Year of Doubt Book Review

Year of Doubt is written by Dorcas Good.  It is copy-right 1989 by Rod and Staff Publishers.  You can purchase it online at rodandstaffbooks.com or by phone at (606) 522-4348.

The book is set in Green Hill, Indiana.  It is set in modern-day time.  The book covers one school year, from fall until spring.

The main character is Lois Ann Owen, who is fourteen and the oldest of seven children.  She is nervous about starting a new school and she has a bad attitude about moving all together.  She doesn’t like her big family (!) or how poor they are.

The main theme of the story is how Lois Ann thinks she can be good enough in her own strength.  After struggling for awhile, she becomes a Christian and has to work to change her attitudes. Another theme is Hilda, the rich girl who is mean to Lois Ann and constantly teases her and tries to get her into trouble. Once Lois Ann becomes a Christian, she must learn to deal in the Christian way with Hilda.

Then Lois Ann’s Mother gets sick and must be on bed-rest for two weeks!  How can Lois Ann take charge of everything; laundry, cooking, cleaning and mothering for that long? And the garden is getting ready to harvest! What can Lois Ann do? Does she rely on God for her source of help? Or does she try to do it all her way?

Year of Doubt is a very real book. I really enjoyed the comparison between Lois Ann as a Christian and before she was a Christian. I learned more about how to have a good relationship with God. I also learned about how to be thrifty with what we have and to thank God for it no matter what.

The author did a good job describing the places in the book. You could see Lois Ann’s frustration when she didn’t have enough chocolate to make cookies and you could see the shabbiness of their house. The author also made Lois Ann’s struggles feel very real. You could relate to her and what she was feeling.

This is a great book. I read it almost nonstop on the way home from Florida. You should read this book to find out what happens and discover again how it feels to accept Christ through Lois Ann.

~LindseyMarie