Wake

Title:  Wake

Author:  Lisa Mann

Publisher :  Simon and Schuster, Inc, 2008

ISBN:  978-1-4169-7447-5

Audience:  Ages 14 – 18.   I would suggest that the target audience is older and more mature teens.  The main characters are teenagers from families that were drastically impacted and changed by traumatic events.  The issues raised in this novel can easily cross all racial and socio-economic lines.

Summary:  Wake is a novel that is centered on the “not-so” normal Janie Hannagan.  Janie is a typical high school junior whose sights are firmly set on attending college.  She works part-time, does well in school and spends time with her friends, as long as they are awake.  Janie avoids anyone who is sleeping because she can, against her will, be pulled into the sleeper’s dream.  While there, she is fully aware of everything that is going on, including experiencing everything the dreamer does.  Outside of the dream, however, her body is paralyzed, blind to anything that is happening around her.  The novel takes us through Janie’s struggles to maintain a normal life when everything around her is anything but normal.  Once she comes to grip with what makes her different, she begins to accept who she is a little more.

Central literary elements at work in the story:  Lisa Mann gives us multiple characters in this novel about whom we want to know more.  We have the most background information on Janie, though even that is incomplete.  We get a small glimpse of eight year old Janie, as she first learns what she can do; however, the major character  development for her is Janie as a teenager who is raising an alcoholic mother.  Through Janie’s relationships, we are introduced to Carrie and Cabel, whose stories are made more interesting by the secrets they are keeping.  Even the more minor characters of Melinda, Mrs. Hannagan and Miss Stubbins all have secrets, but they are secrets that are not fully revealed as the novel ends.  The entire book is written from Janie’s point of view and though it is not written in first-person, it has the feel of a personal narrative.  Written in the style of journal entries, we follow Janie from minute to minute, hour to hour, and day to day.  Even though we receive a few quick glimpses into the past, the bulk of the novel takes place over a period of one and a half years. Seeing the lives of the characters in what easily begins to feel like real-time makes the events of the book realistic and believable, even the most  bizarre elements of the story.

How the book presents gender, race, culture, economic status, age, etc:  Though Mann doesn’t seem to tackle race relations with this book, I think it is because the ethnicity of the characters is irrelevant.  They could really be anyone from anywhere.  Mann does, however, touch, only slightly, on the issues of the elderly, who happen to be Janie’s favorite people to be around because “they don’t sleep soundly”.  We get small glimpses into how a family handles the loss of a child, alcoholism and drug  abuse, division and prejudices that stem from economic difference and how a young  person deals with the possibility of being homosexual.  All of these issues are dealt with on a very surface level, some so slightly you might even miss them.  It almost seems that  any one of these things alone is too heavy to be fully handled alongside the challenge of  entering dreams; when all of them occur, it is impossible to address well.  What does partner well with the main plot of dream travel are the silent issues of emotional, physical and psychological abuse.  I referred to them as silent, because none of them are ever directly mentioned or addressed during the novel, but they all scream off the pages, almost from the very beginning.  They are played out in the actions and dialogue mainly between Janie and Cabel, and though neither of them talks about it (other than a small conversation near the end of the book) both characters wear the scars of their abuse.  The reader is also given this since that they both want to be anyplace other than where they are.

It also strikes me that the responsible authorities throughout this book, parents, teachers, even Janie’s co-workers and employer are largely absent.  They are present in that we hear their voices occasionally, see them in passing even; but they are all emotionally disconnected for the main characters, absent from their lives.  Although the parents are often not the primary focus of teen novels, it speaks loudly that the parents in this novel who are around seem to have checked out on their children.

