Saturday, May 4, 2013

A Fine White Dust by Cynthia Rylant

Cover Art for A fine white dustCynthia Rylant is an amazing writer, and this book has an interesting and unique premise.  Thirteen-year-old Pete is committed Christian and avid church goer and feels sad that his parents and his atheist best friend don't share his religious zeal.  Then a young revivalist preacher comes to town and Pete is swept up in religious evangelical fervor.  When the preacher invites Pete to run away from home and join him on the preaching circuit, Pete feels that he has received his calling from God. The short book focuses on Pete's internal struggle, as he considers and then anticipates leaving his home and family for God. Rylant does an amazing job of creating a believable young protagonist, showing sympathetically his deep religious feelings, but also his youth and naivety.  This is an older book, first published in the 1980's, but I am glad I stumbled across it.  (106 p)

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