Final Thoughts on the Living Hope Library Series

People love banning books, but it doesn't work, at least not in the way that they want.  The act of banning a book draws attention to it. 

I've mentioned several times how someone didn't want the John Benton books in the Vintage Teen Books group.  They gave these reasons, which I have slightly rephrased and reformatted.

• The books have a lot of victim-blaming in their titles.
  
  
• The covers and summaries contain victim-blaming.
  
  
• Some sex workers don't want to be sex workers.
  
  
• Some sex workers are hurt or killed.
  
  
• The books shouldn't be allowed because we don't know the full content.
  
  
• We don't know how unjust women are being judged or talked to.

I am mystified as to how titles like Carmen or Tracy could be interpreted as victim-blaming.  I mean... the titles are their names...?

Perhaps this person meant the promotional blurbs.

A desperate young woman is engulfed in crime—and its consequences.

A young man's habit becomes a matter of life and death.

She could con her way into anything—except happiness.

These blurbs state facts about each protagonist.  The victims are depicted as victims.  As to the summaries, the same is true.

The women most certainly don't want to be sex workers.  That's the point.  The books were used to save women from prostitution.  Benton and his wife gave his books to women who were on the streets and in jail.  Some of the women read the book that they were given, relating to the content, and were then moved to contact the Walter Hoving Home.  How is this bad?  The books helped women escape from an endless cycle of prostitution and drug abuse.

Due to the complaint, I became curious about the books.  This is what I wrote last year.

When ----- complained about your post, I became curious.  I wanted to know exactly what was in John Benton's books that made the books unacceptable for discussion.  I ordered four of the books so that I could see what they are like.

I finally read one this week.  I liked it a lot, so I decided to purchase the rest.  And here we are.  It's ironic that -----'s complaint led me to paying attention to a set of books that I otherwise would have ignored.

To everyone:  I'm not being flippant.  That is just what happened.  Sometimes what happens is not what we expect.  I never expected that I would want all of these books.  I wasn't interested when ----- posted about them originally.

So there you go.  I never would have paid attention to the books if someone hadn't insisted that we not allow discussion of them. 

I want to address some other points made by the person who complained.  They were concerned about how the victims were treated.  Well, yes, victims aren't treated well.  Should we sweep that under the rug?

I've always been aware that prostitutes are treated poorly by their pimps, but I never stopped to think about exactly what that meant.  Now I know.  Benton made it real for me.  The women are used and abused in the worst way possible.

These books made me think about how the prostitute has the liability.  She is at risk of being arrested, while the pimp, who takes all of her money, stays hidden behind the scenes. 

I'm not sure how much this person's reason for wanting the books banned had to do with "how the girls are treated."  I suspect that the underlying reason was because the books are Christian books.  So what if they are? 

When I started to publish the reviews of these books, I removed the religious references from the first few summaries.  I then decided that anyone who reads this blog ought to be able to handle a brief mention of God or Jesus.  One of the biggest problems we face today is that people are too sensitive.  That, of course, was the problem with the person who complained about the books. 

I wish to digress briefly.  Nothing is wrong with being sensitive.  We need to be sensitive to the feelings of others.  I am sensitive myself, and I try not to hurt others' feelings.  That's why I didn't post any quotes including the homophobic content.  I know that quite a few of my readers are gay, and I know that the content would hurt you.  So, I am sensitive.  But I won't disallow books to be posted in a group just because they could contain hurtful content.  People who don't want to read the books shouldn't read them.  They can scroll past posts that they don't like.

In reviewing the books, I am not promoting religion and am not even concerned about that part of the content.  I read the books because they are thrilling and fun to read.  I guess I read the books for the wrong reasons.  Regardless, I did enjoy them.

I am grateful to the person who complained as I otherwise never would have read any of the books.  It worked out well for me, in the end.

Certainly the books are a bit grim.  I found the early books to be hilarious.  The later books were still interesting, but I found that they had begun to wear on me.  The content was so heavy that I found that it was impacting my mood.  The books are disturbing, because they are based on true stories.  People live like the characters in these books.

The highpoint of the series for me was when I read about Lori stripping off her clothes and running through the drugstore yelling, "Yippee!  Yippee!  Yippee!"  So memorable and fun.

Renee and Lisa by John Benton

From the back cover of Renee:

Renee longed for freedom.  She wanted to escape from her alcoholic mother, dilapidated home, and the drudgery of school.  Renee found brief release when smoking pot, but after she came down, the harsh reality of her life slapped her in the face once again.

When she heard that a local pusher, Greg, was fleeing town, the desperate young girl begged to go with him.  He reluctantly agreed.  Much to her horror and outrage, Greg sold her to a vicious pimp, Bruce, at a truck stop.  Renee quickly learned that if she tried to escape from Bruce he'd kill her.  Therefore, she submitted to the degradation and danger of being a prostitute.  Only the drugs enabled her to endure the humiliation.  Every day her chance for survival looked bleaker and bleaker.  Her dreams for a better life vanished in the grim reality of her nightmarish existence, but Renee had no friends to help her.  How could she ever escape from the mess she had made of her life?

