11

January

2010

Mandy’s Monday – Mandy is NOT a fan of Twilight!

Posted in : Book Reviews, Mandy's Mondays, Student Ministry

A few weeks back I decided to dive into the madness and read Twilight! I was drawn by the scores of teenage girls I know who love this book, one even referred to it as her “Bible” (she carries it with her everywhere). It is not only teens that love it, there are millions of adult ladies who are right in the middle of the craze as well. To my disbelief, Addie has fourth grade friends who have read it, and even Emma’s second grade friends pretend to be vampires (Twilight was named one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2005). I realize I am telling you nothing that you do not already know! So I thought “Maybe, I should read this so I can talk to the girls in my small group who have read it, a mere twenty some times!” I borrowed a copy from another Student Ministry leader at Calvary and started in.
I must say it is a page turner and I finished it with in a few days. I found myself trying to figure out how I could work my schedule and parenting so that I could read more. Reminds me of when I read Davinci Code while my kids ate cracker after cracker and I put off lunch till the chapter ended. Besides being a page turner there is not much that I liked about the book. I found it to be dangerous and therefore I am officially NOT a fan of Twilight! Let me explain.
My first problem with this story, and the huge following it has, is the deception Bella the main character is comfortable living in. This is a subtle flaw in her character but is there none the less, and I would go so far as to say it is promoted through the story. Bella tells half truths or twists things to protect her parents or keep them in the dark about her Vampire boyfriend. “Dad, I spent the day outside.” Not the truth “I went hiking with a vampire who was either kissing me or working hard to prevent himself from sucking all my blood and leaving me dead in the middle of the forest.” What is a little white lie or two, you might ask. And why should I make a big deal about it. I believe truth is drastically IMPORTANT! The Lord is truth himself and he asks the same of us. A lie or even a half lie are not acceptable, and therefore I did not enjoy reading Bella’s half truths that continued through out the end of the book. Strike One!
Secondly, I found if unwise and distasteful, (a pun when referring to a vampire novel) that Bella pulled away from all her friends as her friendship/romance developed with Edward. She became more and more withdrawn from other relationships in her life while Edward became her entire purpose. Dangerous in deed! Bella’s total abandonment for Edward leaves her willing to end her own life rather than go on without him. Strike two!
Finally, and I could go on with other reasons but three will do, the main theme throughout the book disturbs me the most. Bella reasons something like this- “I know he is a vampire, I know he thirsts for my blood, I know he could kill me at any moment, but it just does not matter! I love him!” “It just does not matter”, runs through the book constantly! And here is where I find the most dangerous aspect of this story. If you fall in love with someone who is not good for you, it just does not matter. If he has a drinking problem, it does not matter. If he is abusive, it does not matter. If he is not a Christian and you are, it just does not matter. If he continually treats you horribly, it just does not matter. I realized that Stephanie Meyer was most likely not trying to write a novel to promote women into relationships or marriage with abusive men, however I find the story doing just that. Strike three…you are out!
I would not recommend this book be read by anyone who is under 18! That is my opinion, you may not like it. Young girls are forming what they want in a life partner and what they think about dating. Deciding who to marry is the second most important decision in life. Twilight does not promote Godly wise patterns, instead it captures you with a love story and makes you think “it just does not matter”.
I decided not to read the next three books in the series, I have read enough and Bella can make it on her own with out me – game over!

---