Customer Reviews

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature

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This debut of author Robin Brande is an incredible start to what promises to be a very long and interesting career. How many writers would dare tackle the subject of such controversy (Darwin vs. the Church) in a first novel? That takes courage, and Robin is more than up for the challenge. She has willingly left herself open to scrutiny, yet the honest reflection in the journey of the hero (14 year old, Mena) is going to soften those blows.

From alienation, cliques, first love, tolerance, religion, sexuality and more, this book captures the struggles of teens to find their place in this world. It also challenges readers to understand why they believe what they believe -- is it blind faith based on what someone tells you to believe, or do you challenge other presuppositions and put in some sweat equity on your own so you really know WHY you believe something? Beyond that, it helps teach how to treat people who don't quite think like you do.

Personally I have not come to the same conclusion on evolution and Creationism as the author, but I don't find that to be off-putting. In fact, I appreciate the challenge and would hope that the people who read this book (especially teens) take the time to research why they would agree or disagree with the conclusions of this story to better understand their own beliefs.

Beyond the potential controversy, I had a blast reaching back into my past and remembering what it was like to be in high school. Robin has a magical way of capturing that inner 14 year old that is still alive inside of her, and making that character jump off the page. And this book isn't just for girls -- Lord of the Rings plays a heavy role (as it should in every aspect of our lives ;)!

Kudos to the writer. I can't wait for her sophomore release. The bar has been set very high!

I can usually tell how much I like a book, by how long it takes me to read it. I read "Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature" in one evening. Mina, the main character, gets kicked out of her church, loses her friends, and makes her parents angry for something that's not really her fault. When a teacher starts talking about Evolution, Mina gets a chance to fight back.

I think most teenagers are fighting battles of one sort or another, so it's great to read about someone else who's fighting. Good characters, good dialogue, and a story that moves along quickly makes for a fun book.

This, by no means, is the best book I've ever read, but it is a very interesting, thought-provoking book. Evolution delves into the inner workings of "Christian circles" and exposes some of their shortcomings. It also explores how a Christian can believe in the bible as well as evolution.

The book is about a girl named Mena who has done something that has got her banned from her church. All her "friends" won't talk to her, and her parents barely say a word to her. Mena still stands by what she did, and says it was the right thing to do. As the story unfolds Mena learns to forgive herself with the help of her new friend Casey.

***This book, at first glance, would seem to be a Christian Fiction book, but this is not just true. The lessons and controversies could be appreciated by any religion or nonreligion.***

Samfroggie

Robin Brande's Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature is the story of Mena, who starts her first day of high school in the face of outright hatred from her former friends. Her parents are furious with her, and she's been kicked out of her church. She hints at why on the first page:

"When you're single-handedly responsible for getting your church, your pastor, and every one of your former friends and their parents sued for millions of dollars, you expect to make some enemies. Fine."

A compelling start. Only gradually is Mena's exact action revealed, but it's clear early on that her former church friends are not treating Mena with much Christian charity. Soon, in addition to tormenting Mena, the group find a new target for their displeasure. Award-winning science teacher Ms. Shepherd is planning to teach a unit on evolution. This sparks protests and controversy, and a request to also teach "intelligent design", despite the legally mandated separation of church and state.

Fortunately Mena and Ms. Shepherd both find allies in the Connor family. Freshman Casey becomes Mena's lab partner, and awakens her interest in biology in more ways than one. Casey's older sister Kayla is a budding activist and journalist, who expands Mena's perspective. Mena's friendship with the Connors is a bit tricky, however, because her very strict parents would never allow her to go home to study with a boy after school. She's certainly not allowed to date, or even watch movies like The Lord of the Rings (or anything to do with magic). And so, despite being a "good girl", Mena lies to her parents. The lure of spending time with the Connors (especially Casey) is just too strong. She even becomes a guest columnist on Kayla's website, under the pen name The Bible Grrrl (there's now a real-world website for The Bible Grrrl, too).

