Adam and Eve’s First Sunset: God’s New Day

Title:  Adam and Eve’s First Sunset: God’s New Day

Author: Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

Illustrator: Joani Keller Rothenberg

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2003

ISBN: 1-58023-177-2

Audience: Ages 4 and up

Summary of Book: This book is a beautiful story of what Adam and Eve’s first sunset may have felt like.

Literary elements at work in the story: This book is a retelling of the first sunset.  It is a pictorial Midrash for children on the Biblical story.  It helps the reader to “get inside” what the first sunset was like.  The author takes us into the story and opens our eyes to what it may have felt like.  It is a test of faith and trust for Adam and Eve.  Was the sun going away because of something they did?  Or was the sun just tired from a long day of warming and lighting the earth?  Or was the sun just sad?  The story is driven by Adam and Eve’s attempt to stop the sun from setting with his strength, her song, blaming each other, commanding for it to stop, and finally their prayer to God.  It also shows how Adam and Eve’s trust and faith in God and each other is tested.  The illustrations frame the story by showing the beauty of the earth, the vivid colors of the animals and plants, the size and power of the sun, and the changing moods of the two creatures made in God’s image Adam and Eve.

Does perspective on gender/race/culture/economic/ability make a difference in the story?: The author and the illustrator do a good job with the skin color, hair and physical features of Adam and Eve.  As far as gender, cultural, and economic standing Adam and Eve seem to share equal standing.  They both use their individual abilities to try and stop the sun’s descent and both of them fail.  After failing individually to stop the sun’s descent Adam and Eve pull together and start a fire.  They realize that they are not in control of the sun and pray to God that he would make it morning again. And eventually after they fall asleep and God does just that.  The sun rises in the east and begins a new day.  They thanked God for the morning sun and the new day and when it set that night they thanked God for the night as well.

Theological Conversation Partners:  Faith and trust in God are at the core of this story.  Adam and Eve face their first test (the night) and through it they learn to trust and have faith in God.  Great lesson for all ages to trust and have faith in what we cannot see.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. Why do you think God did not tell Adam and Eve about the sunset?
2. Were you surprised by Adam and Eve’s reaction to the sunset?  Why?  Why not?
3. Why do you think Adam blamed Eve for the sunset?
4. Why did Eve blame Adam for the sunset?
5. How do you think you would have reacted to the sunset?
6. What do you think God was trying to teach Adam and Eve?
7. Are Adam and Eve better because of it?  Why? Why not?

This review is written by Union Presbyterian Seminary student Bob Martin.

The Miracle Stealer

Name of Book:  The Miracle Stealer

Author:  Neil Connelly

Illustrator:

Publisher:  Arthur A. Levine Books, An Imprint of Scholastic, Inc.

ISBN:  9780545131957

Audience:  Grade 7 and up

Summary:  Six-year-old Daniel is the “miracle boy” of Paradise, Pennsylvania. People come from near and far because of his reputed healing powers.  When a new wave of Daniel hysteria threatens to overtake the town, Daniel’s nineteen-year-old sister Anderson decides to take action to prove once and for all that her little brother is just a regular kid with no miraculous powers.

Literary elements at work in the story: Anderson’s candid first-person narration makes this novel read like a good memoir.  As she struggles to make sense of her family and of her town and of the events which have led to her own crisis of faith, the people who populate her life emerge as rich and complicated characters.  One crucial summer in Andi’s recent past provides the catalyst for this attempt at understanding her life.  The plot of the story becomes somewhat knotty as she examines the interwoven events which lead to the story’s climax.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? In her bitterness over the role she thinks the church has played in her family’s troubles, Andi ridicules the Universal Church of Paradise in particular and religion in general.  Belief in God is something that is behind her, and followers are made to look like gullible yokels.   However, as Andi continues her story, she admits that there are mysteries which she cannot explain, including those surrounding her brother.

Theological conversation partners: This is a story of a lost paradise.  The fish in Paradise, PA have died in the lake, the amusement park is abandoned, and the tourists no longer come for the summer.  This tangible disintegration echoes Anderson’s loss of spiritual innocence. Her father has abandoned the family, and she sees members of the religious community as dupes at best and frauds at worst.  There was a time “back when things were right and I thought God was there with us, hovering above and listening attentively,” Anderson remembers, but that time is long gone.  This book would be a good one to use with teens or even adults in conjunction with the Genesis 3 story of the Fall in a discussion of what it means to have a mature faith.

