Diary Of A Teenage Girl: "My Name Is Chloe" by Melody Carlson Book Review

Melody Carlson is one of my favorite writers. I've read several books from her True Colors series, but "My Name Is Chloe" was the first book I'd read in the Diary Of a Teenage Girl series.

"My Name Is Chloe" tells the story of Chloe Miller, a rebellious teenager with a gift for music who refuses to fit the stereotype of a normal girl. In the beginning, Chloe struggles with finding her identity, school, bullies, and most of all, the decision of whether or not to accept Christ. However, Chloe is greatly impacted by her friend Caitlin, and other circumstances in life, and decides to accept Christ. Soon Chloe forms the band "Redemption" with her Christian friend Laura and Allie, who is dabbling in witchcraft. Allie later accepts Christ after seeing the change in Chloe's life. However...just because Chloe accepts Christ doesn't mean everything will be smooth sailing now. Chloe's world is rocked by an unjust accusation, and now Chloe must decide whether she can forgive like Christ forgave, or to strike back.

The main plot of the series revolves around Chloe's musical abilities and the formation of Redemption, however, "My Name Is Chloe" is the first book, and tells the story of Chloe and Allie's Salvation, and the very beginnings of Redemption. Overall, "My Name Is Chloe" is a great read! Melody Carlson has the talent to draw the reader in and make you feel like a part of the story. Messages of hope, redemption and forgiveness fill the pages of this book, and the band storyline is fun to follow as well. Be sure to check out the Chloe series of the Diary Of A Teenage Girl books! So far, they've been great, and I recommend them for teenagers all around!

Book Review: Life In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson

"Life In Spite of Me" is Kristen Jane Anderson's story of depression, suicide, and how she overcame it through Christ. I enjoyed this book very much, even though the content is more on the serious side.

Throughout the book, Kristen tells her story of severe depression, of going to psychiatrists and counselors, taking antidepressants, partying, and so forth. But nothing could take away the deep pain inside. One night, she decided to end it all, and laid down on some train tracks. Her suicide attempt was unsuccessful, but now she would have to face life without two very important members of her body. Her legs.

After her suicide attempt, she faced many struggles, and still faced depression. However, she found Christ as a result of this horrible event. I don't want to spoil things for you, but the book has a very happy ending.

Kristen now operates a ministry for hurting, hopeless, lost, suicidal and depressed among us. Her ministry is a miracle in itself, and is called, "Reaching You". You can visit the organization's web page here.

In truth, I had a hard time reading this book, because of personal struggles I have faced in life. Kristen's story encouraged me so much, and I'm glad she decided to write this book. I would not recommend it for a younger audience, simply because one of the struggles Kristen faced was rape, as well as the overall suicide/ depression story line may be too mature for younger tweens.

"Life In Spite Of Me" is one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read. I highly recommend it!

I received this book in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed in this review are solely mine.