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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I loved this book sooooo much! I love the exploration of faith and its evolution both in religions and inside individuals. I love this miss matched group of kids who don’t fit into their private school. Lucy is such a kindred spirit. I love the depth of the characters and how they felt like people I knew or could know. I loved how we got to see why people believed what they did and how it informed their world. I liked that even the most annoying of tattletales Teresa was sympathetic. I have been like her and hated people like her. I liked getting to see the diversity amongst the beliefs of the Catholics and how their faith could propel them in various directions. The love story was adorable. I enjoyed every minute of experiencing this story.
I have no words for the significance of this book in my life. It was a beautiful interpretation of religion and its controversial disagreements with modern society along with its changes. It made me see religion in another light and I will forever be grateful to have read this book.
This book was so fun! Now, I am not into religion. I don’t like talking about it, I don’t feel it, I am perplexed at how it’s governed the world, etc. So when I heard about this book about an atheist boy named Michael who ends up at a Catholic high school and joins a group of other misfits, I was intrigued. This book was everything I wanted and then some. I didn’t expect it to be so funny and include so many dick jokes, I didn’t expect to learn much about Catholicism in a way that didn’t annoy me, and I hadn’t really thought about what it would be like if the main character actually realized how the school was good for him. The group of misfits are as loveable as you’d hope for – there’s Lucy, who Michael falls for but finds out she wishes she could be a priest; there’s Avi, who is Jewish and gay; Max, who just wants to wear capes and not be bothered about it; and Eden, who practices paganism. Together they form Heretics Anonymous, and they decide it’s up to them to teach the school a thing or two about how they still exist in the Dark Ages about sex ed and silly rules. Seriously, this was really fun!
This book was SO GOOD. I’m so glad I picked it up after seeing a few bloggers say they loved it. It was such a well written YA novel which seems to be impossible to find anymore, and as someone that is not catholic, it was interesting to see the workings of Catholicism and a catholic high school. I can’t speak to the truth of it, but it seemed realistic! The characters were all well written and the ending was heart-warming, yet not so much that it was unrealistic. So glad I read it.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was extremely excited to get my hands on this book when I saw that my local library had it available. As someone who attended a religious high school, I wanted to dive into the world of St. Clare's and see if the fictitious school related to my own high school experience. In this book Michael is thrown into St. Clare's Catholic High School as a result of his family's constant moving due to his father's job. At the beginning of his junior year, he laments about having to attend a denominational school when he is used to public school, having to wear the "stupid looking tie" and - most importantly - the fact that he is an atheist. Michael is angry with his father for uprooting his family again after he promised they wouldn't be moving anymore and is worried he will be the only person at his new school to question faith and God.
When he arrives at St. Claire's, he is determined to find a friend by 3rd period so he has at least one person to sit with at lunch. He finds that friend in Lucy after she onsets a heated debate over female saints with their theology teacher (who happens to be a nun and wholeheartedly believes that "well behaved women DO make history, citing the female saints as her defense).
After befriending Lucy and her friend Avi, Michael is invited to join their "study group" which turns out to be an underground club entitled Heretics Anonymous. This club is made up of Lucy, an aspiring priest who wishes to change the Catholic church's view on women; Avi, a semi-Jewish homosexual; Eden, a Celtic Reconstructionist Polytheist; and Max, a Korean-American self-proclaimed Unitarian. Michael realizes he is not a Heretic by definition, but is welcomed into the group nevertheless. This ragtag group reek havoc on their school through altering the sex ed tape the school is forced to watch, sponsoring Dress Code Week, and ultimately challenging the leadership of the school.
Overall I did relate to a character in this story, however it was not the character I thought I would relate to the most. I thought I would relate to Michael and his anger toward the Catholic faith, however, throughout reading I realized I related more toward Lucy and her desire to change the bias of the church. Although I did attend a religious school and my experience was less that pleasant, I did not lose my faith as a result. I still hold to my Christian faith, but have had my eyes opened to the hypocrisy and ugliness of a corrupt establishment, much like Lucy.
I felt that this story was very well paced up until the end. After Micheal pulls his solo stunt, the instant anger and banishment from the group felt perfectly timed. However, the last few months of the story were squeezed into such a short page count that it felt rushed and make the road to forgiveness for Michael feel very fast. On the opposite hand, Katie Henry did such a fantastic job writing such an utterly hateable character in Micheal's father. While I read, I found myself getting angry the more his father demeaned him and treated him as his property and did not care for his opinion in his own life. That being said, I enjoyed the look we got into his childhood and what made him such harsh man at the end of the book.
Overall, the book received 4.5 stars from me, only losing points for the rushed ending.
When he arrives at St. Claire's, he is determined to find a friend by 3rd period so he has at least one person to sit with at lunch. He finds that friend in Lucy after she onsets a heated debate over female saints with their theology teacher (who happens to be a nun and wholeheartedly believes that "well behaved women DO make history, citing the female saints as her defense).
After befriending Lucy and her friend Avi, Michael is invited to join their "study group" which turns out to be an underground club entitled Heretics Anonymous. This club is made up of Lucy, an aspiring priest who wishes to change the Catholic church's view on women; Avi, a semi-Jewish homosexual; Eden, a Celtic Reconstructionist Polytheist; and Max, a Korean-American self-proclaimed Unitarian. Michael realizes he is not a Heretic by definition, but is welcomed into the group nevertheless. This ragtag group reek havoc on their school through altering the sex ed tape the school is forced to watch, sponsoring Dress Code Week, and ultimately challenging the leadership of the school.
Overall I did relate to a character in this story, however it was not the character I thought I would relate to the most. I thought I would relate to Michael and his anger toward the Catholic faith, however, throughout reading I realized I related more toward Lucy and her desire to change the bias of the church. Although I did attend a religious school and my experience was less that pleasant, I did not lose my faith as a result. I still hold to my Christian faith, but have had my eyes opened to the hypocrisy and ugliness of a corrupt establishment, much like Lucy.
I felt that this story was very well paced up until the end. After Micheal pulls his solo stunt, the instant anger and banishment from the group felt perfectly timed. However, the last few months of the story were squeezed into such a short page count that it felt rushed and make the road to forgiveness for Michael feel very fast. On the opposite hand, Katie Henry did such a fantastic job writing such an utterly hateable character in Micheal's father. While I read, I found myself getting angry the more his father demeaned him and treated him as his property and did not care for his opinion in his own life. That being said, I enjoyed the look we got into his childhood and what made him such harsh man at the end of the book.
Overall, the book received 4.5 stars from me, only losing points for the rushed ending.
FULL REVIEW TO COME
4.5 stars for now, maybe 5 stars. I’ll give it a few days and I’ll write my review before I decide fully
4.5 stars for now, maybe 5 stars. I’ll give it a few days and I’ll write my review before I decide fully
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Actual Rating: 4.5
You can decide you were wrong about something, and it doesn’t mean you were stupid. You just know more now. If I still thought the same as I did in seventh grade, I’d be worried.
You can decide you were wrong about something, and it doesn’t mean you were stupid. You just know more now. If I still thought the same as I did in seventh grade, I’d be worried.