Rumors abound in their small school of the arts, and the three self-appointed members of the Truth Commission want to get to the bottom of each one. At first, the mission seems pure and helpful, but consequences grow with each truth exposed. Then one confronted student suggests Normandy examine her own life for hidden truths. Normandy reluctantly begins a quest for truth that could tear her fragile family apart, and will force each Truth Commissioner to reevaluate whether uncovering the truth is always worth its price.

In the beginning of the story, some elements felt too immature for the ages of the characters. For instance, they “smoke” candy cigarettes, which seemed far too juvenile for high school juniors. In the end, it seemed to work because the characters (Dusk, Neil and Normandy) are all so off-beat and unusual themselves. The power of the story comes through its careful exploration of exposing truth and its outcomes.

As Normandy narrates via “nonfiction narrative,” the truth exploration becomes much more complicated. She wonders whether she and her friends have a right to demand truth from anyone else, and if there are truths best left unspoken. Overall, a complex story with a fascinating cast of characters. Fans of Sarah Mlynowski’s Don’t Even Think About It will enjoy Juby’s novel.

Language Content
Strong profanity used with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Normandy and her friends confront a girl whose sister was rumored to bare her body on a web cam. There’s a discussion about how modesty is essentially a bad thing and no one should be judged for what they wear (or don’t wear.) The conversation sparks a school-wide parade in which students undress down to undergarments and label themselves using some derogatory terms. Students are pretty charged up about it, but later the girl who started the parade appears troubled and admits that her sister may not have been the innocent victim that she presented her to be. The bullying that happened around the time of the web cam incident may have had more to do with the fact that the sister was engaging in some risky behavior involving “the wrong crowd” and another girl’s boyfriend. There’s not a lot of judgement passed on these situations, in particular whether the parade was helpful or misguided. Normandy does appear to have very mixed feelings.

Brief discussion about a girl who appears to have two boyfriends. (Vague speculation about threesomes, but no details.) Brief kissing. Brief reference to a girl who was raped. No details.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violence
Normandy sees artwork depicting a man being pushed from a cliff.

Drug Content
The Truth Commission confronts a boy with a reputation for drug use. Normandy finds an assortment of prescription drugs in an empty apartment. No scenes depicting drug use.

Review: Where You End by Anna Pellicioli

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , ,

Where You End
Anna Pellicioli
Flux

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

For some, grief is a quiet void carefully tiptoed around. For Miriam, it is a raging storm that wakes her in the night, chews through her ability to reason. The hungry, empty space inside her where Elliot used to be. Seeing him with another girl sends her over the edge. Almost before she realizes what she’s done, a priceless statue lies on the ground at her feet. Panicked, Miriam flees the scene. There’s just one problem: a girl as mixed up as she is. One who saw what Miriam did. One who wants something in exchange for her silence.

Miriam’s emotional journey is the real force behind the story. Her life spins hopelessly out of control following her breakup with Elliot. She withdraws, experiences depression, makes poor decisions, lies to her parents – all things largely outside her normal character. We watch her struggle to recover, to find her way through those dark moments. To find her courage. The journey is both empowering and refreshingly honest.

In a culture that desperately wants to believe that sex—particularly teen sex—doesn’t matter and is all about living large and having fun, Pellicioli dares to deliver a story with a very different message. Miriam has given herself, heart and body, to a boy and the unthinkable happened: they broke up. He’s moved on to another girl. She’s devastated, possibly pregnant. Pellicioli excels at relating the unbalanced heartbreak that drives Miriam to destroy something that would otherwise be precious to her.

There are lots of books about sexually active teens. There are not a lot of books that tackle the heartbreak that can come along with those decisions as boldly and powerfully as Where You End.

Language Content
Extreme profanity used with moderate frequency.

Sexual Content
Miriam had been having sex with her now ex-boyfriend Elliot. She gives some details about frequency, location, and the emotional highs she felt when she was with him. The experiences themselves aren’t much described. She later engages in heavy kissing with another boy and removes her shirt (the scene is a bit confusing… I wasn’t sure what was happening beyond kissing until afterward when she clarified having taken off her shirt.) What’s perhaps most interesting about the sexual content is not the experiences themselves but the emotional roller coaster Miriam experiences in her feelings about Elliot after the break-up.

Spiritual Content
Miriam’s family is Jewish. She shares memories of going to school to learn Hebrew. Her family keeps the Sabbath, and the celebration is deeply important to her family. Miriam throws a fit at the start of one Sabbath meal, which really hurts her mother’s feelings.

Paloma’s mother used to take her to a church to hear the organ practices. She later retreats there for solitude.

Violence
None.

Drug Content
Brief mentions of Elliot being intoxicated at a party.

Review: Twintuition: Double Vision by Tia and Tamera Mowry

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Twintuition: Double Vision
by Tia & Tamera Mowry
Harper/HarperCollins

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Caitlyn and Cassie may look exactly the same, but inside they’re as different as two people can be. On this they agree: the tiny town of Aura, Texas is the last place they want to live. Caitlyn, ever the optimist, tries to make the best of the move. Cassie hatches plot after plot to convince Mom to return to San Antonio. Strange visions begin clouding the twins’ sight. To Cassie, this could turn into an opportunity to get in with the cool kids. Caitlyn, however, is convinced they should use their gift to help others. The last person they expected turns out to need their help most of all.

Twins themselves, the authors know a lot about issues faced by identical siblings. Cassie and Caitlyn have two distinct personalities and two very different ideas on how to solve problems. Both struggle to craft unique identities to avoid being mistaken for one another in a way that any reader with siblings can easily understand. Told with a mixture of sass and poise, this story touches on the difficulties of finding new friends in a small town. It reminds readers that ultimately, power should be used for the good of others, and that even moms need a little help sometimes.

Language Content
No profanity.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Cassie and Caitlyn begin having visions foretelling future events. They research ESP for more information, but uncover little that is helpful, other than a reference to another case similar to theirs.

Violence
A boy is injured during a football game.

Drug Content
None.