Saint Training

Book: Saint Training by Elizabeth Fixmer  Zondervan Publishing, 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 14-19 (Character is only 12, but some of the issues dealt with are not all that appropriate for 12 year olds.)

Subjects: The nature of God, Catholicism,

Summary: If she can’t find answers to her problems, then maybe it’s because she isn’t holy enough. 12 year old Mary Lou has decided that God has stopped answering her prayers due to her being such a horrible sinner. Her family can barely afford to feed themselves right now, and another child is on the way. Young men are being drafted for the Vietnam War.- even those like her brother, that don’t believe in it. And her mother has started to embrace the feminism movement, seeking employment outside the home. Mary Lou begins writing letters to a Mother Superior asking what she needs to do in order to not only become a nun, but her ultimate goal is to become a saint.

Notes: This book is catholic, completely and totally. The characters do not pray to God, but to the Virgin Mary. Their goal is to avoid years in purgatory. Mary Lou firmly believes that the Catholics know the only way to Heaven and tries to convert those around her to Catholicism. There is some discussion about the very character of God – loving and forgiving or just and condemning. There is also some discussion on whether or not there is more than one way – after all, doesn’t every religion think they have the only answer. The book never pursues salvation through belief in Christ alone as the way to Heaven or studying His Word as a means of knowing Him better. It is all about reciting memorized prayers. Mary Lou finds it wicked when a little sibling acts as though a prayer is stupid or meaningless when that sibling was not even understanding the words right, let alone understanding the meaning. This book makes for interesting reading and is thought provoking, but it does not provide answers. It is designed just to make you think, not lead to conclusions, and it is definitely more focused on Catholic theology than Biblical theology.

Recommendation Scale: 1/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.