Theological Conversation Partners:  One good partner for this novel could be Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  Janie spends a lot of time trying to isolate herself from people.  However, we see a change in both her and Cabel as they open up to each other, sharing their secrets and relying on one another.  This bond begins to be shared with Mrs. Stubbins and Janie as well.  But that is a story for another book, Fade, which is the sequel to Wake.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. As we enter the dreams with Janie, each dreamer asks Janie for help, regardless of the nature of the dream.  What could be the significance of the dreamer unconsciously asking for help?
2. Once, Janie enters her mother’s dream.  She seems to be aware of this when she wakes and leaves the room.  Why for you think this is?
3. Believing there are no coincidences, Janie enters Carrie and Cabel’s recurring dreams over and over again.  Why is she drawn to these two people and them to her?
4. If God gifted you with the ability to travel into people’s dreams, what might your purpose be?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student LaDonna Harrison.

Son

Title:   Son

Author:  Lois Lowry

Illustrator:

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Publication Date:  October 2012

ISBN:  978-0547887203

Audience:  Ages 10 and up

Summary: Son begins in the same controlled community and at the same time as The Giver. Twelve-year old Claire has been assigned to the role of birthmother. This means that at about age fourteen she will be artificially inseminated and officially designated a Vessel.  Her baby will be called a Product and she will never see it, know its sex or its name.  Claire has discussed this with the other birthmothers in her dormitory so she has some idea of what to expect.  But the delivery does not go as planned; a C-section is required; Claire cannot have another child.  She is soon sent to work in the fish hatchery but not before she learns that she had a male child and his number is 36.  Working at the fish hatchery gives her the opportunity to visit her son, to play with him, to love him without ever being identified as his mother.  She learns that he is scheduled for release and then, that he has been kidnapped by Jonas and taken from the community. Claire makes her escape simultaneously by a river barge.  With a gap of time and memory, Claire is washed up on the shore of a village, bounded by the treacherous sea and an insurmountable cliff..  Here she remains for seven years, regaining her strength and her memory, and determining still to find her son. Lame Einar, one person who reached the top of the cliff, helps her prepare for the grueling climb out and warns her that at the top awaits Trademaster, who cut off Einar’s feet because he refused to make a trade.  An arduous, dangerous climb brings Claire to the top of the cliff where Trademaster awaits her.  To find her son, she must trade him her youth, and she does so with no hesitation. Then as an old woman she watches her son, Gabriel, grow. No one knows who she is until she is near death and tells her story to Jonas, the community leader who brought Gabriel there over 14 years ago.  Jonas knows the nature of Trademaster and sends Gabriel to confront him for Claire is near death.  Gabriel goes without weapons, with  only his gift, the ability to enter another person’s mind and emotion and understand how the other feels.

Literary elements at work in the story: While the novel begins in a dystopian community, it enters a wider world and becomes a struggle between good and evil, a timeless battle that transcends the genre.  Claire’s physical preparation for the trip and the climb up the cliff match the ordeals of any dystopian heroine.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  In the original community, giving birth is a low status role.  There is a consciousness of which jobs are prestigious. The village where Claire is washed ashore makes some distinction in gender roles.  It is a poor village, somewhat primitive, with no social classes..  Though the quartet is futuristic, beyond the first section of the novel, this could well be Europe in the dark ages. . In the village where Claire finds her son, outsiders are welcomed, handicaps are accepted.

