To Save a Life: Book Review

To Save a Life by Jim & Rachel Britts

I went to the library in search of about five different books. And I couldn't find any of them. So I came home with five or six different books, this being one of them. I didn't really know anything about them, and I was having trouble deciding which one to actually read. They all looked good. I had seen this one on the shelf before and had even taken it home, but just hadn't had the time to read it. I have the tendency to start a book, get bored a few chapters in, and drop it. So my mom told me that this time around whatever book I chose I would have to read it until the end.

As soon as I started this book, I considered putting it down. It starts with the main character Jake standing in the rain at a funeral. The first couple of chapters are just Jake going back through memories of the person who died--or rather killed themselves. I was bored and scared that the whole book would be like this. Who wants a book going through memories and the occasional thought of regret of a person who lost their childhood best friend? I wanted to see action, to see the person changed. And I was not disappointed. Once the book picked up, it really picked up.

I fell in love with the characters right away. Jake, his girlfriend, his parents, his youth pastor, and even his "enemies" are all very relatable because they are just like people now of days. They go through real life struggles of having to deal with the mistakes they've made or being accused for things unfairly. The characters came off the page and it was much more like a movie playing out in my head than black words on a white page.

Every inch of the story was inspiring, entertaining, and realistic. Over and over the question What is your life about? is asked. By the end of the book, I was sitting there sobbing (I  hardly ever cry over books) and wondering how in the world Jake's life would be pieced back together in the remaining twenty pages.

To Save a Life has many Christian aspects and carefully deals with things that are dealt with loosely in today's world. I would recommend this book to anyone who is already aware of these topics (it talks cleanly about teen pregnancy, partying, drugs, etc.) and who is looking for a good, inspiring read.