Review of Provoked To Anger
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Review of Provoked To Anger
[Following is a volunteer review of "Provoked To Anger" by Cheray Gardison.]
Provoked To Anger by Cheray Gardison was an easy but nerving read for me because it touched home on so many levels. I work with adolescents and too often this fictional novel is their harsh realities.Provoked To Anger is a captivating and thought-provoking Christian fictional story about two teenagers raised in a single-parent home. Marissa and Jeremy face and overcome many heart-wrenching tragedies as they try their best to survive in a life riddled with abuse of all kinds. Needing an escape from the horrors of their lives they sought the ultimate end but are rescued by the healing powers and grace of God.
This story follows the lives of high school friends Jeremy and Marissa, damaged youths from damaged homes. After a sexual encounter at Marissa’s home after their friend's funeral, Jeremy needed a relationship with Marissa who felt as though she wasn’t worthy enough for such a good person. Jeremy, crushed emotionally and psychologically by his family life, was not able to handle another rejection and ignorant of Marissa’s situation got aggressive and reacted negatively. Marissa had her innocence robbed from her by her mother’s boyfriend Roy and amplified her abuse when she tried to confide in her mother. Marissa’s mom too seems damaged and from a broken home as she turned against her daughter and was more concerned with the love her boyfriend had to offer than the safety and wellbeing of her child. Broken and helpless by their lives and the ordeals they faced, they made the ultimate move to end their suffering by committing suicide. Fortunately, their suicide attempts were unsuccessful and they both survived. However, their situations intensified as Jeremy ended up in a coma and was set to hell, where he was tortured by demons while Marissa became a victim of sex trafficking. While in hell Jeremy learned of the darkness that clouded his family regarding the rape and incestual abuse of his mother and grandmother. Jeremy realized that his mother was hurting and as such couldn’t help him even if she wanted to. With these revelations, he pleaded with Jesus, repented, and was given a second chance. After awakening from his coma, Jeremy embarked on a journey to mend his broken relationship with his mother and she started attending church. Marissa on the other hand found the love she so desired from the other sex traffic victims. Eventually, she was rescued and rehabilitated in a girl’s home for adolescents. Marissa too came to the realization that her mother is too broken and hurting to truly love her. With this newfound knowledge that her mother needs help and healing before she can love anyone, Marissa tries to move forward with her life.
I love that the book highlights the power of God’s grace and love to overcome challenging situations. I also appreciated that the book spoke to the sufferings and abuse the mothers endured as too often we say parents are ‘bad’ when in reality they are dealing with their inner demons as well. Provoked To Anger deals with the struggles of today’s youth and the impact of broken homes and damaged youths’ generation. It also highlights the degradation of certain morals and standards in a society where parents are not vigilant of their children's overt behavior while simultaneously being sensitive to their covert behavior. Even though this book points out how many parents are ignorant to their child/children's ‘cry for help’, as they are too absorbed in their own lives to cater to the emotional, psychological and physical needs of their children. It also speaks volumes to persons entrusted with caring for our children who either turn a blind eye to abuse or are just not interested enough to investigate our childrens’ backgrounds when they realize their cry for help. I enjoyed the religious aspect of this book as both the evil and righteous portions were portrayed.
I did not like that the book portrayed these single mothers as the villains of the story before highlighting that they too are broken and hurt. I hated how close to reality this fictional novel was and how little regard is given to alleviate these issues in our society. However, most of my dislike for this book stems from my personal experiences, whether observing or through interactions with students and young adults.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was well-written, entertaining, informative, inspiring and motivational. I felt the book was professionally edited. I didn’t find any grammatical errors as the story was told in alternating points of view of the characters and teenagers have their own slangs and phrases which were used throughout the book. Additionally, the book contains graphic scenes including sexual activities and violence.
I would recommend this book to young adults, parents and/or guardians. Despite some of the lewd content, I would also recommend this book to teenagers who share similar experiences to Jeremy or Marissa to encourage them that they are not alone and help is available. Sadly enough, I have heard several youths contemplate suicide because they think that their parents don’t care for them. This story can somehow provide them with the realization that Jeremy and Marissa had, showcasing that though their parents may be broken, hurt and unable to love them, they can turn to God for unconditional love, healing and peace. This story was also insightful as to what teenagers and broken families endure and the biblical views on sexual relations.