Faith talk questions:

1. You might divide the Grant family’s life into “before” and “after.”  What do you think their life was like before Daniel’s accident?  How was it different afterwards?
2. Why do people think that Daniel has miraculous powers?
3. Why does Anderson, “Andi,” want people to leave Daniel alone?
4. Why do you think the Pilgrims decided to follow Daniel?
5. Leo tells Andi, “Faith is accepting possibilities, not absolutes.”  How can faith be about possibilities?
6. Andi ends this story with the answer “maybe.”  Do you think that “maybe” is a hopeful answer?  Why or why not?

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

Life As We Knew It

Name of Book:  Life As We Knew It

Author:  Susan Beth Pfeffer

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

ISBN: 9780152061548

Audience: Ages 12 and up

Summary:  This is a realistic fiction work about the aftermath of an asteroid hitting our moon and one family’s struggle to survive.

Literary elements at work in the story: This is a story about survival, self-discovery, and growing up. After an asteroid hits our moon the whole world goes crazy. Tidal waves, tsunamis, and other natural disasters are all in the distant news, but for this family their struggle for survival centers on food. When all the big cities begin to crumble, this family must stick together and learn to trust each other like never before. The setting centers on their house and the struggles they face there. The main character, Miranda, has to grow up quicker than she wants to. The book is from her point of view and the reader is drawn into the fears, doubts, frustration, and joys she has while experiencing the end of the world.

(How) does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Miranda is a hero of sorts. After her brother is injured, it is up to her to keep the family together. At times she does not believe the end of the world has actually occurred, and continues to worry about normal things a girl her age would. She is forced to grow up, face reality, and be a support for her family in the most dire of circumstances.

Theological conversation partners:  Revelation 21:1-4:  This passage of scripture is full of hope. It gives the reader assurance that God has the last word, even when all we can see is destruction. The family in this story has their ups and downs, but they learn to rely on each other and have faith that one day things will be better. For all those facing disaster, or situations that just feel like the world is actually ending, this verse points to the one who will wipe away all tears and ends death forever. Glory Hallelujah!

Faith Talk Questions :

1. What would you do if an asteroid hit our moon?

2. How would your family cope with the aftermath?

3. Have you ever felt like you are not capable of doing something? Explain

4. How can a family support each other when they are going through hard times?

5. What can we learn from Miranda’s attitude?

6. How is her mother’s love like God’s love to us?

7. Where would you find God in a situation like this?

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

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.

Hush Harbor

Title:  Hush Harbor:  Praying in Secret

Author: Freddi Williams Evans

Illustrator: Erin Bennett Banks

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

ISBN: 9780822579056

Audience: Grades 2-4 (grades 4-5 in my opinion)

Summary: Before the war between the states slaves were generally forbidden to gather because owners feared that they might plot rebellion.  At work in the cotton fields the message would be whispered, “Meetin’ tonight” and passed along the rows of slaves who would then gather for prayer and worship that night in secret.  Hush Harbor is the account of such a meeting when slaves meet to pray for Mama Aku who is sick.  Simmy, a boy assigned the job of look-out, narrates the event.  Slaves at work in the field anticipate the secret meeting and begin to hum and sing, “Steal Away, Steal Away to Jesus.” Hush Harbor is a place deep in the woods where the slaves pray and worship in the way they want to, not as their white owners want them to.  Simmy, perched in a tree while the people sing and pray, hears hounds baying and knows trouble is near.  The paterollers and their dogs are out seeking a runaway slave but they are very near the meeting.  The slaves encounter the runaway and guide him to a safe hiding place, then return quietly and quickly to their cabins..

Literary elements at work in the story: This isn’t quite a story; it’s more of a slice of life told by a boy of perhaps eight or nine. And it’s not quite told in dialect but consonants are dropped and words are omitted.  The event is fully supported by strong, rather primitive art work that brings the night, the forest, the secret place and the worshipers to life. The author gives a brief history of religion among African-Americans in antebellum days at the conclusion of the book. The subject, the illustrations, and the text make this book appropriate for older children.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?  Race dominates the story. The cultural differences in white and African-American worship are significant.

