Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely

I do not know why I wasted my time coming… I think there is nothing as lonely as being alone in a crowd. And I know that I cannot take it another minute.

Book: Dark Blue: Color Me Lonely by Melody Carlson, NavPress, 2004
 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 13-18

Subjects: Friendship, Depression, Popularity, Salvation

Summary: For years, ever since kindergarten in fact, Kara has been Jordan’s shadow. But Jordan’s been accepted into the popular crowd due to her cheerleading skills and Kara is still on the outside looking in. Of course, being one of the popular kids means you must spend all your time with them and no time with anyone outside of that circle. So Jordan is no longer accessible to Kara, no longer has a need for a shadow and Kara is alone. No one to attend football games with. No one to go to the mall with. No Friday night plans. No Saturday plans. No one to eat lunch with. No one to share a locker with. No one to walk down the hallways with. No one to talk or giggle or whisper to. She is just utterly alone. She makes a few attempts to get new friends but even those don’t seem to be going that well. Depression is sinking in deeper and deeper and Kara needs to find a friend before it swallows her completely.

Notes: Friendship is the theme of this book. No one can truly handle being alone. A youth leader states at one point in the book that all were created with an empty spot inside of us that needs to be filled, a longing for friendship. The difficulty is when Kara tries to fill that emptiness with other people. The emptiness can only be filled by God Himself. Kara learns that Jesus Christ actually can and wants to be her Best Friend. It sounds ridiculous and corny to Kara and others at first, but a couple of the characters experience it and testify to the truth of it. They really do feel filled by friendship with God rather than another person. This book does a great job communicating that. A couple other issues are mentioned, not highlighted or discussed much, but mentioned in this book. They are alcohol, drugs, suicide, and smoking.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 15:15 – I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends for everything that I learned from My Father, I made known to you.