******
Provoked To Anger
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Provoked To Anger by Cheray Gardison was an easy but nerving read for me because it touched home on so many levels. I work with adolescents and too often this fictional novel is their harsh realities.Provoked To Anger is a captivating and thought-provoking Christian fictional story about two teenagers raised in a single-parent home. Marissa and Jeremy face and overcome many heart-wrenching tragedies as they try their best to survive in a life riddled with abuse of all kinds. Needing an escape from the horrors of their lives they sought the ultimate end but are rescued by the healing powers and grace of God.
This story follows the lives of high school friends Jeremy and Marissa, damaged youths from damaged homes. After a sexual encounter at Marissa’s home after their friend's funeral, Jeremy needed a relationship with Marissa who felt as though she wasn’t worthy enough for such a good person. Jeremy, crushed emotionally and psychologically by his family life, was not able to handle another rejection and ignorant of Marissa’s situation got aggressive and reacted negatively. Marissa had her innocence robbed from her by her mother’s boyfriend Roy and amplified her abuse when she tried to confide in her mother. Marissa’s mom too seems damaged and from a broken home as she turned against her daughter and was more concerned with the love her boyfriend had to offer than the safety and wellbeing of her child. Broken and helpless by their lives and the ordeals they faced, they made the ultimate move to end their suffering by committing suicide. Fortunately, their suicide attempts were unsuccessful and they both survived. However, their situations intensified as Jeremy ended up in a coma and was set to hell, where he was tortured by demons while Marissa became a victim of sex trafficking. While in hell Jeremy learned of the darkness that clouded his family regarding the rape and incestual abuse of his mother and grandmother. Jeremy realized that his mother was hurting and as such couldn’t help him even if she wanted to. With these revelations, he pleaded with Jesus, repented, and was given a second chance. After awakening from his coma, Jeremy embarked on a journey to mend his broken relationship with his mother and she started attending church. Marissa on the other hand found the love she so desired from the other sex traffic victims. Eventually, she was rescued and rehabilitated in a girl’s home for adolescents. Marissa too came to the realization that her mother is too broken and hurting to truly love her. With this newfound knowledge that her mother needs help and healing before she can love anyone, Marissa tries to move forward with her life.
I love that the book highlights the power of God’s grace and love to overcome challenging situations. I also appreciated that the book spoke to the sufferings and abuse the mothers endured as too often we say parents are ‘bad’ when in reality they are dealing with their inner demons as well. Provoked To Anger deals with the struggles of today’s youth and the impact of broken homes and damaged youths’ generation. It also highlights the degradation of certain morals and standards in a society where parents are not vigilant of their children's overt behavior while simultaneously being sensitive to their covert behavior. Even though this book points out how many parents are ignorant to their child/children's ‘cry for help’, as they are too absorbed in their own lives to cater to the emotional, psychological and physical needs of their children. It also speaks volumes to persons entrusted with caring for our children who either turn a blind eye to abuse or are just not interested enough to investigate our childrens’ backgrounds when they realize their cry for help. I enjoyed the religious aspect of this book as both the evil and righteous portions were portrayed.
I did not like that the book portrayed these single mothers as the villains of the story before highlighting that they too are broken and hurt. I hated how close to reality this fictional novel was and how little regard is given to alleviate these issues in our society. However, most of my dislike for this book stems from my personal experiences, whether observing or through interactions with students and young adults.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was well-written, entertaining, informative, inspiring and motivational. I felt the book was professionally edited. I didn’t find any grammatical errors as the story was told in alternating points of view of the characters and teenagers have their own slangs and phrases which were used throughout the book. Additionally, the book contains graphic scenes including sexual activities and violence.
I would recommend this book to young adults, parents and/or guardians. Despite some of the lewd content, I would also recommend this book to teenagers who share similar experiences to Jeremy or Marissa to encourage them that they are not alone and help is available. Sadly enough, I have heard several youths contemplate suicide because they think that their parents don’t care for them. This story can somehow provide them with the realization that Jeremy and Marissa had, showcasing that though their parents may be broken, hurt and unable to love them, they can turn to God for unconditional love, healing and peace. This story was also insightful as to what teenagers and broken families endure and the biblical views on sexual relations.
******
Provoked To Anger
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Legacy by Sean T. Smith