Theological Conversation Partners: Two facts stand out in this narrative: slavery was a cruel and oppressive evil and faith in Jesus, once adopted and adapted by slaves, was a source of joy and comfort to them. Jesus’ statement about worship (John 4:23-4) will inform any discussion of worship, in this case the Pentecostal aspects of the slave’s worship compared with the more liturgical worship of the white churches. The courage it took to worship God as they chose is a reminder of the courage it still takes today around the world to worship.  And scripture abounds with the promises of comfort and strength for those who follow Jesus: John 14:27, 16:23; Philippians 4:13; Psalm 23, 145:18,19.  Jesus’ admonition to “pray in secret” (Math. 6:5) doesn’t fit this situation but a profitable discussion of his meaning and the slave practice could arise. African slaves first heard the gospel through white people and slave owners, yet the truth of the gospel transcended this beginning.  What part did black churches and the gospel play in emancipation and in the Civil Rights movement?

Faith Talk Questions:

1. How did the slaves feel about going to a secret meeting? Do you or most of the people you know feel that way about going to worship?
2. What part did music play in the lives of the slaves?  Did you recognize any of the songs?
3. What facts tell you how hard the life of a slave was?
4. Why did the slaves have to meet in secret? What was the penalty if they were caught?
5. How was the worship of the slaves different from the worship in the white churches?  Is there one right way to worship God?  What did Jesus say about true worship?
6. African-American’s first heard the gospel through white people and slave owners. Why did they accept it?  How did it affect their lives?
7. What part did black churches play in the Civil Rights movement?

This review was written by regular contributor and Union Presbyterian Seminary graduate Virginia Thomas.

Teens and Faith: Three Final Reviews

These three short reviews by regular contributor Virginia Thomas mark the end of our 6 week series on books that reflect experiences of teens and faith.  We’d love to hear your suggestions about other books we didn’t review!

Title:  Ordinary Miracles

Author: Stephanie S. Tolan

Publisher: Harper Trophy Book

ISBN: 9780380733224

Audience: Ages 10 and up

Summary: Mark and Matt Filkins are identical twins, 8^th graders, whose lives are so closely intertwined  that they often have the same dreams. An equally strong bond is their conservative, evangelical faith. Their father is a minister in an independent church and they  are destined to be fourth generation ministers in a family of ministers.  Matthew is excited about this; Mark is having reservations. When he meets Dr. Colin Hendrick, a Nobel prize winner in science, his life takes a new direction.  Dr. Hendrick has been invited to help with the 8^th grade science class and Mark is completely enthralled by his exposure to new knowledge, including genetic engineering.  Mark’s father disapproves, saying that God is the creator, not man. As Mark  tries to reconcile his family’s faith with Colin’s lack of belief, he learns that Colin is dying of pancreatic cancer.  Now his belief about prayer is tested and when Colin dies he must re-think his faith and find a more independent relationship with Matthew.

Colin is a dedicated scientist who loves the world; he can only believe in what can be tested and proven.  Mark’s family, though generous and charitable in their dealings with others, has deep convictions.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and Colin will not choose this way.  How do we know what to believe?  There is no scientific proof for the Christian faith.  Colin sees ordinary miracles all around him in the natural world.  Mark is looking for a different kind of miracle, that God will spare Mark’s life.  This is a sensitive, thoughtful book that faces the conflict that is often seen between science and religion.  The ordinary miracle that helps Mark after Colin’s death may not satisfy everyone but the total experience of living with sincere believers and a sincere agnostic is powerful.

Title:  The Boy Who Dared

Author:  Susann Campbell Bartoletti

Publisher: Scholastic Press

ISBN: 9780439680134

Audience: Ages 9 and up

Summary: Seventeen year old Helmuth Hubener was the youngest person executed for treason by the Third Reich. The story begins with the chilling words, “The Executioner works on Tuesday.” The ending is a foregone conclusion; this is, after all, fictionalized history but Helmuth’s memories of the events and the growing convictions that brought him to this place hold our interest..   He is convicted for listening to a shortwave BBC station that gives accurate news about the war and distributing this news through pamphlets that he and three friends distribute secretly. His testimony in court guarantees that his three friends will not be executed but seals his fate .  Helmuth was an active member of the Mormon Church, organized by American missionaries, and his trust in God sustains him through his trial and death.

