3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
EXCELLENT, December 30, 2003
This review is from: The Masquerade (Becoming Beka Series, Book 1) (Paperback)
Honestly, I bought this book because the main character had the same name as me. I found it was VERY easy to relate to the main character. Beka is so real, and I've had a lot of the feelings she has. All of the characters are perfect. Beka had just lost her mother in a car crash that year, and that part is really sad. Beka has a secret she's keeping from her family. When you discover it, you may think it's lame. But when you think about it, it's really real and it happens all the time, and it's not lame at all!!! This is a great book for any teens who have felt confused about life or God. Beka was SO CONFUSED she didn't even know what she believed, but she got sorted out by the end.
The author of this book is a total sweetheart, and you can e-mail her at becomingbeka.com.
This is a great book, so read it! It think you'll like it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Coming of Age, November 8, 2003
This review is from: The Masquerade (Becoming Beka Series, Book 1) (Paperback)
This is a MUST read for teen girls--AND their parents. Beka has some serious issues that have profoundly influenced her attitude. The loss of her mother has turned her world upside down, because Beka has a terrible secret that is eating her up and her mother died believing a lie. The more she tries to hide her secret, the more she withdraws from her family, and the more rebellious she becomes. And as she distances herself from her family, in an effort to be accepted and 'popular' at school, Beka falls in with the wrong crowd.
In many ways, Beka is probably typical of any young girl struggling with the teen years. Yet, she has some unusual burdens that are driving her down a very dangerous road. Finally, her father takes matters into his own hands and forces Beka to deal with her problem...or else.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thought-provoking and interesting novel, February 9, 2007
This review is from: The Masquerade (Becoming Beka Series, Book 1) (Paperback)
Rebekah Madison woke up in the early morning hours again, reliving the nightmare that had plagued her since her mother's auto accident death months earlier. Beka knew she wouldn't go back to sleep; this eerie, pre-dawn pattern had been escalating, and it frightened her. Despite the fact that Beka had a family who loved and cared for her, she felt alienated and alone. Her soul was parched and her conscience seared. She had a secret that was eating her up inside.
When Beka's parents made a crucial life change some years before and started attending a local church, doing home Bible studies and wanting their kids to join in, Beka's siblings had no trouble doing so. Each member of Beka's family got "saved," so seeing how distressed her parents were over her ambivalence, Beka began pretending to be a Christian. Though she drew the line at joining her mother and sisters for their intimate Bible study, Beka "acted" like a Christian in every other way. But she knew she wasn't one, and the masquerading grew into monstrous proportions as one lie heaped upon another.
Given her mother's unexpected death, Beka grieved alone and her lack of "faith" put her on the outside of her family's mutual ability to share and work through their tragedy. Feeling pressure from a former "friend" at school, Beka works to create a new life for herself. She tries out for a part in the school play and gets it. She meets another hurting teen, and they forge a bond. She develops an interest in a fellow classmate, and their connection forces Beka to rethink her current vacillating standards. Without really intending to, Beka follows the crowd into some experimentation with drinking, and the trouble that ensues compels Beka's father to seek professional help for her. Humiliated and ashamed, Beka continues to try to work out her problems on her own.
Finally, an adult friend intervenes and offers Beka more concrete answers to her spiritual questions than anyone else ever has. Significantly, Beka realizes that truth is the foundation for all relationships if trust is to grow, and she summons up the courage to come clean with her family. Once confession has been made, Beka forges ahead with fresh understanding and renewed hope based upon a personal decision to follow Christ. Her only question: How will her newfound faith affect her at school, at church and at home?
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe.
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