Customer Reviews

Maggie's Story

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

He heals the sick and feeds the poor. He raises the dead and has charisma that attracts people to him from all walks of life. Those in his inner circle believe he is the Son of God. This is not Jesus Christ; instead this is Josh Davidson. Christ never came to earth as claimed by those in the first century, but now God sends his Son to protect and preach to the masses.

Maggie is a sinner who uses sex, drugs, and alcohol to dull her pain. She once tried suicide but failed and now just tries to numb her anguish. When Josh's path crosses hers, she walks away from him, but then returns to him as she is drawn to him and his message of forgiveness. Maggie becomes a devoted follower preaching with him in Ohio. She knows deep in her heart that Josh forgave her sins even if she cannot forgive them herself. Yet she is the one who sees him first when he rises from the dead and when the time is right she will be one of hiss followers to spread his message.

Although this book is aimed at young adults, older readers will enjoy reading Maggie's story immensely. Everything that happened to Jesus happens to Josh in the twenty-first century. Josh's message spreads around the world rather quickly because of advanced communications, which also means he is a threat to the powerful. Maggie represents a modern day Mary Magdalene as Dandi Daley Mackall makes the case that the Son of God could have come at any time and attracts the same followers and detractors. MAGGIE'S STORY will be cherished by readers.

Harriet Klausner

Everyone's been through a time in their own lives where struggles seem to never fade and sometimes get the best of you. For Maggie these struggles overcame her life and trouble just kept knocking at her door, well at least until she met Joshua Davidson.
Maggie like a lot of teenagers fell into the wrong crowd in high school. Testing out everything from drugs to boyfriends, which led her to become a drug addict and having an abortion. That's pretty overwhelming for anyone to go through you'd think, but Maggie didn't stop there. She ended up not going to college and becoming a full time bar tender. To her advantage bar tending was an open door to meeting the right people (drug dealers), making new friends (other drug addicts), and keeping her mind off Chance, her aborted baby.
Maggie's now at her lowest point and thinks no one can change her. But to her surprise that is exactly what's going to happen. Her buddy from high school decides to through a big party but not the usual ones where she can score big on what she wants. This time she will score big on what she needs. Joshua Davidson a traveling evangelist wants to share the good news and by chance ends up at the same party Maggie is at.
Watching people's lives be changed for the good can be so empowering. This book is full of inspiration and is at a level that everyone can seem to relate to. Whether you are like Maggie, were like Maggie or know someone who is like her. That is why Maggie's Story seems to engross you while reading it. In my opinion Maggie's Story is an easy read and is great for everyone, but i believe teenagers would enjoy it the most. I enjoyed it and give it two thumbs up!

This is an amazing, and ming boggoling story about the life of Jesus. Some of the reviws for this book say it was unrealistic and that it couldnt have happened. I am 18 and this story showed me the real depth of our fathers love, and forgiviness. I think this is a must read for any teenager who wants to better understand God.

If Jesus had come during our time, what would our reaction have been? We scoff at the Jewish leaders in the New Testament for not seeing Jesus as the Messiah, when clearly all the signs point at him. Yet if someone now comes and says the same things, we label them as a lunatic, insane, unstable.

Maggie's Story takes a modern day view of the story of Mary Magdalene. The book takes her story from the Bible and puts it into a 21st century setting. Maggie is a bartender living a sex, drug filled life. Pete and Andy own a garage shop. Matt is her drug dealer. Jude is a reporter. The setting is set in Ohio. Jesus is portrayed by a former construction worker named Joshua Davidson. (get it? son of David?) The reader is taken through the life of Jesus/Josh through Maggie's eyes and how she feels about him and his ministry. And there is no Da Vinci Code in this story; no sexual relationship between Josh and Maggie here.

I found this book interesting. The characters were young and the miracles and other events are made more relatable and easier to understand. You sympathize with Maggie and her situation.

Yet I kept having trouble fully getting into the story. I found it hard to accept the modern setting without Jesus having originally happen. I realize that this is just a modern retelling but if Jesus didn't originally exist how is it the 21st century? The modern era started after Christ was born. Modern events could not have taken place without Christianity. The US wouldn't have even existed. I also noticed that there was no mention of Josh's birth. I guess that the virgin birth still would be hard to explain even in modern times? Also I know that as Christians that we're suppose not to judge people and this is going to sound bad, but if I saw a bunch of girls traveling with a group of guys and they were all living in the same van together, I might think negative towards those girls. The leader may say he's religious but the atmosphere would look sketchy.

Maybe I'm just looking too hard and reading too much into this. Like I said I did enjoy it. I would recommended this for teens or anyone who wants to know more about Mary Magdalene. It is a thought-provoking read.