The central element that makes this book, with it's church-going villains and questions about evolution, work is the fact that through it all, Mena maintains her belief in God. She struggles to reconcile her religious beliefs with her understanding of evolution. She likes church, and doesn't like being banished, but knows in her heart that she did the right thing (in the event that led to her banishment). She sees the people from her church doing things that are clearly wrong, under the banner of religion, but she doesn't blame the religion itself.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature reminded me a bit of the very funny movie Saved!! (starring Jena Malone), especially the behavior of the Christian teens. I would imagine that religious fundamentalists wouldn't care for the book, because they are portrayed in a fairly negative manner (especially the pompous minister). But this isn't an anti-religion book, either, because Mena's goal is to show that believing in God and believing in evolution are not mutually incompatible. She uses her Bible Grrrl platform to address modern-day issues through Biblical examples. I would say that this is a book for everyone in the middle, for people who question and seek enlightenment. It's for people who believe in science, but perhaps also like the idea of believing in something more divine. Because Mena's behavior is (despite a few lies to her parents) pretty straight-laced, I think that kids as young as 9 or 10 could safely read this book, but that it will appeal more to middle schoolers and high school kids. It would make a great discussion book for parents to read along with their children.

But beyond all of that, Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature is a fun, engaging read that I think kids will enjoy. My favorite character is Kayla. She's larger than life, a real force of nature. One of the quotes that I flagged was this:

"I widened my eyes at Casey and shook my head, but it was too late. His giant sister rounded on me.

And she smiled--I swear--this big, friendly smile like the one their mother had given me earlier. And it's like her whole personality changed right before my eyes. If I hadn't been so afraid of her, I would have loved that smile. Instead it was like staring into the teeth of a shark." (Chapter Nineteen)

I can so picture it! I love Mena, too, but in a different way. She frustrated me sometimes, because she didn't react the way that I would have. She's very much dominated by her parents, especially early in the book, and I simply couldn't relate. But of course that's what makes the book a success - Mena reacts in ways that are consistent with her upbringing and her growing maturity. The science teacher, Ms. Shepherd, is also a great character. She's strong yet quirky, and completely committed to making kids understand the joys of science. I like the way that Ms. Shepherd helps Mena, but also holds her to certain standards, and has no patience for the lies that Mena is telling her parents. Here's my favorite Ms. Shepherd quote:

"Ms. Shepherd couldn't take it anymore. "That's enough," she snapped. "Last time I checked, I was the one being underpaid to do this job. Visiting hours are over. It's time to get back to work. Open your books to page ninety-five. Ms. Bailey, you will read." (Chapter Twenty-One)

I love "I was the one being underpaid to do this job." Sharp and accurate. That's Ms. Shepherd. Ms. Shepherd has a website, too. This is a very modern story. Speaking of which, and in the interest of full disclosure, I should close this review by acknowledging that Robin Brande is a blog friend of mine. I participate in events on her website. But, never once has Robin asked me to read, let alone review, her book. What drew me to read it is that that I started hearing positive feedback several months ago, and it sounded like a book that I would enjoy. So I requested it from my library. And once I started reading, I pretty much forgot that Robin wrote it, and just concentrated on the book. I predict great success for Evolution, and I'm sure that it won't be Robin's last. I, for one, look forward very much to what she comes up with next.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on September 23, 2007.

I picked this up at a book store without realizing that it was a "young adult" novel. It looked interesting and it seemed to deal with evolution and the church, so I grabbed it and tossed it into my cart. I was out of town recently on business, needed something to read, had this with me and sat down to read it. That was a mistake, as I had to get up early the next morning and found I had read until well past my usual bedtime.

While this is a novel that deals primarily with the actions of a teen girl whose "friends" from her church now hate her, it also is much more. The reading is fun and easy and the story well told and well thought out. In addition, there are life lessons such as:

*You shouldn't lie to your parents, even when they are wrong
*Parents can be wrong...it happens
*Your "friends" may not really be friends after all
*There is a big world out there...go explore
*Lead...don't follow

That is but a sampling of what can be taken from this novel. It is not, however, written in a preachy or condescending style and can be enjoyed by all ages.

I highly recommend this novel for everyone. It is great entertainment and fun and will certainly stir up debate in the family about the subjects it covers.