Theological Conversation Partners: At least four themes run through this novel: the first is the power of  love and empathy; the second is the power and nature of evil; the third is individual gifts and their use in the community; and the fourth, the power of story and memory. There is a tendency to idealize Mother Love; Jesus has words to say about familial love that conflicts with the demands of his Kingdom. This story, however, is about parental love that will not let go. Evil is considered a force rather than a person.  Gabe’s realization that Evil will starve without the misery of its victims is reminiscent of Screwtape waiting to devour Wormwood. The weapons used to fight evil are a firm resolve not to kill, the ability to identify with and experience Evil.   Gifts are given for the benefit of the community and they disappear when no longer needed.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Would this story work as well if a father were searching for his son?  Why or why not?
2. How does Claire’s community guarantee that mother’s will not bond with their infants?  Why is this desirable?
3. Claire is consumed by the desire to find her son; no sacrifice is too great.  Can the love of a parent for a child be selfish or unhealthy?
4. How many aspects of unselfish love are exhibited in the story?
5. Gabe has the gift of “veering.”  How does this enable him to know that he had a mother?
6. Why did Claire wait so long to tell her story to Jonas? What happens when she does?
7. What is Gabe’s first weapon in going to meet Trademaster?
8. How does Gabe’s gift of veering enable him to defeat Trademaster? What is the cost of this identification with Evil?
9. Trademaster is considered to be a force rather than a person.  Does this square with the biblical view of evil?
10.  In the Apostle’s Creed we say, “He descended into Hell.”  Think about Gabe’s experience of identifying with Trademaster.  What light does it shed on this phrase?

This review was written by regular contributor Virginia Thomas.

Messenger

Title:   Messenger

Author:  Lois Lowry

Illustrator:  None

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Publication Date:  Reissue September 2012

ISBN:  978-0547995670

Audience: 12 and up

Summary: Matty, a lively boy entering adolescence, lives with Seer, his blind guardian, in Village, once a welcoming and healing place for all. But this is beginning to change.  People are growing selfish; they want to close the village to any newcomers who, they say, have too many needs.  Seer and Leader suspect the baleful influence of the Trade Mart and Trademaster.  People are trading their inmost selves to get such things as a Gaming Machine or a better appearance.  When Village votes to close its gates, Seer knows that he must send for his daughter, Kira, who lives in another village and who is lame.  She had stayed there to use her gift with needle and thread to embroider a new life for the violent, cruel village in which she lived.  Matty, who hopes his real name will be Messenger, is sent to tell all nearby villages that Village gates are closing.  He goes first to Kira to bring her to her father.  Matty has discovered that he has the gift of healing and he offers to heal Kira before they start for Village, even though he knows how much vitality and strength this will take from him.  Kira refuses and they start back through Forest, only to find it has become hostile to them.  Branches stick them; vines entangle them; the stench makes breathing almost impossible.  Matty is called to use his gift in a costly, remarkable act of healing that restores Forest and Village and restores Kira to her father.

Literary elements at work in the story: The genre is dystopian fiction. The tension and danger of most such novels takes a slightly different form here. The gifts used in the story’s conclusion veer into fantasy or magic rather than dystopian fiction.  Evil is represented by a consumerism that encourages selfishness and that affects the natural world.  The trip through the forest that Matty and Kira make is vivid, frightening, horrifying.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? The reasons people of the Village give for closing their gates express racial and cultural prejudice and prejudice against those handicapped. Neither gender nor economics affect the story.

Theological Conversation Partners: Messenger opens up a number of topics for theological exploration: evil, suffering, ecology, responsibility, stewardship of gifts, identity, community. In the two previous  communities, an evil pattern of life was already established. Here Lowry telescopes the results of materialism, consumerism, selfishness into a rapid change in the entire character of Village. Is this an adequate concept of evil? Explore Genesis 2 and compare. Lowry and the Bible personalize evil.  Compare Trademaster with Satan or the devil.  Kira claims her lameness as part of her identity-“Who I am.” Does our faith encourage us to accept handicaps as identity, as something to keep?  When does my healing take from the community-a question that lurks in discussions of medical care today.   Biblical characters are given new names-Abraham, Jacob, Peter. Compare this with the names given in Village. Matty is reminded to use his gift carefully, not to squander it.  This is in contrast to the story Jesus told about the Master who demanded that his servants invest their gold coins. (Luke 19: 11-27, Matt. 25:14-30)  Both ideas could be included in the stewardship of gifts.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Villagers give reasons for wanting to close their gates to newcomers.  What are these and are they used when we discuss immigration today.
2. When Matty arrived at Village he lied, stole, and avoided responsibility.  What made him change?
3. Why did Kira refuse healing.  What did she mean by, “This is who I am?” Was she right?
4. Leader tells Matty about using his gift: “Wait for the true need, Matty,. Don’t spend the gift.”  How does he recognize the need?
5. Names were given to indicate the true nature of the person.  What would your name be?
6. Can you think of times when you can trade your true self for something you want-popularity? Good looks? Success in sports or grades? Other?
7. Selfishness affects the natural world, making Forest hostile.  What is the connection between selfishness and global warming, for example?
8. Do you think the author gives an accurate picture of the Village before Trademaster comes?
9. How can a community protect itself from influences the cause us to be selfish, cruel, dishonest?
10.  In Christian theology is selfishness the root of all other sins? What other sins mar us and our world?

