Popular

Popular: Boys, Booze, and Jesus by Tindell Baldwin caught my eye because I really enjoy memoir type books and I felt like I could really relate to this one. The book is written in two sections: "Dark" (her rebellious days) and "Light" (coming back to Jesus). I loved the book description:

"Tindell Baldwin’s words best describe her passion and this book:

“My heart is for teenage girls because my story is much like so many of theirs. I was just a girl who made a lot of mistakes. I was a girl who had sex before marriage and then had a broken heart. I was a girl who did drugs and drank to fill the void that was deep in my heart. I was a girl who was desperate to be popular. A girl who, like so many others, didn’t know the dark side of sin. So my aim is to reach teenage girls, and through an honest account of my darkest sins, show them what they are up against. My heart is that teens would hear my story and flee to Christ. My greatest desire is that God would be glorified above all else.”

Through a two-part journey (“Dark” and “Light”), Tindell details how she said goodbye to her family’s God and pursued popularity at all costs while climbing the social chain in high school. During a night of partying, she even encountered the man suspected of killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba. But God did not leave Tindell. The “Light” part of her story shows how she reconnected with God, changed her ways, and discovered abundant and real life through Christ."

I didn't become a Christian until I was 20 years old, so I could really relate a lot to Tindell's story, although our paths differed as she grew up in a Christian home raised with strict values and morals. But I could still relate to her "dark" times and her path to Christ. It was a quick and easy read and I had trouble putting it down. This would be a great book for teenage girls to read to help them from going down this same empty and destructive path. Great book and highly recommended.