Save the Date is a cute new Christian romance novel by Jenny Jones. With a stack of non-fiction books on my nightstand, I thought I could use something fun and light to read, and Save the Date fit the bill. Though a bit predictable at times, this book does a nice job of combining an unlikely fairy-tale romance, the basic Christian dilemma of trusting God, and an introduction to a little known social problem deserving of our attention.
In the book, we follow the funny adventures of the main character, Lucy, who runs a non-profit for teens who have aged out of the foster system, as she bumbles her way through many interesting situations in her staged engagement to Alex, a wealthy ex-football star running for office. Throughout the story, the spiritual struggles Alex and Lucy face require the reader to look at his/her own struggles with faith and with self-image. Do we truly trust God with who we are and everything in our lives? The book illustrates the idea that God is often working in ways we couldn't imagine, even as we plead for Him to intervene and wonder why He's not responding!
Finally, the book asks us to take a look at a problem that we don't often see--the many young adults who have aged out of the foster system and have no place to go. Thankfully, homes like the one Lucy runs do exist, but I hope that readers of Save the Date will take time to investigate this issue further and see how they can help.
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3 comments:
It's a challenging problem. At 18 we're considered adults, so no aid is provided past that point. However, how many of us were completely ready to be on our own and self sufficient at that age? Do you know how many homes like this actually exist?
Not very many, I don't think. I know that I was essentially on my own at 18, in the sense that I was supporting myself financially and living out of my parents' house. However, even 15 years ago, 18 was more mature, I think, than it is today. In fact, I think it was quite common for teens to be on their own even earlier than that in earlier years--before the teen and tween markets were created by advertising, with their lowered standards of maturity. But that's a whole different topic. ;-)
I moved out on my own shortly before 19, but I know I wasn't ready to make big life decisions and certainly wasn't ready to deal with that kind of thing w/o parents. That's what I was getting at. Sure-an 18 year old can hold a job and pay rent, but who's there to guide them in the decisions that will affect the rest of their lives?
I hadn't thought about the marketing aspect...interesting perspective!
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