The Boy Who Dared raises a number of issues that Christians as citizens should ponder.  Throughout the rise of the Third Reich many German Christians claim Hitler is a leader supplied by God; opposing this idea is at first difficult, then truly dangerous.  How do we decide what good citizenship is?  Helmuth’s brothers argue that his actions will harm the family, that to oppose the German government is a pointless act of folly. How and when does one choose between prudence and daring action? How does a government like the Third Reich rise to power?  What motivates Helmuth to risk his life?  At one point in the story Helmuth wonders about the purpose of his life in this situation.  His decisions make inspiring reading.

Title:  Caleb’s Wars

Author: Davis L. Dudley

Publisher: Clarion Books

ISBN:  9780547239972

Audience: Ages 14 and up

Summary:  The time: summer, 1944, prior to the Civil Rights movement. The place: rural Georgia. Caleb, a 15 year old African-American, is engaged in several wars: the war in Europe where his brother Randall is a prisoner of war; a war with his domineering, abusive father who wants Caleb to work in his carpenter shop; a war with the white culture which limits and demeans him; and a war that centers on his faith and God’s call.  The book begins with Caleb’s baptism in which he hears God name him as his servant.  The call has little meaning for him as blacks in the south have always been servants.  He knows he has heard a voice, externally and internally, but he tends to ignore it as he goes to work in the Dixie Belle restaurant, defying his father.  Andreas, a German prisoner of war is brought in from the prisoner of war camp to work in the restaurant and Caleb establishes a tentative friendship with his brother’s enemy.  Scattered through the book are incidents of physical conflict with bullying white boys, of verbal conflicts with a racist waitress and a patronizing white man.  Caleb is led to pray for two persons who need healing and, to his amazement, his prayers are answered. Is this what it means to be a servant? The answer seems to come when Caleb has the courage to demand to be served in the Dixie Belle in the name of his brother Randall.

Here is a picture of the South during World War II with all of its prejudices and injustice.  The author does a commendable job of showing what this culture does to a person who suppresses the anger the treatment creates.  Caleb’s father has no faith in a God who lets such conditions exist.  Caleb’s Ma makes a strong case for the failure of male violence to lead the world to peace. Caleb’s struggle with God’s call is a thread throughout the book.  He prays but hears nothing.  In the courage to oppose an injustice in the restaurant, Caleb seems to understand God’s call and to anticipate a continuing struggle to be a servant. In keeping with the times, African-Americans are referred to as “niggers” and “colored.”   This book has good possibilities for young people in confirmation classes. It could prompt a discussion on which is the greater gift-the ability to heal physically or the courage to oppose injustices?

Teens and Faith: Three Short Reviews

Regular contributor Virginia Thomas offers three shorter reviews of books related to ways that teens engage questions of faith.

Title:  Preacher’s Boy

Author:  Katherine Paterson

Publisher: Harper Trophy

ISBN: 0064472337

Audience: Ages 10 and up

Summary: Robbie Hewitt decides to give up believing in God. He’s heard the visiting minister condemn wicked thoughts and deeds and suggest that the world will end in 1900.  He’s in trouble because he has disrupted church and, as the preacher’s boy, the congregation holds him to an unreasonably high standard.  If the world’s coming to an end he wants to get in a lot of living before then; he wants especially to ride in a motor car.  Robbie’s oldest brother is severely handicapped physically and mentally and Robbie envies the time and attention Elliot gets from his father.  He also fights with the rich Weston boys who make fun of Elliot. His life is complicated by two drifters who camp in his hideout, Violet and her alcoholic father , and a fake kidnapping plot.  Finally a ride in a motor car restores Robbie’s faith and the new century begins with a joyous ringing of the church bells.

Giving up faith and doubting God are familiar themes for adolescents.  Robbie’s choice of “apeism,” a conflation of evolution and lack of faith, is chosen honestly; God interferes with the lifestyle he thinks he wants.  But what happens when you give up God?  When you need prayer? When you have to make a choice?  When you want to give thanks? When an answer to your deepest yearning can only be a miracle? Robbie’s father is a Christian minister seldom seen in fiction: gentle, modest, open to new ideas, strong in conviction and charitable in relationships.  Robbie is one of Katherine Paterson’s most appealing characters.  Through his voice she examines a young person’s developing faith and understanding.