This review was written by regular contributor Virginia Thomas

I Am Number Four

Name of Book:  I Am Number Four

Author:  Pittacus Lore

Publisher: Harper.

ISBN: 978-0061969553

Audience: Ages 14 and up

Summary:  This is a science-fiction story about an alien race’s struggle for survival from an evil enemy.

Literary elements at work in the story: There are elements of love, suspense, action, violence, and faith in this book.  Number 4 is a teenage boy from another planet with developing abilities that far surpass any human. He is caught in a vicious battle that caused the destruction of his planet. Throughout the book he is unaware of what will happen next. The story is not heavy on science fiction, but it does have some other worldly creatures and battles. Number 4 is coming of age in this story and learns to trust his friends and himself.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  The main character is from another planet but experiences many things a normal teenager does such as love, being accepted, being unsure of yourself, and bullying. His culture has told him that his race falls in love with someone forever. They would not be tempted by another and once they have made their mind up, they have done so for life. This element of Number 4’s race does play a role in his love life with Sarah. He would do anything to protect her.  Sam is another main character. He is a human who befriends Number 4 (John). He shows a great example of how we are to treat others that are different. He soon finds out the truth about John and accepts him for who he is.

Theological conversation partners:  Hebrews 12:1-2.  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”   Number 4 is surrounded by those who have given their lives so he could live. This includes all the people from his home planet, as well as his mentor Henri.  He is called to continue to run the race that is set before him to save his people from annihilation. Our race is a little different, but none the easier. We are called to keep the faith, remembering those who have influenced us and guided us. Our job is not easy because, like Number 4, the end is not always clear cut. We must keep our faith in the risen Lord throughout our trials and doubts.

Faith Talk Questions

1. What are some things you doubt about yourself?

2. Have you ever felt out of place?

3.  Tell of a time you have felt like you were meant for something great.

4. Have you ever lost someone close before? How does Number 4 deal with Henri’s death?

5.  What would you do if you were from another planet and you began developing legacies?

6. Have you ever moved before? How did you feel in a new environment and new school?

7. How could you befriend someone new at your school?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Russ Pearson.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Name of Book: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

Author: Ned Vizzini

Publisher: Miramax

ISBN: 9780786851966

Audience: 13 and up. For teenagers who are well aware of the very real teenage issues of drugs, sex, love, and depression. It is not for readers who may be bothered by some foul language, sexual references, or conversations about suicide.

Summary: This serious, but funny story addresses what some teens and adults go through with depression. As a temporary patient in a mental ward, Craig, the main character and narrator, learns that he isn’t the only one who is having problems succeeding at life. By befriending and helping some of the patients, he also helps himself. Together they discover the blessings of life and how to cope with the obstacles that sometimes gets in the way of happiness.

Literary elements at work in the story: Realistic Fiction

Based on personal experience, the author makes the characters seem very real. With genuine care and empathy, he introduces the reader to a wide range of interesting people who are having problems with money, drugs, alcohol, homelessness, and more.

Creatively finding a way to laugh at depression, Ned Vizzini shows his audience that no problem is worth hurting ourselves over. Instead, we are encouraged to find humor and hope in the challenges we face. With good descriptions and details, he creates a balance between seriousness, laughter, and optimism.

