OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Power of God Changes All" by Stephanie Styrcula.]

Stephanie Styrcula's young adult/adult fiction book, Power of God Changes All, is set in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mai'Lena Madison's parents are Luke and LingLing. They first came into contact when Luke, a soldier serving in Japan during World War II, saved LingLing from being assaulted. In a Brooklyn school where every student is white, Mai'Lena Madison is referred to as a “colored girl.” She was raised in the Lord's way, and Amanda Maller is her best friend. The white kids constantly harass Mai'Lena, Amanda, and the other minority children. They think mixed-race people have no place among them. All of these things persisted until Jacob, one of the school's popular white jocks, was confronted by Amanda. The white children began to respect the mixed-race children as a result.

There was a new person at their school one day. He is Jerry Mallette, and he is also Jacob's friend. He exhibited an affinity for Mai'Lena. Jacob, on the other hand, is also attempting to date Amanda romantically. Mai'Lena, will you consent to date him? When these guys enter Mai'Lena and Amanda's lives, will they still be able to uphold their beliefs and principles?

I enjoyed a few elements of this book. The first is Mai'Lena and Amanda's friendship and mutual understanding. Given that kids attend a school where there are numerous bullies, I appreciate how supportive they are of one another and how willing they are to defend one another. Likewise, I appreciate how kind and devoted their parents are to them. A parent's relationship with their children should be positive and strong.

On the other hand, I thought many things about this place were objectionable. First off, the book's title, cover, and context are unrelated. Actually, I don't see how The Power of God Changes All, the novel's title makes connections between racism, bullies, and youthful marriage. Few in-depth talks of God and church activities were included at the beginning of the novel, when the author was still portraying the main characters and their boyfriends. A better title and cover for this kind of plot, in my opinion, could have been made.

Additionally, the book claims that these females were raised in God's ways. At first, they portray that facet of the character, but all of a sudden, it changes. I find it very sensitive that this book seems to be trying to promote adolescent marriage and pregnancy. When the parents found out that their fourteen-year-old was pregnant and would become a mother at fifteen, they did not even take sufficient measures. There were too many extraneous details, asides, and digressions. As a result, the book became tediously long. I found this to be a dull read, which is why it took me so long to finish. A person's attention span is limited. The chapters were all too long. I believe there was a more effective approach to accomplishing that.

Finally, I discovered too many mistakes to argue that this was not properly edited. Grammar and punctuation mistakes were present. I give this 2 out of 5 stars for the aforementioned reasons. This story has more things I loathe about it than I like.

I'll recommend it to readers who enjoy Christian fiction. This isn't very religious. Its subject matter is more appropriate for an older audience.

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The Power of God Changes All
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I’ve seen this book and serioously considered it. After reading you review I am glad that I didn’t go ahead with it. I something claims to be Christian then it should follow through on those principles.

I might take a look at this book. because your review was excellent. I'm going to want to read the book on my own.

I am always delighted when I see books like this am a true Christian. And indeed, I have seen the working power of God this book is another confirmation that's God power is amazing.

The title alone in this book is captivating. Of truth, the power of God changes all. I truly want to read this book because of the topic. I enjoyed your review. Good job.

There are so many books out there about what colored people go through at the hands of the so-called White races. Racism is indeed a problem. Still, I'll like to read this book. Great review.

Surprisingly, the book entails a different thing from what it portrays.
However, the storyline on how to overcome prejudice and discrimination appears very insightful.
Thanks for the great and honest review.

Colored people and black people are being regarded as being racially lower by the whites. This is a trait that has to be stopped.

What piqued my interest in this review is the "colored girl" that the reviewer described Mai'Lan as from the content of the novel. Racial inequality has always been an issue in the western part of the world. I would plan to read this novel.

I must commend the author firstly, for taking out time to write this piece. And what I cherished and appreciated the most, in the book, is the kindness and devotion the parents of the characters showed their kids. As a matter of fact, parents' relationship with their children are key; goes a long way in building strong personalities in the lives of the children.

A book that talks about how Mai'lena and her friend Amanda are bullied by the white kids because of their mixed race but are later respected after Jacob is confronted by Amanda. The book title doesn't go along with the book content. I hope the author would use this review to improve the book. Thanks for the honest review.

I would like to read this book to find out more information about how Mai Lena Madison and her friend Amanda Maller were able to fight against racism. Nice review.

The book has different twists from the title. I was expecting something powerful, well I guess I have to read the book to find out what the power of God changed in the book. Welldone on a job welldone.

This sounds like an interesting book to read in spite of the many errors you mentioned. Thanks for your honest review.

Power of God Changes All seems interesting. I'm curious to know if Lena will date the new person in school called Jerry. Thanks for the honest review. I hope the author works on the negative aspect of this book.