Edgy, but with a heart. An unusual take on Mary Magdalene. Thought-provoking and ultimately a book which echoes the heart and soul of true Christianity.

The Da Vinci Code did a great job of confusing Mary Magdalene's role in the Gospels. It's hard to understand the implications of society in biblical times, and harder to relate it personally. This book shows a side of Mary Magdalene that most wouldn't have considered otherwise.

I am a college student who was immediately intrigued by this book, but also concerned. To rewrite the story from a point of view that isn't often heard, and in another time and place completely (I live in Ohio and know all the cities mentioned in the book) could be dangerous for any writer. It's a difficult and complex task. However, Mackall did a great job. There were times where I entered a parable cringing--cautious that she wouldn't have done the story justice--but left with a great smile and sense of satisfaction. She pulled it off, and from this I would assume, she gained a lot of trust from her readers.

The story is not supposed to recreate the gospels, it's supposed to be a parallel so that we can understand what really went on during the first coming. Of course it's impossible and never would have happened in Ohio or in this century! But that's not the point. For teenagers who are troubled by Bible lingo, "Maggie's Story" definitely brings everything into perspective. The disciples weren't saints before Christ. They were people as bad as drug dealers, people who charge you an arm and a leg for health insurance, and the paparazzi. The Bible says Christ chummed around the prostitutes, liars, and thieves, but I learned that he also chose them to carry his message to others. I never realized that before this book. I never realized that Christ chose the wrongdoers to be his first 12 disciples, because the Bible never said much about their past transgressions. Through "Maggie's Story," I learned how difficult it would have been to do all that Christ had done then, because it would have been ridiculously hard now.

It is said that Christ fulfilled over 400 prophecies from the Old Testament, which is nearly impossible to recreate in a young adult novel in our times, but the book's purpose is not to show the cosmic view of Christ's life and sacrifice. This is an intimate account from a misunderstood woman, whose life was changed forever. "Christianity is not about bad people becoming good--it's about dead people becoming alive." This is a perfect illustration of Maggie Dale coming to life in Christ, adoring Him, being forgiven by His blood, entering the body, and spreading the word.

This book is a perfect read for people who find it hard to read the Bible. Mackall makes it easy for people to understand the life of Jesus. You also get to see the story through the eyes of Maggie. In the Bible you don't hear much about Mary Magdalene. So it is nice to see the story from her point of view. This book shows what Maggie went through and what she might have felt when she first saw Jesus (Josh).

Author Dandi Daley Mackall creates the scene for a modern-day Mary Magdalene to walk today's streets, face contemporary society's struggles, and finally be confronted with Jesus. While Mackall imaginatively fills in the missing spaces where the Bible doesn't, she is careful to draw on what scripture does reveal. It is known that Mary Magdalene, along with other women, did travel with Christ and the disciples as Jesus taught the people. Mackall also cites several scripture references upon which she based some of the events of her story. Fact: according to Luke 8, Jesus did cast out seven demons from Mary; Mary was by the cross at Jesus's crucifixion; Mary was one of the first to go to the tomb and find it empty; and Mary was the first to see the resurrected Christ (John 19-20).

Readers will appreciate how Mackall tells Maggie's story with all the internal angst, grit and realism of a young woman who has been neglected, discarded, rejected and fallen away from "normal" society. Maggie, a waitress at a local bar, is tough, wizened and cynical. During her shift, she can handle whatever is thrown her way. Once home (home being a dingy second-hand apartment), Maggie looks for an escape and every night finds it through several hours of male companionship and a mix of alcohol and drugs. Despite her inner hopelessness, she forces herself to compose heartfelt letters to "Chance," her aborted son, confessing and pleading pathetic words that erupt from her broken heart.

Then one day, a friend tells Maggie about a man she has met. Unlike other men from Maggie's past, Joshua (Jesus) changes the lives of those who hear him for good. Maggie is skeptical but inwardly is drawn to Josh. Wrestling between guilt and fear, Maggie forces herself to take the plunge of faith and follow Josh. Maggie learns and listens, and is forgiven. Soon, Maggie joins other believers who have given up their livelihoods to join Josh's crusade. They take on the state of Ohio, traveling from city to city to preach the Gospel, heal the sick and rebuke the pharisaical religious folk.

Every reader knows how the story ends. Josh is summarily executed while Maggie and the other disciples scramble to make sense of his death. The final scene poignantly wraps up the biblical story of Christ's resurrection and how his appearance to Maggie (Mary) readied her to go and tell his story to the world.

Mackall does an admirable job of getting inside Maggie's heart and mind, and the vulnerability she brings to this biblical character is compelling.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe