The first thing I have to say about this book is that although it discusses religion, science, and the confluence of the two, I do not believe that this book is trying to espouse a certain view or to make any of the readers believe a certain thing. Really, this book is about examining one's beliefs, rather than just following what someone has told you, be that a religious view or a scientific one. It also reminds us that human beings are complicated and complex and sometimes believe more than one thing at the same time.
That being said, on with the book review.
This is the story of Mena, a high school freshman, who finds herself starting the school year with no friends. We get the idea that Mena has done something to alienate her former friends and to anger her parents, but we dont find out what that is. (At least not right away.) Mena soon finds herself caught in the crossfire between her former friends, who attend a somewhat conservative Christian church, and her science teacher, whom Mena really likes. The students (influenced by their pastor) demand that Intelligent Design be included in the biology curriculum, along with the theory of Evolution. The teacher (whose name I have totally forgotten) refuses, on the grounds that she does not believe that Intelligent Design is based on science.
When I began reading this book, I had expected a fairly rote tale telling us that science is good and religion is backwards and stupid. This book was much more complex than that. Through Mena we an investigation of this issue that was thorough and thoughtful. Books can have the luxury of making things simple and reducing life to formulas. This book resisted that temptation and instead reflects the complexities of real life.
When I was in high school this was not really a hotly debated topic. Times may have changed, though, and I suspect that some of you may find resonance in this book or recognize certain characters.
This was a book I couldn't put down and one that I thought about long afterwards. I hope that some of you read it so that we can discuss it.
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