Review: Wild Grace

 

   Although the publisher recommends Wild Grace for teens, I would hesitate to give it to younger teens because of some of the content.  It seems to be geared more toward college-aged young adults, while some of the scenarios involve issues younger teens face.  There are some very serious issues here:  pregnancy, drug use, manslaughter, and porn addiction to name a few, interspersed with issues such as lying to parents and bad grades.  I realize that, unfortunately, many young teens deal with these things, but for those who haven't, this book might not be the right fit.  The writing is easy to read, chapters are short, the tone is conversational, and the pace is geared toward shorter attention spans.  The "true life" scenarios are compelling, and opportunities are given for reflection through extension questions.

 

   Adapted for teens, the style of Wild Grace is appealing--the divisions within the chapters make it easy to read in short increments, but the language makes it a quick read as well.  My young teen won't be reading this one yet, but I can think of a few who would benefit from it.  Grace is a topic worth understanding, and the author does a good job of conveying it:

To discover grace is to discover God's total devotion to you, his stubborn resolve to give you a cleansing, healing, purging love that lifts the wounded back to their feet.  Does he stand high on a hill and bid you climb out of the valley?  No.  He bungees down and carries you out.  Does he build a bridge and command you to cross it?  No.  He crosses the bridge and shoulders you over.

 

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}