Struck

Struck
By Jennifer Bosworth

Struck is about a young girl, Mia Price, who has survived multiple lightening strikes. Now, after she and her mother and brother have moved to California, a freak storm hits Los Angeles destroying all but one building in the downtown area and causing many to be killed or left homeless. A local preacher is claiming it is the end of the world. Mia's mother has been traumatized and Mia and her brother return to a damaged but serviceable school in order to receive food and care packages.

Now Mia is pursued by members of two different cults as well as being followed by a strange boy who says he only has her best interests at heart. Mia tries to stay out of all of it but she become drawn into the middle of a showdown that may bring about the end of the world because of what she alone can do.

I have to say I hated Mia's character. While the plot itself is a good one, Mia is not an attractive person. Although she tried to help her family, she ended up doing more harm than good. She does not trust anyone and insists she can do it all on her own. It becomes very clear that she cannot do things on her own. But who can she trust? And she constantly sounds as though she is whining, even in her interior dialogue.

What did this book have to do with my faith? In the book, one of the religious cults that has gotten a lot of publicity is led by a blind man called the Prophet. He quotes the bible (most often Revelation) and provides shelter, clothing and food to all his faithful followers. Downside: you have to look good in solid white. His messages, however, touch Mia's mother and she becomes a devoted follower of the Prophet which actually is overall good for her; she stops taking the illegal meds that Mia has bought on the black market and begins living again. The Prophet has also adopted several children and provided a stable environment for them. He must be a good guy, right? Well, Mia doesn't like him for his religious propaganda and sees him as a bad influence on her mother and others in her school. It seems like all his followers become a bit brainwashed. Because of this, these are the questions that came to my mind: How many times has someone who claims to speak for God actually misled others or been shown to be a charlatan? How can we Christians know the difference? And how can anyone in the secular world see the difference between a charlatan and someone who is authentic?

I do not recommend Struck.

Happy reading!

Amelia