The setting is in the adult mental ward of a Brooklyn hospital, as the teen ward was unavailable due to a renovation project.

Theme: The main theme is about struggle and how the patients deal with the stress that comes from unhappiness, mental disabilities, addictions, relationships and/or love.

Perspective: The perspective is that of a high school kid who is trying to deal with the various pressures of adulthood.

Theology: Prayer, instead of worry, can release a person from fear and anxiety.

In the story, there is an emphasis on the first part of the Serenity Prayer: “Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

The story triggers reflective thought about life and how we should all be grateful for the blessings we have. As we compare our problems to some with much worse issues, this book helps us to realize that things are not so bad after all.

Theological Conversation Parnters:

Counting our blessings – God’s guidance and instruction to you – Psalm
16:7, 48:14, 71:17;  Turning worries into prayer – when you were in trouble, God heard your cries for help – Psalm 18:6, 22:24; Before giving up on life read what Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest” – John 10:10.
Faith Talk Questions:

1. The Serenity prayer asks for wisdom to know the difference between things we can and cannot change?  How can we have the wisdom to know the difference?

2. How can the Serenity Prayer help soldiers, alcoholics, and people who are overly stressed? Who else would this prayer be suitable for?

3. What advice could you offer to someone who might be contemplating suicide?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Gina Craft.

Into the Wild

Name of Book:  Into the Wild

Author:  Jon Krakauer

Illustrator:  None

Publisher:  Anchor

ISBN: 978-0307387172

Audience:  Although this is written for adults, I think this book could be used effectively with high school age adolescents through young adults.

Summary:  In 1992 Christopher McCandless graduated from Emory University, gave his $25,000 savings account to charity, burned all his money and identification, gave away the vast majority of his possessions, and eventually abandoned his car. Why? To begin an almost 2 year journey, hitchhiking around America, to “find himself”. Eventually he arrives at his destination, the wilderness of Alaska, where he finds an abandoned transit bus turned hunting “lodge”. McCandless lives here until he eventually dies of starvation, due to accidentally poisoning himself with berries. The book is written using Christopher’s diaries, letters, and notes found with the body, as well as from interviews with family members and friends McCandless made during his trek to self-discovery.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The book takes place during 1990-1992, and follows the two year ordeal of the main character, Christopher McCandless. This book could be categorized in several different ways. First, I think it can be called a partial biography since it deals mainly with the two year time period that Christopher spent wandering and hitchhiking trying to make it to the Alaska wilderness. There are occasional flashbacks to McCandless’ childhood and adolescence, but these are merely to flesh out a point or explain part of his rationale for this trek. Second, in my opinion, this book could be considered  an autobiography or memoir of the main character Christopher McCandless since it is written mainly from his own diaries, letters and notes. Finally, it is also, in a sense, a memoir of the author, Jon Krakauer. Throughout the book he draws parallels between his life – his own rebelliousness, his own struggles with his parents, his loss of faith in mankind, God and society, and his extreme efforts to find his “place” – and the life of Christopher McCandless. The point of view alternates between the author and McCandless which makes the story a little less fluid, and occasionally a little difficult to follow. The other characters in the book seem to help McCandless “find” a part of himself that he is looking for. The book is written in a very realistic and gritty style that allows you to feel the physical hardships and highpoints he endures. It is a beautifully written book that at the same time allows to you feel Christopher’s desperate desire to know who he is and to achieve his goal, and his elation and peace when he finally achieves his goal and “finds what he is looking for”.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Economics seem to play a role in the events that unfold in the book. Christopher is disenchanted with the life his parents lead and expect him to lead, a life of privilege and overconsumption. Part of his quest for self is a quest for a simpler more authentic way of life. However, McCandless takes his quest for economic justice and a simpler life to an extreme.

