Becoming Me by Melody Carlson (Diary of a Teenage Girl, Caitlin #1)Publisher: Multnomah
Publish Date: August 10, 2000
Paperback, 256 pages
Fiction, Young Adult, Christian
ISBN: 978-1576737354
Fiction, Young Adult, Christian
ISBN: 978-1576737354
My Review:
This book may have been published over 10 years ago but there is nothing dated in it. The same issues that faced girls in this book in 2000 still face them in 2011 (and faced them when I was in high school in the early 1990s as well.
I love Ms. Carlson's books and feel she has crafted another book that will appeal to teenagers. Caitlin in the beginning of the book is just like any other teenager, questioning rules her parents are giving her, questioning the role of God and religion in her life, which is something she begins to question even more when her life begins to turn upside down. Then her aunt takes her mom, Caitlin and her brother to a different church where Caitlin meets a youth pastor who is a senior in high school but really gets her thinking.
All of this is written in frank diary entries and in a 6-month period, Caitlin truly deals with a lot, but in the end she really comes out shining. I like how real her situations were. I can tell you a lot of the situations were similar to ones I went through except I wish I was more convicted like Caitlin. I admire how far she comes in her life and her inner strength. I also admire that she knows that this won't be an easy road. I look forward to continuing t read Caitlin's story to find out more of what happened with Caitlin, Beanie and their friends as the summer comes around and as their senior years starts. This series can be a true blessing in a teenager's life while still being and enjoyable book. It's also a great way for a parent and teenager to discuss issue if you both read it separately.
I find it amazing that Ms. Carlson continues to have her pulse on teenagers like she does and that she was able to make this a timeless story like she did. Becoming Me is a truly great story of a teenage girls search to find herself and her place in high school without compromising her new found values and beliefs. I wish we could all be as strong as Caitlin, even as adults.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
About the Book:
In the fictional Diary of a Teenage Girl, sixteen-year-old Caitlin O'Conner reveals the inner workings of a girl caught between childhood and womanhood ... an empty life without Christ and a meaningful one with Him. Through Caitlin's candid journal entries we see her grapple with such universal teen issues as peer pressure, loyalty, conflict with parents, the longing for a boyfriend, and her own spirituality.
Follow Caitlin O'Conner as she makes her way from New Year's to the first day of summer - surviving a challenging home life, changing friends, school pressures, an identity crisis, and the uncertainties of "true love."
Caitlin experiences heartache, and encounters a new reality in her life: God. See how rejection by one group can - incredibly - sometimes lead you to discover who you really are...
About the Author:
In her professional life, Melody has worn many hats: from pre-school teacher to political activist to senior editor. Currently, she writes full-time, and freelances from her home. She has two grown sons and lives in Sisters, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and Bailey, her chocolate lab. They enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.
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