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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
This was a short book but woah did it pack a punch for me.
Based on a true story, Preston Scott was only 12 yrs old when his father killed his mother.
Thy line hooked me and going through Prestons journey of confusion, hate and anger along with love made me so sad for him. I couldn’t even imagine what I would do if I was this family. I think everyone would do something different but this family decisions was seriously amazing. No one should has the right to judge this family for their decision. It makes me sad the things people said to them when all they are trying to do is what’s best for the boys.
I finished this in one sitting. Despite it being a short book it packed so much oomph for me and tugged at my heart. Great writing!
Based on a true story, Preston Scott was only 12 yrs old when his father killed his mother.
Thy line hooked me and going through Prestons journey of confusion, hate and anger along with love made me so sad for him. I couldn’t even imagine what I would do if I was this family. I think everyone would do something different but this family decisions was seriously amazing. No one should has the right to judge this family for their decision. It makes me sad the things people said to them when all they are trying to do is what’s best for the boys.
I finished this in one sitting. Despite it being a short book it packed so much oomph for me and tugged at my heart. Great writing!
Full Review here : http://chloreads.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/chasing-forgiveness-by-neal-shusterman.html
So I actually finished this book last night but as you can see by the rating I gave it I didn't really enjoy it all that much and honestly I couldn't wait to finish it.
I personally did not feel connected to the characters within this book in anyway whatsoever and just felt a bit disappointed by the whole story. The only reason I read it quickly is because it was easy to follow and honestly, I was waiting for something better to happen but it was all kinda all over the place for me.
I will definitely give Shusterman another go and read one of his other books. I happen to already own another book of his 'Challenger Deep' so guess I'll see how that one plays out when I come around to reading it.
So I actually finished this book last night but as you can see by the rating I gave it I didn't really enjoy it all that much and honestly I couldn't wait to finish it.
I personally did not feel connected to the characters within this book in anyway whatsoever and just felt a bit disappointed by the whole story. The only reason I read it quickly is because it was easy to follow and honestly, I was waiting for something better to happen but it was all kinda all over the place for me.
I will definitely give Shusterman another go and read one of his other books. I happen to already own another book of his 'Challenger Deep' so guess I'll see how that one plays out when I come around to reading it.
Why does this book have so few ratings? It's Neal Shusterman!
That said, this book is based on the true story of a teenage boy on a journey to forgive his father for the unthinkable. I think it offered a really unique and valid perspective, if one that I couldn't empathize with.
A heartbreaking and quick read that was enjoyable but left me with questions.
That said, this book is based on the true story of a teenage boy on a journey to forgive his father for the unthinkable. I think it offered a really unique and valid perspective, if one that I couldn't empathize with.
A heartbreaking and quick read that was enjoyable but left me with questions.
Generally speaking, I enjoy Neal Shusterman's novels. He manages to not only entertain, but to force readers to puzzle out serious moral issues in an evenhanded way. The problem here in Chasing Forgiveness is that I find he comes down hard on one side of the issue, and I think it's the wrong side--dead wrong. (Pun intended). Frankly, I think this book is dangerous.
The supposed premise of the book is this: Preston's father kills Preston's mother. He comes out of jail four years later. Does Preston forgive his father or not?
A big deal is made of the "forgiveness" angle. But the book, when read closely, isn't really about forgiveness. It's about letting a felon who has committed domestic violence free in society, where he can harm people again. And we're told it's good to look the other way and let the felon move on.
In the novel, Preston's mother argues with his father because he "makes rules for her, like he makes rules for us kids." This is a clear DV red flag. He was controlling.
In the novel, Preston's dad talks over and over about how much he loved his wife. Preston's grandparents and Preston himself greatly romanticize the relationship prior to the final 2 years of the parents marriage. Supposedly, Dad went nuts because he couldn't imagine his wife with another man or even out of his life. THAT IS NOT LOVE -- it is selfishness. True love is letting go when the person feels trapped, doesn't want you, and is even afraid of you. True love is honoring other people's boundaries. True love means respecting that only G-d can take away someone's life. Sending the message that "real, deep love = so obsessed he kills you and tries to kill himself" is basically telling women and girls that either true love is scary or that true love means accepting the attentions of an abusive man.
Much is made about how the mom wasn't 100% good, and -- later -- how messed up Preston's dad's first new girlfriend are. They could be as witchy as possible and still not deserve to die. In fact, Preston, his family, and the community all let this woman (and a later one) date a convicted killer with a history of DV for a while before telling her of this past! No one should *ever* allow something like that to happen. Preston seems more concerned with whether this is a nice woman for his dad than whether his dad could potentially kill her. Those who commit DV are usually repeat offenders, and it's no coincidence that those who abuse their wife, mother, or girlfriend are more likely to kill others in generally (and particularly women in their lives) than the general population. If we're not going to lock people up for shooting their wives, can we at least not put the women around them in harm's way?
