Customer Reviews

Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Boy, is this book being marketed to the wrong crowd! The back of the book reads: "...The bestsellers [Twilight books:] tell the story of a regular girl's relationship with a vampire who has chosen to follow his "good" side. But the Saga isn't just another fantasy-it's teaching girls about love, sex, and purpose. With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God's plan for love?"

To me, that sounds like a gushing attempt to turn the Twilight saga into some kind of morality tale, which even Stephenie Meyer said was not the intent. After reading the synopsis, I was very curious how the author was going to pull it off. She asks the question "Can vampires teach us about God's plan for love?" and then, instead of gushing about how awesome Twilight is, she answers her own question with a resounding no. From the start she says Twilight is a fun and exciting read, but argues that not everything that compels us is good for us. She then proceeds to tear Twilight thoroughly apart piece by piece.

There are some great points brought up: Twilight isn't real; it's just a story, an all-consuming love isn't healthy, obsessive love can be abusive. Unfortunately, these and other points are discussed in such a heavy-handed manner that Twilight fanatics will most likely be turned off and not take the book seriously. Honestly, I can't see any teen sitting through this book. I could barely get through it and I've never thought of Twilight as a particularly moral story. I have no problem picking out the flaws, but good heavens, lighten up! Some people really do need to take a step back and give some of the issues in Twilight some thought, but I can't see this book helping them to do that.

In addition to the extreme negativity, the author completely misinterpreted parts of the Twilight books and uses some quotes out of context in order to make her point. This shows a lack of integrity as a writer and is dishearteningly ironic considering the kind of book she's selling. Also, I strongly disagreed with some of her biblical interpretations and found them to be quite disturbing.

Another thing I found odd is how the author points out that the Cullens are portrayed as the perfect family and how that reflects Meyer's beliefs as a member of the LDS church. If you're familiar with the books, you know this is a real stretch, but what's weird is how the author backs up her theory by pointing out how brochures for the LDS church portray perfect families on their glossy pages. I've never seen brochures from any church that DIDN'T show a perfect glossy family. As a homeschooler, I see a fair amount of Protestant ads and the Jehovah's Witnesses frequent my neighborhood, passing out their own glossy brochures. I just found it odd that the author would pinpoint this aspect when it's hardly singular to any church. Again, she does what she has to in order to get her point across, whether it's honest or not. I have a hard time trusting an author who stoops to these kinds of tactics in order to trash someone else's work or beliefs and to imply that they are evil.

The bottom line? There are some great things in this book, but they are weighed down by ham-fisted preaching and questionable argumentation. If you're a big Twilight fan and want some deeper insights on the saga, this book is not what you're looking for. If you're reading it out of curiosity, just know that it takes a very negative approach. If you're a parent, youth worker, or friend looking for some help with Twilight mania, I would not just up and give this book to someone. Read it first, take a few notes, and present your own version; a kinder, gentler, more honest version which may actually have some impact.

I was so excited when I heard Multnomah was sending me this book to review. Although I enjoyed the books to a point, I have my own concerns about them and wondered if this book would address them and possibly show me things I'd missed. Fantasy is such a complex genre that I think it's a little easier to blur the lines between appropriate and not sometimes.

First, I'd like to note that there is little in this book that I don't agree with in principle. Almost every concern the author raises, I agree with the principle behind it whole heartedly. That's very important to note because it's going to look like I didn't like the book or that I think Ms. Jones has too much time on her hands or something. Neither is true. (Well, I kind of hope she does have too much time on her hands. I'd like her to teach me how that is done!)

My objection to her book only lies in perceptions. When two people read the same book, they're going to see things through different lenses. (Give two people the same book by Michael or Debi Pearl and you'll see what I mean!) I'm not just talking the lens of Christ-filled or not, conservative or liberal, or similar things. I'm talking about life experiences and personality. Those things often make it seem like a Christian is weak or immature because they don't see things the same as another person. It took me years to understand that sometimes, it isn't that at all. It's simply perception.

