Review: Thought Provoking
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 15, 2012
I'm not one who would tend to read Christian books, but I must say that I found Crowded to be a very thought provoking book. It made me think about many issues in a new way. Two of the  main characters of the story, Josh and Cole, both strive to be good Christians. They both led very different lives before finding Christ; lives filled with selfish destructive behaviors. They both become Christians and wonder why they are still behaving in selfish, destructive ways.These are issues I've heard many Christians discuss before, so this book is very relevant to to people's lives, especially teenagers, as all the issues that the characters struggle with are high school issues like popularity, looks, status, image, dating etc. I notice, like typical teenage high school kids, the last thing on their mind is school, or learning. The characters have lessons they need to learn, if they are ever going to get what it means to be a Christian. One of the criticisms I hear so often of Christians is that they say a bunch of words but nothing about their actions changes. They behave just as selfishly and cruelly as any of the non-Christians that they are so judgmental and condemning of. This is an issue that is definitely explored in this book. Another thing about this book is that there really is a story here. There is conflict, crisis and character development. For such a young author, Shaina Cilimberg shows trememdous story telling ability and I hope she continues to write, and look forward to reading her future books. I recommend this book, especially for teenage audiences, or teenagers struggling with issues questions like, "If I'm saved, why do I still act this way," or questions about identity and belonging.