14: The Chosen One

Hannah asked, "Mrs. Gillmore, if I find you a copy of this book, would you read it with me?"

Me:  "Yes."  (Inwardly thinking, "How will I find time to read another book right now?"

In five minutes, back she walks in, having borrowed another copy of the novel The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams.  Soooo...I picked it up and read a few pages.  Then, I kept reading until I had finished the novel.

A fast read, a young adult read, this one captured my attention as it was told through the eyes of 13-year-old young lady who has been chosen for marriage...to her sixty-year-old uncle who already has six wives as ordered by their leader the Prophet.

Up close and personal, this narrative takes the reader into a world alien to most of us:  of dictatorial decrees, of large and growing families, of life-changing decisions, and or rites of passages that should remain alien to us.  Kyra has to make decisions that affect the well-being of just not herself but of also her family...and the librarian that brings books-on-wheels each Wednesday.  The literary lover in me has to appreciate that books play a part in her freedom...yes!

This book reminded me autobiography I read in 2009 entitle Escape by Carolyn Jessup (review here).  These books remind me again how blessed I am to have the God-blessed marriage I do.  Yes.

Several days later, Hannah asked if I had read the novel.  I so appreciated the conversation that followed...her anger, her dismay...her willingness to pause in her busy life and chat about a situation that resulted in our expressing our appreciation for the lives we lead.  AND...isn't it just inspiring to have a young adult encouraging an adult to read?  Yes!

Happy reading!