I'm not going to refute her take on the book point by point. I don't think it's necessary. I am only going to show the difference in perception of two readers.

Beth Felker Jones- Ms. Jones sees the all-encompassing love that Bella has for Edward in these books as encouraged, portrayed as positive, and intended to be a model for what every girl does/should want.

Chautona Havig- I saw the book as showing just how dangerous such `obsessiveness' can be and where it can lead. I saw it as a fact of the plot, but in no way encouraged. It is a common thing for young teen girls to become wholeheartedly wrapped up in their current `crush' and truly believe nothing can possibly part them. I saw Meyer as taking that to its logical conclusion and showing the heartache that comes with it without turning the book into a moralistic lesson rather than a semi-fairytale. (Which I think is what she intended it to be.)

I'm not saying that I don't think anyone read the book and came away with a desire for a "love like Bella and Edward's". Actually, I'm sure they did. However, the subtitle of tis book is "Discovering the hidden messages in the Twilight Saga." The message I got is 100% opposite from the message Ms. Jones got.

I agree, without any reservation, with her contention that obsessive, all-encompassing love in real life for anything or anyone other than JESUS is wrong. I don't quibble there. I just disagree that the book even glorifies it. I saw it (and I think my girls did as well) as a sad commentary on a lonely girl who grew up without a father's influence in her life.

Where I did completely agree with the author is in that this series, while written and marketed to the young adult market) is really too sensual for most teenagers. Honestly, had I read the third book first, I would not have allowed one of my girls to read it. It was too sensual for me and I'm married! I think a lot of Christian parents knew that Meyer was a Mormon and given the Mormon's reputation for morality, trusted her too implicitly with their children's reading material. Others, like me, saw the sensuality in the first and second book as a bit much, but decided it was something their child could handle and didn't realize how much it was going to increase in the third book.

So, to be quite frank, I was so excited to read this book and then was a little disappointed. I was not disappointed with the content in so much as what she sees as important for Christians. What she has to say about our world view is spot on. I'm applaud her for tackling it and tackling it so well. Unfortunately, I don't see that her points, in so much as they relate to the Meyer books, are solid.

Read the book. I seriously think it encourages us to look at what we read and what we watch and what messages we're sending to ourselves and our children in our choices. She does that beautifully. But, if you are looking for a book that warns others about the dangers you see in the Twilight books, keep looking. Anyone who has read the books will either agree with her completely, or shred her arguments point by point. As usual, I did a little of both.

It's not secret that the phenomenon of The Twilight Saga, a young adult vampire and werewolf novels, by Stephanie Meyer that has taken over much of modern pop culture. Twilight was a major box office hit and an instant cult classic and the sequel New Moon releases November 20th!

I have to admit, both my wife and I have read all four books in the series and truly enjoyed the stories. We were captivated by the friendship between Bella and Jacob and the romance of Edward and Bella and even started a bit of a competition between us... I wanted Jacob to end up with Bella... Anyway, it's obvious that the characters and novels have truly made their mark.

As I read through the books, there was more than one instance in which I thought... wait a minute... my middle schooler has read this? Particularly Breaking Dawn the fourth book in the series has some very "adult" content. While Bella and Edward wait for marriage before having sex, the entire "honeymoon" section of the book left me feeling a bit awkward and even more awkward knowing I have 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls and guys who have read these same accounts.

As a pastor I started to have questions about whether or not my students should be reading these stories. Particularly my young girls. In the book Edward is painted as the perfect guy, strong yet sensitive, caring, and obsessed with Bella to a fault. To make this more of a connection with my young girls is the character of Bella. Bella is a normal, ordinary, and flawed girl. She's the girl that most of my girls will identify most with. Which makes meeting someone like Edward (an impossibility) all the more enticing and real. I was looking for a collective "something" to help me answer all the questions I was putting together in my mind. Touched By A Vampire: Discovering The Hidden Messages In The Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones does exactly that.

