Dealing with Divorce: Finding Direction When Your Parents Split Up
Elizabeth Oates
Youth Specialties, 2009, 128 pp., $9.99
youthspecialties.com
The book is written in a driver’s education format, helping the teen whose parents are divorcing through this “road trip” of emotions. This literary element might limit the book’s appeal to older teens, but the issues discussed are straightforward and biblical without being preachy. The author explores some of the prevalent reasons for divorce, including addiction and abuse. Ultimately, the final destination is the reader’s relationship with Christ.
Elizabeth Oates’ impressive resume in family and youth ministry gives credibility as she challenges the reader to accept without condoning their parents’ failures and extend forgiveness to everyone. The “road trip” theme might seem a bit cheesy for many teens if asked to work through the book individually, but as a resource for one-on-one interaction between the student and youth leader, it would be a springboard for genuine discussion of real issues surrounding their parents’ divorce.