"Evolution" is a marvelous first novel, easily read, but may be a somewhat uncomfortable read for the dyed-in-the-wool Intelligent Design proponent who believes that Darwin=Devil and that those who subscribe to Darwin's theory are veritable children of the devil themselves. Nevertheless, I urge all folks, regardless of personal philosophy, to read this book. You may find yourself in complete agreement with the conclusion, to wit: No proven scientific fact is out of harmony with the gospel (thank you, Brigham Young, for that sentiment). Beyond that, the voice of the novel is that of pure, unadulterated adolescence and is spot-on. A truly delightful book all around!

Mena knows that her first day of school will be horrendous, but she doesn't think it will ever get as bad as it does. All her old friends hate her, she got kicked out of church, and it seems that her parents don't understand the meaning of unconditional love. All of this because Mena did the right thing. One good thing did happen on the first day of school - Mena got paired up with Casey Conner as a lab partner in Ms. Shephard's Biology class. Casey doesn't know anything about Mena, which she thinks is a great thing. Soon Mena and Casey have forged a friendship and Mena is starting to see that she has missed an awful lot because of the sheltered life her parents created for her. Casey convinces Mena that they must immediately start working on a project that hasn't even been assigned to them. Mena is skeptical at first and even has to lie to her parents that Casey is a girl, but it is all worth it. Mena realizes that the project Casey has planned has to do with puppies. Soon she is not only attached to the puppies but the Conner familyas well. At school life is still not great. Her old friends are still hip-checking her into the wall and they've started to turn their backs on Ms. Shephard when she says the word "evolution." Much controversy arises when Ms. Shephard starts her unit on evolution and many hateful words are shared. It seems many people believe that the school should teach evolution based on the Bible instead of Darwin's theory. Mena becomes wrapped up with Casey and his sister Kayla, in a fight to defend Ms. Shephard. As the conflict continues Mena realizes that both parties could be right. Will Mena find that happy medium where religion and science can live peacefully?

This was a great book. I loved how Robin Brande took such a controversial issue and turned it into a fun story. I also loved how Mena discovered who she was and who she wanted to be. In today's society people are partially shaped by what other people think. I thought that Mena did a really good job breaking free of all of this drama. The little bit of a romance going on between Mena and Casey made the book even more fun. Robin Brande did a great job creating strong characters that I felt like cheering on. This is a great first novel and I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Brande.

This book is a pretty good read. It takes place in a typical high school. Mena, a freshman, has had the worst year ever! All of her old friends have decided to shun her, just for doing the right thing. Although, they might have had good reason to, seeing as that right thing got them all sued for millions. She is no longer allowed to attend her church, either. On top of all that, she has many classes with her former friends, including science with Ms. Shepherd. Her new lab partner, Casey, is a little strange with a drive to succeed, especially on their to-be-announced science project! She visits his house several times, meeting his crazy sister and her friends. She becomes involved with their newspaper and website as an anonymous writer. When her teacher has decided to start a new unit on a very controversial topic, her former friends decide to revolt! Throughout the book, Mena and Casey have to fight back against her former friends to save Ms. Shepherd from being fired. Unlikely relationships form, and the back story is revealed in pieces throughout the story. I recommend this book to anyone at all who has a taste for books you have to figure out as you read!

I just finished this book, devouring it in one sitting. I loved several things about Evolution, Me and other Freaks of Nature: first, that it made me think, second, that I could relate to it and third, that there was a cute, funny, nerdy guy in it. But this wasn't just a light teen book-this book had real stuff in it-stuff that makes you think and question your own beliefs (always a good thing, in my opinion) so you come to understand WHY you believe what you believe in. All the characters in this book are 3D and a lot of fun and I always like reading about smart, caring and inspiring teachers who take the time to make sure students are not just fed information, but are active participants in their own learning. Great job by author Robin Brande and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

This book will be of interest to adults as well as teens. The intelligent design/evolution debate is a relevant topic in our society, and this book presents some interesting thoughts about the controversy. It's quick, easy, and definitely worth reading.