Title:  Armageddon Summer

Author: Jane Yolen, Bruce Coville

Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & Col.

ISBN: 0152022686 pb.

Audience: Ages 12 years and up

Summary:  Reverend Beelson is taking 144 believers to the top of  Mt. Weeupcut to await the End on July 27, 2000 when God will destroy the world and begin anew.  Fourteen-year old Marina’s mother insists that Marina and her four brothers join her there to prevent their destruction.  Marina’s father stays behind.  Sixteen-year old Jed follows his father to the mountain to look after him. He has been less than stable since his wife left him for another man.  In alternating voices, Marina and Jed tell their stories of the month on the mountain interspersed with county sheriff’s reports, Rev. Beelson’s sermons, the rules for Weeupcut’s camping facilities, and a physchologist on a radio talk show. Marina wants desperately to believe; Jed is firmly skeptical.  Events play out in a violent, dramatic climax as outsiders try to force their way into the camp to be safe with the believers. “Did we do wrong in believing? Asks Marina’s mother. “Never in believing, “ answers Marina, “just in what we believed.”

With the Left Behind series in the movies and news, Christians are prompted to ask what we do believe about eschatology or end times. This is a thought provoking, gripping book about belief, the search for belief, what happens when belief fails. Jed and Marina are well drawn, appealing young persons who survive the summer and begin to search for faith anew.  Before tackling this book is is well to know at least one basic fact about biblical eschatology: Acts 1:6,7.

Title:  The Heavenly Village

Author: Cynthia Rylant

Publisher: Scholastic Press

ISBN: 0439231493

Audience: Ages 9 years and up

Summary: The Heavenly Village is a place of peace and beauty with flowers, a river, trees, small houses and shops.  It is a stopping place for spirits who are not quite ready for heaven, for those who need to finish their stories. People are always arriving or leaving, something or someone is always being mended.  Here you will find Everett, a bank teller who needs time to see beauty he ignored on earth.   There is Violet Rose, a baker, who is still concerned for her cats. Dr. Blake was so busy on earth that he never had time for his family or to listen to his patients.  Now since no one is really ill, he listens to his patients for hours (and they think they are in heaven) and visits his home each evening, unseen by his family. And there’s Fortune, the rescue dog, who was a nuisance in Heaven but is quite useful in Heavenly Village.  There is some provocative idea on almost every page.  For example, God is surprised that no one wants to lose weight in Friendly Village.  Since they are not worried about what others think about their looks, they decide they look just fine. Or God usually sends a messenger or loved one to welcome a new spirit to Heaven.  He has learned that most people like to get a little unpacked before they meet the Creator.  This is a short, delightful, beautifully written plotless collection of characters and incidents.

What happens after death?  The Heavenly Village will stimulate discussion but not provide any answers.  The Bible gives us few details (and it’s well to know 1 Cor. 15, 1 Thes., Rev. 22, John 14 before you discuss  this book) but we can’t seem to get beyond time and space, beyond golden streets and gates of pearl and white robes. Rylant frees our imaginations. The book has more to say about life than the hereafter, about how we fail and how we grow.  God is depicted as gentle, wise, meeting the needs of all of his children but rather limited on earth. (Rylant is not concerned with sexist pronouns.)  Each chapter has a Bible verse introducing it and it’s worth some time to think about why a verse was chosen for a particular chapter. This is by no means a book of theology but it does stimulate theological thinking and it is fun.

Teens and Faith: Marcelo in the Real World

Title:  Marcelo in the Real World

Author:  Francisco X. Stork

Illustrator:

