Jennifer Wilson

9-10-04

English 4 AP

Period 1

In-Class Book Report

Upon reading and completing Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs, I found it to be most invigorating and inspirational. It is a story of loss, hope, and true love. Many different points can be extricated from this story and used to evaluate its overall quality and performance.

One standard of excellence I found in Thorn in My Heart is the use of asking questions that have no immediate answer. Leana, the main character, is constantly baffled by the decisions that have been made for her, such as getting married to Jamie. Her father strongly coerced her to become intimate with Jamie to ensure her pregnancy and an heir to her family. She constantly asks God why He has allowed certain events to happen to her, but never gets an immediate answer. However, God is watching over Jamie, but Jamie cannot understand why, since he believes he has been a horrible person. He would ask God, “How can you be with me when I cannot live with myself?” (Higgs 307). These persistent questions are present throughout the course of the story and truly allow the reader to understand the sense of urgency the character experience.

A criterion that Liz Curtis Higgs strived for in this book is to make the story relate to something in the readers life. I found this criterion the most effective in answering my question. A reader who is struggling to answer a question in his or her life is most likely to find an answer upon the completion of Thorn in My Heart. The book almost seems to ask the reader, “How does this make you feel?” In asking that question, the reader can respond with his or her own questions and then read the text to discover his or her answer. I asked the question, “What is it that God wants for me and why?” After completing the story, I found that God is in control and He knows exactly what He is doing. Leana and Jamie couldn’t understand why God was allowing certain things to happen, but they did not see that He had a greater plan for both of them. God wants the best for all of His children and that was the ultimate evaluation I attained from this story.

Thorn in My Heart was most definitely a “thumbs up” book, full of inspiration and courage. It gave me, the reader, a sense of direction, and I would highly recommend it to anyone willing to answer a question in his or her life.