Bibliographical information:

Brande, Robin. Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007.

Brief summary:

Mena Reece has been ostracized by her church group for sending a letter of apology to a gay teenager they harassed, which has led to a lawsuit. Her parents are angry with her, too, as they're experiencing social and economic consequences of Mena's actions. Meanwhile, Mena is struggling to rebuild her life, including her relationship to her faith. When her former friends protest the teaching of evolution in their high school science course,  Mena is caught up in the debate, wrestling with her great respect and affection for her teacher and trying to understand how Jesus and Darwin might be compatible.

Comments:

This is an interesting novel. It takes Mena's religious struggles seriously, and includes many characters who speak seriously about how they see the relationship between faith and science. The pastor of Mena's former church and the members of her church group are less carefully drawn--they slide toward caricature with a somewhat nasty edge. Still, Mena's efforts to figure things out for herself are interesting, as is the twenty-first century outcome: a blog offering biblical musings posted under the name biblegrrrl.

Grade/Age level:

Grades 5-8

Cautions:

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--Lisa Gordis

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