Finally, we see no sign that Preston's dad has had any therapy or counselling -- despite the fact Preston reports controlling, abusive behavior even prior to the murder of his mom and reportedly blacked out in the middle of a rage and shot both his wife and himself -- and we are directly told that neither Preston nor his brother get counseling. This is even though Preston and his little brother both show signs of psychological trauma and confusion (lashing out with scissors at a car, going through girlfriends without telling them about his past and without trying to form an emotional bond with them, asking a teacher, "Is it okay to kill someone?"). This family isn't some kind of romantic ideal of forgiveness...it's a whole lot o' denial and future problems brewing.
Having the supposedly so-very-religious grandparents push the forgiveness angle is just another pressure on these children. And it makes it seem like turning away from harm is the G-dly thing to do.
But the real G-dly thing to do is to protect others from harm. You don't put stumbling blocks from the blind, you protect society from murderers, and even if you personally decide to not hold a grudge, you still don't put perps in positions where they can continue to commit similar crimes.
This society doesn't seem to care about DV, nor about the deaths of women in general. We throw our arms up in the air over children dying, but let women die in DV incidents all the damn time with little complaint. This book just continues that trend.
So, go read a Neal Shusterman book. Just not this one.
The supposed premise of the book is this: Preston's father kills Preston's mother. He comes out of jail four years later. Does Preston forgive his father or not?
A big deal is made of the "forgiveness" angle. But the book, when read closely, isn't really about forgiveness. It's about letting a felon who has committed domestic violence free in society, where he can harm people again. And we're told it's good to look the other way and let the felon move on.
In the novel, Preston's mother argues with his father because he "makes rules for her, like he makes rules for us kids." This is a clear DV red flag. He was controlling.
In the novel, Preston's dad talks over and over about how much he loved his wife. Preston's grandparents and Preston himself greatly romanticize the relationship prior to the final 2 years of the parents marriage. Supposedly, Dad went nuts because he couldn't imagine his wife with another man or even out of his life. THAT IS NOT LOVE -- it is selfishness. True love is letting go when the person feels trapped, doesn't want you, and is even afraid of you. True love is honoring other people's boundaries. True love means respecting that only G-d can take away someone's life. Sending the message that "real, deep love = so obsessed he kills you and tries to kill himself" is basically telling women and girls that either true love is scary or that true love means accepting the attentions of an abusive man.
Much is made about how the mom wasn't 100% good, and -- later -- how messed up Preston's dad's first new girlfriend are. They could be as witchy as possible and still not deserve to die. In fact, Preston, his family, and the community all let this woman (and a later one) date a convicted killer with a history of DV for a while before telling her of this past! No one should *ever* allow something like that to happen. Preston seems more concerned with whether this is a nice woman for his dad than whether his dad could potentially kill her. Those who commit DV are usually repeat offenders, and it's no coincidence that those who abuse their wife, mother, or girlfriend are more likely to kill others in generally (and particularly women in their lives) than the general population. If we're not going to lock people up for shooting their wives, can we at least not put the women around them in harm's way?
Finally, we see no sign that Preston's dad has had any therapy or counselling -- despite the fact Preston reports controlling, abusive behavior even prior to the murder of his mom and reportedly blacked out in the middle of a rage and shot both his wife and himself -- and we are directly told that neither Preston nor his brother get counseling. This is even though Preston and his little brother both show signs of psychological trauma and confusion (lashing out with scissors at a car, going through girlfriends without telling them about his past and without trying to form an emotional bond with them, asking a teacher, "Is it okay to kill someone?"). This family isn't some kind of romantic ideal of forgiveness...it's a whole lot o' denial and future problems brewing.
Having the supposedly so-very-religious grandparents push the forgiveness angle is just another pressure on these children. And it makes it seem like turning away from harm is the G-dly thing to do.
But the real G-dly thing to do is to protect others from harm. You don't put stumbling blocks from the blind, you protect society from murderers, and even if you personally decide to not hold a grudge, you still don't put perps in positions where they can continue to commit similar crimes.
This society doesn't seem to care about DV, nor about the deaths of women in general. We throw our arms up in the air over children dying, but let women die in DV incidents all the damn time with little complaint. This book just continues that trend.
So, go read a Neal Shusterman book. Just not this one.