Customer Reviews

A Good Courage

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book, A Good Courage, was very,very good. Stephanie S. Tolan has written extremely well about the life of Ty in the Kingdom of Yahweh. She is probably very knowledgeable about religion and has potrayed what religion can not be... slavery...of kids. If anything, this book had a few complex ideas, and only 10 and above can read this book. That is the only reason I did not rate it 5 stars. This book, again was very, very good, and I would recommend it to children over 10.

The book begins as Tie-Dye Rainey and his mother, Jasmine, become christened into a reclusive religious community called the Kingdom. Ty is given the new name, Tobias. His mother becomes Jordana. Ty has grown up moving from one place to another, his mother in search of an elusive happiness by joining various communes and utopian communities. Ty has always tried to make the best of it, and always tries to find the good in every situation. But the Kingdom is a harsh place for kids like him, and he has trouble finding anything good about the place. Kids work seven days a week in the field, or doing other chores, and are punished for bad behavior by being given fast days where all they get is water. Ty discovers that there is not even a school in the Kingdom. He befriends a girl named Samarah, who is considered a devil child by the rest of the Kingdom because her parents up and left one day, "embracing Satan" in the place known as Out There (everywhere that is not Kingdom grounds). Together, Sam and Ty try to figure out a way to escape the Kingdom.

This was an interesting book and I finished it pretty quickly. There were some holes, though. For one thing, very little background is given about Ty and his mother. Their past is alluded to occasionally, but we aren't given details. It would have been helpful to hear about what life was like for Ty in the places he lived before coming to the Kingdom. A passing reference to some place he used to live in is confusing without more explanation. There is a man named Polaris, from the Home Place, where Ty and his mother once lived. But how long they were there, what it was like, and why they left, is never explained.

The mother's behavior is never explained very well either. We are told only that she doesn't like the responsibilities of the world Out There, and is scared of money. We are not told why. In addition, the character of the mother isn't very well-developed, and while I realize the story is about Ty, not his mom, I felt that she was a really transparent character. Whenever we see her, she's either really joyful, or breaking down in tears. And it seems hard to believe that she would not listen to her beloved son when he tells here what Kingdom life is like for kids.

Personalay I enjoyed this book to me it was very touching. The young boy, Ty, is nice and wants the best for his mom. Even if it means spending the rest of his life in a kingdom where shing and child play is a sinful. Children who are sick must still work in the fields or for the girls doing the kingdom's landray. Ty finds himself in a tough sution and won't give up. This story gave me the fealing of many scared childern's
bravy to surive in this world to wich their parents brougth them.
I think you should read this wonderful book and learn of childern's fatith t live.
(Kids in 7th grade, like me will love this story!!!!!:)!!!!!!!)
My real name is jumping julie the kangaroo from pluto!!!!!!

WOW! Bad book. I gave this book one star because it felt good to end the pain. If you want lots of cult facts this isnt the book for you. If you want a not very enjoyable read....READ THIS! What was the author thinking when she wrote this. It wasnt cool it wasnt funny it was bad.!