Publisher:  Arthur A. Levine Books

ISBN: 139780545054744

Audience:  Ages 14 and up

Summary: Marcelo Sandoval, an autistic seventeen-year old, has come to the end of his junior year at Patterson, the special education school he has attended since kindergarten. His autism has not been accurately identified but it is marked by an inner music Marcelo hears, a lack of social skills, a need for an inflexible schedule, and an intense interest in God. Marcello is a practicing Catholic who meets regularly with a Jewish rabbi and names his dog from a Buddhist prayer. He has a job for the summer caring for the ponies in the Patterson stable. Marcello’s father , a driven, successful lawyer, has other plans: Marcello is to work in the “real world,” the mail room of his father’s law firm.  If Marcello works successfully there, he can return to Patterson for his senior year; if not, he must go to public high school. The real world requires Marcelo to make “small talk,” learn to distinguish sarcasm, adapt to new situations, and follow a competitive law firm’s rules.  And so Marcelo learns-to work with Jasmine in the mail room, to read the faces and intentions of co-workers, to find his way around Boston, to tell the social lie, to be aware of sex. The discovery of an injured girl’s picture in one of his father’s files jolts him into an action that may destroy his father’s law firm.  The result of this action makes public high school mandatory and compels Marcelo to deal with suffering and God’s will for his life.

Literary elements at work in the story: Marcelo is a rich, multi-layered novel told in the first person.  This unique perspective never varies as Marcelo tries to process figures of speech, grasp the real intent of a statement, deal with multiple stimuli, understand a discussion about girls and sexual attraction.  It is a profound experience of a different point of view, of the strengths and handicaps of autism. Marcelo seldom uses pronouns, referring to himself and others by name.  Several times undesirable language is used and some vulgarity is expressed but both are integral parts of the story and highlight Marcelo’s difference in the way he thinks about sex and life.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? Marcelo’s father is Hispanic and despite his success still faces racial and cultural prejudice. Marcelo’s autism elicits ridicule and contempt. Wendell, a significant character, is sexist and exploitive.  Rabbi Heschel and Aurora Sandoval are strong, compassionate women. The law firm is made up of successful males who compete, make money and use secretaries. Some characters are stereotypes but most are believable, vital persons.

Theological Conversation Partners: Because Marcelo’s keen mind sees most questions and events in religious terms almost every event in this novel has a theological slant. How do we pray, experience God’s presence, know God’s will?  What is the purpose of suffering and how do we live with it.  What is the purpose of sex in God’s creation?  How do we know right from wrong?  How can we talk about our faith in the secular world?  These are a few of the questions with which Marcello struggles as he leaves the sheltered environment of Patterson for the law firm.  His conversations with the rabbi about, sex, suffering, and finding God’s will require attentive, repeated reading.

Faith Talk Questions:

1.  What is the real world according to Mr. Sandoval?  How does this contrast with Marcelo’s view?
2. Jesus asks God not to take his followers out of the world (John 17:15) and Paul suggests to the Corinthians that they are to maintain contact with the world as Mr. Sandoval sees it. (1 Cor. 5:1) How do we and Marcelo bridge this gap?
3. Marcelo calls his life of prayer “remembering.” Is this a good description?  How would you describe your prayer life?
4. What’s the difference between small talk and large talk?
5. Marcello attempts to explain to Mr. Holmes how to control worry and anger?  What do you think of his suggestion?  Do you think Mr. Holmes understood?
6. Marcelo’s father tries to explain to him how he can talk about religion in the real world. Is it good advice?  How does it handicap Marcel’s communication?
7. Marcelo asks Rabbi Heschel why Adam and Eve felt shame in the Garden of Eden when they realized they were naked. (Genesis 3:7) Is her insight about evil affecting the imagination an adequate explanation?
8. Rabbi Heschel says that God speaks to us through urges that are painful. When Marcelo follows this urge that may hurt his father, her advice is, “Trust God. God will know how to use whatever hurt results for His own ends.”  What do you think of “painful urge” as a term for God’s guidance?  Do you think her advice is sound?
9. Have you tried to discern God’s will as Marcelo does? How did you know?

This review is the last full review with faith questions in our series on teens and faith.  For the next two Mondays, shorter reviews of six books will also be offered.  Virginia Thomas is the writer of this series.

Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She was Extinct

Title:  Edwina,The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct

Author:  Mo Willems

Illustrator:  Mo Willems

Publisher:  Hyperion Books

ISBN:  978-0786837489

Audience: Ages 4-8

Summary: Who doesn’t love Edwina?  She feeds the birds, plays with children, helps little old ladies across the street, and bakes delicious chocolate chip cookies for everyone.  Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie  doesn’t love her because she’s a dinosaur and he knows that dinosaurs are extinct.  Reginald sets out to prove this to his school class using all the scientific knowledge at his command but the class just leaves to eat some of Edwina’s freshly baked cookies.  Reginald is discouraged because no one will listen to him until Edwina volunteers.  Edwina listens so attentively to all the facts that Reginald feels wonderful.  No one had ever listened to him like that before. Now Edwina realizes that she’s extinct.  However she doesn’t care, and by then neither does Reginald who is now eating some of her chocolate chip cookies.