Theological conversation partners: As Christians we believe that we are in a constant relationship with God. We believe that God is present and active in our life at all times. We also believe that it is in that relationship with God that truly discover who we are and grow into the person God intends for us to be. We also believe that we are called into action to strive for social justice and equality for all. McCandless states that he’s not sure that God exists but there is something more out there. Instead of looking for answers within the context of God as that higher power he runs away from God. Also, in his attempt to find social justice for the poor and disenfranchised he runs away from society instead of working to find a way to bring about change.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why do you think people turn away from God?
2. How can faith and a relationship with God help someone to “find themselves”?
3. What does it mean to work for social justice?
4.  How can we do this in this day and age?
5.  How does our faith help us to work for social justice?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Shasta Brown.

Annie on My Mind

Name of Book:  Annie on My Mind

Author:  Nancy Garden

Publisher:  Farrar Straus Giroux

ISBN:  0374303665

Audience:  Age 14 up

Summary:  In November of her senior year in high school, 17-year-old Liza meets Annie Kenyon in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Though their worlds are full of contrasts – Liza goes to a private school, while Annie attends a terrible public high school; Liza is from a fairly wealthy family, and Annie’s parents and immigrant grandmother live in a shabby neighborhood – the girls become good friends and then lovers.  The realization of her homosexuality shakes Liza to her core and causes severe repercussions in her family and school as well.

Literary elements at work in the story:  Annie on My Mind is a series of letters that Liza begins to write to her friend Annie and then discards as she tries to process the relationship they had before both went off to college.  Interspersed is Liza’s first-person narrative of their seven-month love affair and the subsequent calamity that befalls them when others find out about their relationship.  The reader sees the whole story through the eyes of Liza, as she struggles to understand and then accept who she is and rejoice in her love for Annie.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Now nearly thirty years old, this novel portrays the prejudice that surrounds the topic of homosexuality in our culture.  Some details are quite dated – smoking is more acceptable, high school seniors can legally buy wine, etc. – but the underlying theme of the power of love stands the test of time.  Much is made of the rigid, small-minded moral code of Liza’s private high school, although it is not clear that the general population of the time was any more open in their dealings with gay teens.

Theological conversation partners:   This novel would be a good book to use with teens in discussions of what it means to grow into the people whom God created us to be.  It might also be instructive to look at the scripture passages used as weapons by one of Liza’s friends against her [Lev. 18:22, Romans 1:26] as a way of exploring the historical injunctions against homosexuality in the Bible.  Juxtaposing that scene with the Pharisees’ use of the law against Jesus (particularly Matt 22:35-40) might give rise to interesting discussions about what place social, civil, and moral laws have in our lives.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. What issues of trust were broken during the time that Annie and Liza were using the teachers’ home as a place to meet?
2. How were the teachers, Ms. Widmer and Ms. Stevenson, influential at FosterAcademy?
3. How did Liza’s friend Sally use scripture when Liza tried to explain her relationship with Annie?
4. How was this use of scripture similar to/different than the way the Pharisees used it when Jesus healed on the Sabbath in John 5:5-16?

This review was written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Beth Lyon-Suhring.

Elsewhere

Name of Book:  Elsewhere

Author:  Gabrielle Zevin

Illustrator:  None

Publisher:  Square Fish (May 15, 2007)

Audience:  Grades 7-10

Summary:  Fifteen year old Liz Hall awakens on a cruise ship populated mostly with elderly passengers.  She learns that she is dead, the victim of a head trauma.  When the ship docks in Elsewhere, she hides in an effort to return to her “real” life.  Rather than adjusting to her new life with her grandmother who died of breast cancer before Liz was born, Liz is despairing, sullen, and furious at being denied anticipated rites of passage (going to college, getting married, getting big boobs, getting her driver’s license).  She spends much of her time watching her family and friends through magical telescopes, and she refuses to take suggestions offers by the Office of Acclimation.  Eventually, she begins to listen.  After discovering a talent for conversing with animals, she takes a job counseling deceased pets.