Beth does a excellent job of examining the major themes of: love, family, humanity, sex, marriage, and violence The Twilight Saga presents. She examines the saga's stance on each of these things with footnoted quotes from each book. She then cross examines each of the books stances with the truth of Scripture giving good real life examples and Scriptural text to support. Each chapter ends with some questions to ask in a small group setting over what was read in the chapter. These sections make this book a great study to do with a group of girls. There's a discussion guide as an appendix to the book as well.

Touched By A Vampire: Discovering The Hidden Messages In The Twilight Saga has been a great resource and helped me clear up some questions I had concerning the series. It's a great read and a quick read. Pick it up of you're a parent or a pastor or someone who has read the books and is looking for answers to questions like the ones I had. Check this book out. It's well worth it.

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Beth Jones applies her critical thinking skills that we all learned in English to analyze the entire Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyers. While this book is sometimes too academic, sometimes not academic enough, Jones makes excellent points as she analyzes themes like forbidden romance, true love, abstinence and sex, gender roles, family relationships, marriage, children and motherhood, the search for meaning and purpose in life, human nature, evil, salvation, and violence. I enjoyed the Twilight saga immensely, while at the same time being disturbed by Bella's view of herself and the abusiveness of her realtionship with Edward. As Christians, can we enjoy a story that has flawed characters? Sure. But we are always called to examine everything that goes into our mind. You can enjoy a story and still think about it's themes critically. This is an excellent book that adults should read with their Twilight-fan children and discuss. Use every book, movie, song, and TV show as a moment to enjoy and escape, but also to think and examine and compare to the ultimate source of our meaning and happiness: God and His Word. Highly recommended book.

I loved the Twilight series, and have always stood by the fact that when my daughters are old enough they can read it. But now that I've read Touched by a Vampire, I'll still let my daughters read the Twilight books, but we're going to have some things to discuss after they do.

Jones touches on many of the themes in the Twilight series, love, family, gender roles, abstinence, and many more and explores them from a Christian viewpoint. Many of the ideas she brought up were things I hadn't even thought about. But were important ideas that need to be addressed, especially for younger more impressionable readers.

I really looked forward to reading this book, and it exceeded all of my expectations. It's a great book to have on the self next to your Twilight Series.

This book was provided for review by Multnomah Books.

Examine Twilight through a biblical lens - that's exactly what Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga promises to do.

It's no secret that I'm a Christian. It may be a secret that I am a closet Twilight Mom. I began the series before I rededicated my life to the Lord, and I was instantly hooked. As many fans will claim, the lure is not about the fantasy of vampires and werewolves, but instead the thought of a love so deep that you would sacrifice your life for it.

While some Christian readers have praised the themes behind the Twilight series, such as sexual abstinence and a desire to be good despite inherited evil tendencies - there is debate whether these books are teaching young girls proper lessons to live by.

Written with guided discussion ideas for groups, Touched by a Vampire explores the series from a biblical perspective. Author Beth Felker Jones presents a way for Twilight fans, parents, teachers and youth workers to understand the series (the book also provides a synopsis for those who have not yet read the series) and explores whether it teaches God's plan for love.

You can purchase Touched by a Vampire directly from WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House. I am a member of the Blogging for Books program.

Warning: If you are currently reading the Twilight series, you may want to wait before reading this book as it discusses the eventual outcome of the novels.

I went through this book with my sister. I am 31 and married and she is 28 and single. We both enjoy the Twilight series. We do not always agree with the author's interpretations of the series, but she does bring up great points of discussion. We've had a lot of deep and helpful conversations because of this study. This book would probably be a good tool for parents and teens to go through together. It can be used to encourage adult singles and teenagers to stop and think about what they want in a spouse and help them to guard their heart and make wise decisions about dating/courtship.

I've always liked vampire books, so when I got the opportunity to review this book for Waterbrook/Multnomah, I jumped at the chance to see how Christian authors would handle this subject.