Literary elements at work in the story: As in most Willems’ books, the pictures do the work.  The above synopsis may have more words than the story. Edwina is a very large, pale green dinosaur with a pearl necklace, a purse, a beribboned straw hat, and toenail polish. (Possibly a mapusaurus). The pictures convey Reginald as a man on a mission: making posters, distributing leaflets, making noise and dramatizing extinction with appropriate expressions, usually in black and white. The colors are a wash of blues, greens, yellow with lots of space and nothing flamboyant except Reginald’s emotions.  By their facial expressions and their actions, it’s easy to see his audience is unimpressed.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to thestory? Edwina is a charming, loving, listening female and Reginald is a hard headed, stubborn, fact obsessed male.  These are stereotypes but probably no one will notice.

Theological Conversation Partners: There’s a great deal written these days about the conflict of science and religion.  For many,  scientific proof is the basis of all knowledge.  Children in the designated age group may be experts in trust but belief in the theological sense comes a bit later in development. Still children can feel secure in God’s love without scientific proof at any age. It’s good for the top of this age range to understand what science can and cannot do.  The importance of community and relationships in the development of faith is vital. The story of Thomas (John 20:24-29)  is a good example of belief resting on proof and faith resting on experience, another kind of proof. Hebrews 11:1,2 is one biblical definition of faith.  John 7:20 is Jesus’ guide to certainty about him.  And don’t overlook the impact of a good listener.  This book could serve as an introduction to a unit of study about creation, conversations about evolution, or any study where science is involved with young people.

Faith Talk Questions for children and youth

1. How do the people in the town know Edwina exists?
2. Why is Reginald so sure that she doesn’t exist?
3. What are some things that can’t be proven by observable facts (goodness, beauty, parent’s love, friendship) ?
4. What are some things that science can tell us?
5. What clues tell you that your parents love you, that God loves you?
6. Why is listening carefully to someone with a problem important?
7. Why is a community important for faith?
8. A line in a hymn from the 11^th C goes, “The love of Jesus, what it is, none but his loved ones know.” Can you explain this?
9. Is faith more about facts or about relationships?

Review prepared by regular contributor Virginia Thomas

Hanne’s Quest

Name of Book: Hanne’s Quest

Author: Olivier Dunrea

Publisher: Philomel

ISBN: 978-0399242168

Audience: Ages 7 to 10

Summary:  Mem lives on a farm with her beloved speckled hens. When she receives a bill for back taxes, she confides to the animals that she will lose the farm. The hens secretly confer and learn, to their astonishment that one of their number, young Hanne, will be able to lay golden eggs if she has the courage to complete an ancient rhyme. Hanne does not know if she is up to the task, but she sets out to try as it is the only way to save the farm and her friends.

Literary elements at work in the story:  The magical elements and the quest provide a good structure for children moving from folklore to fantasy tales. Beautifully composed and often darkly atmospheric, the paintings add to the wonder of the story.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story: Hanne is a good female hero role model showing compassion and courage.  The concern for the animals and their home is something many can, unfortunately, relate to making this a timely choice.

Scripture: James 1:12

Theology: Hanne knows what this passage says, that trials are part of life. Our trials may not as dramatic as Hanne’s but they are ones that will nonetheless test us. Hanne did not have to face her trials alone. She had magical help. Thanks be to God that we do not need magic or self help books or otherworldly help. We have something so much better. We have God’s promise to always be there to help us through our trials. Love God, feel and look for God’s help and you will never be alone when trials come.

Faith Talk Questions:

1. How did Hanne overcome her trials?
2. Would you have gone on Hanne’s quest?
3. Have you ever faced a hard time?
4. How did you overcome it?
5. How could you help someone who is having a hard time?
6. God has promised that God will always be there for us.  Is it hard to “see” and “feel” God when we are having a hard time?
7. How can we get better at trusting in God’s promise?

Review prepared by guest blogger Janet Lloyd