Liz notes that “A human life is a beautiful mess.”  This idea is reinforced throughout the book.  A newly dead rock star in his mid-thirties falls in love with Liz’s grandmother, now similar in biological age.  New arrivals to Elsewhere reunite with long-dead spouses, creating odd May-December marriages.  Liz herself experiences an awkward love triangle when her boyfriend’s wife arrives.

WARNNG; This book’s view of life after death will upset some people.  However, it engages some basic human questions about existence.  Life and death are seen as equally rich sides of the same coin.

Literary Elements at work in the story:  The setting is the afterlife.  The author has not injected any religious patina, but has depicted the afterlife as being very similar to our reality.  People age in reverse, so that one lives in Elsewhere the same length of time in which he/she lived in life.  No one dies or is born, but at the end of their stay in Elsewhere, they are returned to Earth to be born as infants and start the life cycle again.  The narration is from beyond the grave, a literary element that has been used with increasing frequency in recent years (The Lovely Bones, The Sledding Hill, and Where I Want to Be are examples).  But the power and beauty of this work transcends the trend.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability:  Not a factor in this book

Scripture:  John 14:2, I Corinthians 13:12

Theology:  Life after death, Community (life in), Forgiveness

Faith Talk Questions:

1. When Liz realizes that not only is she dead but also that she is aging in reverse, she is furious at missing out on life milestones such as getting her driver’s license or falling in love.  If you found yourself in Liz’s situation, what life milestone would you regret not achieving?  If possible interview people of many different stages of life to learn their perspectives on this question.  Discuss any answers that surprised you.
2. Why did Liz spend so much time watching her family and friends?
3. Haring and seeing family and friends was easy.  Talking to them was much more difficult.  Why?
4. Describe your idea of life after death.  How does the Bible describe heaven, hell and Sheol?  Where do we get our ideas of the details of heaven and hell?

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Mary Anne Welch

Catcher Caught

Name of Book:   Catcher Caught

Author:   Sarah Collins Honenberger

Illustrator:   None

Publisher:   Amazon Encore

Audience:   High School and adult (age 15+)

Summary:   Daniel, a high school student, has been diagnosed with a virulent form of leukemia.  Even with chemotherapy, his doctors estimate he has only one year to live.  But his overprotective parents don’t trust doctors and pull him out of school to treat him with alternative remedies.  While Daniel sympathizes with his parents’ grief and helplessness over his disease, he begins to question people’s intentions and authority.  He has read Catcher in the Rye and is inspired by Holden Caulfield’s questioning of authority.  While searching for identity in the face of death, Daniel also deals with normal teenage issues (Does the new girl in town like him?  How can he keep her interest when she is in school and surrounded by other guys who are interested in her?).  As Daniel struggles to gain some control over his life and death, he takes a cue from Holden and runs off to New York City.

Literary Elements at work in the story: This book is told in first person point of view.  It addresses questions that have no easy answers.  Should Daniel have a say in his own life and the treatment he receives?  What exactly is a minor’s right to receive treatment?  What if the minor’s choice goes against his/her parents’ wishes?  How far along the line of the rights of minors are you willing to go?  How do your actions affect others, even if you are dying?  The author has Daniel make frequent allusions to Catcher in the Rye.  However, adequate explanations smooth the way for readers who have not read Salinger’s classic (or have not read it in a long time!) so that the thread of the story is not lost.

Perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability:  While gender, race, culture, economic status, and ability are not factors in this book, the author does present a perspective on age.  Because Daniel is 15, he is not consulted about the treatment of his leukemia.  He is not consulted about a trip to Mexico where he undergoes an alternative medicine approach.  He and his younger brother Nick make a macabre joke of the name of the herbalist from whom their mother seeks advice; the boys refer to her as Miss T. Undertaker.  Finally realizing that the alternative medicine route is not working, Daniel takes matters into his own hands and runs away to New York City (ala Holden Caulfield) to ask for chemotherapy.  Reference is made to legislation permitting minors age 13 and older who are fully informed about their choices to have a voice in the treatment of their disease.