TOUCHED BY A VAMPIRE, by Beth Felker Jones, is for every parent who's wondered if their teenage daughter's obsession with the TWILIGHT series is a good thing, and every reader who wants to examine the phenomen more deeply in light of Christian truth. I was particularly interested because of a granddaughter who's been reading these books and watching the movie. The author examines whether the good themes in this book, such as the fact that true love waits for marriage, outshines the more troubling aspects of the series, such as the heroine's utter obsession with the hero before she has ever become her own person. The book contains an overview for anyone who has not read the TWILIGHT series but still wants to understand them.

I was glad that the book examined the series without insisting on a premise that no true Christian should read these books or allow her children to do so. It's thoughtful and thorough without being arbitrary. It's also not an anti-Mormon treatise (the author of the TWILIGHT series is a Mormon), though it examines the series in light of Mormon themes; for example, the emphasis on family as represented by the Cullen clan.

Ultimately, I've come away from reading TOUCHED BY A VAMPIRE thinking that while a temporary obsession with the TWILIGHT series won't hurt the teen who has parents who have taught her not only that true love waits, but true love does not drown individualism either, and that the love of a mythic creature such as a vampire with superpowers cannot compare with the love of God. I'm proud to say my granddaughter has such parents, so I'm not worried about her being warped by reading TWILIGHT. But perhaps the teen who has not developed her own sense of identity, and more importantly, does not understand that the One who loves her most is God, may come out of reading the TWILIGHT series looking for a magical Edward Cullen equivalent who does not exist, and come away disappointed.

These book was provided for review by the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Blessings, Laurie

I'm rating this 3 stars not because it is average. The points are clear and well-stated. I'm rating it as such, because the highs and lows average a 3 star. The low end is this: Why was this book written? Forgive me if I speculate. Was it because the author felt a compelling need to save Christians from an idolatrous, dangerous end consumed by a burning, illicit passion or one that was entirely dependent upon fate? I don't know. Was it because the Twilight series has sold so well and this author wanted to ride the coat tails to a little monetary reward? Maybe. Perhaps it was just because people like to hear themselves talk. I think a little of all three. (Please, no offense intended. Just my opinion) The Twilight series... is fiction. F i c t i o n. Not real. If anyone is consumed by these books to the point where they neglect their real life, or think this book is a realistic guide to life, then they need professional help. Reading this "breakdown" of the series is not going to cure them of whatever neurosis/psychosis is plaguing them. Nor is having a friend/relative/teacher/pastor reading the book and then pointing out that the drowning reader needs help because Paul said something to some people a long time ago. I may sound jaded, but I'm not. As I said, the author's points were well made. The correlations were valid and true. I just can't see getting worked up about fictional characters. Now if this were a real life couple that lived down the street from me, I'd be taking this a little more seriously. And putting bars on my windows. Maybe even moving into a bunker. (I kid) But my kids and I talk all the time. About everything. Maybe if parents spent more time with their kids just talking and listening and really getting to know them individually (and on a daily basis) these kinds of concerns the author talks about wouldn't seem so pressing. Sometimes the best teaching is done when you say nothing. And just listen.

As half the world has read the Twilight Saga, including myself, I was very excited to find a book that talks about some of the stuff that makes Twilight so appealing and why. If you love God and the Twilight Saga, I encourage you to pick up this book. Read it yourself. Do a little book club with your friends. Ask your youth pastor to do a group at church. Or ask your mom to read it with you. When something becomes as popular as Twilight, it's a good idea to step back and ask yourself why. You want to be able to think for yourself and know what you like or dislike about it and not just follow mob mentality on the issues.

Beth Felker Jones explains in this book why Twilight hooks girls so desperately. She talks about love, sex, marriage, purpose, family, and desire in relationship to Twilight and the Bible in a way that gets you thinking about what God has to say on these subjects. Many Christians have applauded this series for the premarital abstinence between Bella and Edward. But does Twilight's redemptive qualities outshine it's darkness? This book is written for fans, parents, teachers, and youth workers. Take a closer look inside Twilight and see what you find.