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Although Willa harbors her own secrets, she's content with the life she lives in quiet, rural Pennsylvania. Until a violent crime rocks her peaceful world. After murdering his family in Texas, the father Willa never knew is coming for her. As Willa watches her safe little life crumble all around her, she grapples for understanding, for answers. Digging through the rubble of her mother's lies, Willa uncovers some shocking truths - about her mother, her father, and her perfect blended family, who, as it turns out, isn't so perfect after all.

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It's not until cancer invades her mother's body, though, that Lucia discovered what it really meant for a person to seek only spiritual healing in the face of a vicious, life-threatening disease. For her, it meant watching her mother waste away before her eyes and being powerless to stop it. It meant doing constant battle with her father - crying, pleading, begging him to open his eyes. It meant guilt, plaguing, overwhelming guilt as she wondered if it really was her unbelief that halted her mother's progress, even though she knew it couldn't possibly be her fault. For Lucia, honoring her mother's religious beliefs meant standing by, doing nothing, while she died. Slowly and painfully.

In fathermothergod, Lucia Ewing Greenhouse reflects on her mother's fight with cancer, the medical intervention on which 23-year-old Lucia insisted in spite of her father's adamant refusal, and the catastrophic clash of beliefs that made the whole ordeal even more diastrous. It's an honest, heart-wrenching memoir that asks critical questions: What say does/should an adult child have in her parents' decisions, if any? Is there any truth to the idea of "spiritual healing"? What role does faith play in fighting illness? Should the government intervene when religious fanaticism threatens a person's life? When - if ever - should a person's wishes be ignored in order to save their life? As Lucia discovers, these are all difficult questions with very complicated answers.

I know very little about Christian Science (until I read this book I thought it was the same as Scientology, which it isn't), but I do understand growing up in a conservative religion that preaches doctrine which sounds ludicrous to non-believers. However, I don't get the Scientists' refusal of medical intervention at all. I do believe faith plays a role in healing, I just don't think it's the only method that should be used. For instance, I know God can give me the strength to deal with my insulin-dependent diabetes, but I know He's not going to control my blood sugars for me. I have to do my part. Given my own beliefs, maybe it's weird that I sometimes found myself agreeing more with Lucia's parents than with her. I mean, if Joanne Ewing, being of sound mind, refused medical attention, shouldn't her wishes have been honored? If she were a child, subject to the whims of her parents, it would be a whole different ball of wax, but she was a mature adult - deluded though she may have been - when she got sick. That's the beauty of this memoir, though: it makes the reader consider every angle of the drama, empathize with each of the players, and draw her own conclusions.

I'm not naive enough to think I know everything about Christian Science from reading one book, especially when it's written by a bitter former church member, but I find the things I did learn completely baffling. Fascinating, just unfathomable. Lucia obviously feels the same. Still, fathermothergod explores those beliefs in a tell-it-like-it-is manner that is surprisingly sensitive. She honors the good she found in the religion while exposing the hypocriticism that defined her experience with Christian Science. What results is a compelling memoir that is as intriguing as it is uncomfortable, as convincing as it is thought-provoking. If you're interested in these types of issues, you don't want to miss this book.

An aside: I kept thinking that the refusal of medical attention for religious reasons would make an incredibly compelling novel, especially if it concerned a child. You listening, Jodi Picoult? I just found your next best-selling idea.

(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (a handful of F-bombs plus moderate use of milder invectives) and one depiction of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of fathermothergod from the generous folks at Crown Publishing. Thank you!

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Eighth grader Maureen Saunders is far from the most popular girl at Grover Park Middle School. Far, far from it. In fact, if it wasn't for honey buns and cupcakes, she'd have no friends at all. She's so low on the totem pole of popularity that even the geekiest kids want nothing to do with her. Until the day she stands up to the ThreePees, a trio of pretty, popular, perfect girls who delight in torturing lower life forms like herself. Maureen's heroics endear her to Allergy Alice and Beanpole Barbara, two girls who are as dorky - if not more so - than Maureen. Together, they form their own clique, the Nerd Girls.

The geek squad has one goal: to steal the ThreePees' thunder by beating them at the school talent show. Their only problem is talent. They have none. Unless you count Barbara's ear wax-cleaning skills, which Maureen certainly does not. When an unlikely source presents Maureen and her friends with the perfect showstopping act, it looks like the girls might finally get their revenge through pure nerdy awesomeness. But, The ThreePees never lose, especially to social nothings like the Nerd Girls. Can Maureen, Alice and Barbara win against Grover Park's reigning queens or are they destined to wallow at the bottom of the social food chain forever?

What sticks out most about Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus by Alan Lawrence Sitomer is Maureen's very authentic voice. Kind of weird considering her creator is a middle-aged (I don't actually know how old Sitomer is - he looks youngish - so hopefully I'm not insulting the author by calling him "middle-aged.") man. A teacher man, well-acquainted with the way kids speak/act, but still, creating such a vivid, real character is no small accomplishment. Maureen's snarky, but she's also honest, quirky, and sympathetic. It's kind of impossible not to like her. I didn't love every twist the plot took, but I still enjoyed this funny, upbeat read. My 9-year-old (who read the book on the sly - it's recommended for ages 11+) thinks the book's hysterical. I'm not quite as enamored, although I liked Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus. I just didn't love it.

(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of the N.E.R.D.S series by Michael Buckley)

Grade: B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for some crude humor

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus from the generous folks at Disney/Hyperion. Thank you!