Scripture:  Exodus 20:12; Psalm 88:13; Psalm 121; Hebrews 2:14-15;

Theology:  Responsibility,Facing death/dying, Healing , Family

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Daniel wonders:  “Why do grown-ups always think what kids feel is fluff and can’t possibly be significant?” (p. 21) How would you answer him?
2. To what extent should a teenager have a voice in the course of treatment sought/followed when the teenager has a serious illness?  Explain your opinion.  What might prevent or encourage the seriously ill teenager to speak up regarding a course of treatment?  If there is disagreement, how much weight should be given to the opinions of the parents, the seriously ill teenager, and the doctors?
3. How will the enjoyment and understanding of this book be affected if the reader has not first read Catcher in the Rye?
4. Why does Daniel admire Holden Caulfield?  What fictional characters do you admire?  Why? How has the admired character affected your actions or beliefs?  For example, the three-year-old who jumps off the roof so that he can fly like Superman.  (For adults) How have the admired fictional characters changed over the course of your life?
5. How do Nick and Meredith act as lifelines for Daniel?
6. Daniel says “If they (his parents) act normal at least part of the time, it takes a lot of pressure off me.”  What does he mean?  How can parents “act normal” in the face of a seriously ill/dying child?
7. Daniel’s family is not conventionally religious.  From what sources do they draw strength?  From what sources do you draw strength in times of crisis?
8. What is “family”?  How does Daniel’s definition of family change over the course of this book?
9. Other discussion questions appear at the end of this book.

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Mary Anne Welch

A Gathering of Angels

Name of Book:  A Gathering of Angels

Author:  Peter Eyvindson

Illustrator:  Walnes Cangas, Julner Remy, Lucson Petit-Homme

Publisher:  Broken Wings Missions, Inc.

Audience:  Ages 8 and up

Summary:  A Gathering of Angels is a collection of prayers written by the boys who call the St. Joseph’s Home for Boys in Port au Prince, Haiti home. Each boy at the home takes turns leading morning and afternoon prayers in the home’s chapel services. This book serves as a collection of some of those prayers written by boys ranging in ages from nine to 25.

Literary elements at work in the story:  This collection of prayers represents the first person points of view of each author as he speaks to God. The book is written by orphaned children in a children’s home in Haiti, and their worship and prayer life serve as the setting for their writings. There are no themes to the prayers, rather the overarching theme to the book is a life of prayer and worship to God.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference to the story?  Readers are introduced on the surface through the prayers to the culture of children’s home life in Haiti. The authors are all male and of African descent. The illustrations bring to life the prayers and give a more in-depth understanding of culture and socio-economic life in Haiti. While the book does not reference children of limited abilities, further research on the St. Joseph’s Family Homes will reveal a home specifically for mentally and physically challenged orphaned children, both boys and girls.

Scripture:  Romans 12:9-18

Theology:  We are called and gathered by God into one body, family or community called the Church of Jesus Christ. God creates the church and we live as part of it, in loving relationship with God and with each other. In response to this calling by God, we are to use our God-given gifts and abilities to feed, nurture and shape the way that we live our lives of faith each and every day. In doing so, we are carrying out the mission of God for the church in the world.

Faith Talk Questions

1. Have you ever written a prayer and shared it with other people before?
2. When you talk to God in prayer, what do you say?
3. Do you know anyone who lives in a children’s home?
4. Do you think you could pray thanks to God if you lived in a children’s home?
5. Do you know someone from another country? Do they pray to the same God you pray to?
6. What is your favorite prayer from this book? Why?
7. Will you write a prayer and share it with someone today?
8. How do you share your faith with other people? Through prayer? Artwork? Church? How?

Review prepared by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Katie Todd