Content: sexual abuse, prostitution, drug use, theft, rape, burglary

I found the early part of the book to be pretty interesting, but I partially lost interest later in the story.  I skimmed the last one-third of the book.

From the back cover of Lisa:

Although she was a 23-year-old prostitute and junkie, Lisa Tomassio still tried to keep her life under control.  However, as her drug habit grew more insatiable, it also grew more expensive.  Therefore, she reluctantly agreed to take part in high-risk crimes that yielded high profits.  She survived one murder attempt only to be threatened first by mobsters and then by a perverted neighbor who her mother believed was a "nice young man."  Lisa knew that eventually her "walk on the wild side" would lead to death.  Therefore, she responded eagerly when she heard of a detour to hope and new life.  No matter where you are today, let Lisa show you the path to deliverance and peace.

Content: prostitution, drug use, rape, human trafficking 

From page 50:

I washed off the works like the guy had said.  As I was washing off the needle, I kept thinking about who might have used it before.  One of the things junkies worry about is AIDS.  A lot of addicts have died from it.  Another disease junkies can easily get is hepatitis. 

AIDS is also mentioned on pages 55 and 135.  It took until the end of the set for AIDS to be mentioned.

I enjoyed this book.

Lorene and Rocky by John Benton

My summary of Lorene:

Seventeen-year-old Lorene Hobart's mother is a drunk.  After the two get into a fight, Lorene's brother, Brian, invites Lorene to go out for pizza.  Instead, brother and sister meet up with Brian's friend, Dwight, and Lorene is forced to be their getaway driver when the boys rob a liquor store.  After the robbery, Dwight purchases some dope, which Lorene tries for the first time.

Brian becomes further involved in criminal activity as does Lorene.  Eventually, Lorene teams up with Dwight, who takes her to New York City.  Lorene's life spirals out of control, and she faces possible prison time.  Can Lorene find a way to escape from her dead-end lifestyle?

The publisher's summary reveals too much information, so I had to write my own.  I looked at the summary not too long after I began the book.  As a result, I knew an important plot detail that doesn't happen until the final 20 pages of the story.  That sort of information should be omitted from a summary.

This book is overall good, but I found it tiresome.  The book consists of one scene after another where Lorene has to help with a criminal act.  In every scene, Lorene protests constantly and questions what they are doing.  I got sick of it and skimmed through parts of the book.

From the back cover of Rocky:

110th Street was a tough area to grow up in, and while he was still in his teens, Rocky Gardini became addicted to heroin.  It wasn't long before he started mugging people to support his habit.  By the time he was twenty-three, Rocky realized that threatening people with his switchblade was taking a chance.  Some mugging victims would fight back—and his switchblade would be useless against someone who packed a handgun to defend himself.  Rocky knew that mugging was risky business—until he discovered how easy and effective a sawed-off shotgun is. 

However Rocky's use of firearms only led to a new kind of trouble and violence, including drug pushing, gun battles, and being an accomplice to murder.  Peddling dope landed him in prison for four long years, but upon his release he continued his risky lifestyle of drugs and crime, eventually being shot down himself.  After being released from the hospital, Rocky teamed up with a pimp in his sordid business.  Living a life of violence and crime, Rocky was certain death awaited him—until he met a caring pastor with a unique mission.  Rocky gives a vivid example of how God's love and mercy can transform anyone's life or any situation, no matter how bad it seems.

Content: drug use, murder, violence, prostitution

The murder, while described minimally, is still graphic.  I won't say what happened, but it is gross. 

From page 64:

I knew I was taking a chance with hepatitis.  That pusher looked like he had drilled a few times with a dirty needle himself.  But when you need to get off, you don't even care about hepatitis or any other disease.

I had wondered when Benton would finally address the possibility of a junkie getting a disease from a shared needle.  This is the first time that the risk of shared needles has been mentioned in this set of books, and just about all the characters in these books share needles.  This book was published in 1985, when bloodborne pathogens were getting heavy coverage in the media.

I never place tape on books, but I made an exception in this case.  By the second or third page of the story, I realized that the front cover was brittle and splitting along the left edge.  Meaning, the front cover was attached as I read the first page and then had split about halfway by page 3.  I had to use clear tape on the outside and inside of the front hinge in order to salvage the book.  Otherwise, it would have fallen apart as I read it.

This book starts out with the same approach as Lorene.  Rocky questions everything, and it's hard to read.  Also, various people continually tell Rocky how stupid he is and tell him what he did wrong.  I skimmed a lot of it.

Around halfway through the book, the writing style shifts so that Rocky isn't questioning and acting stupid.  Finally, the story becomes interesting and engaging.  I quit skimming the story.

The first half of the story is tedious, and the second half is very good.

Paco and Kristi by John Benton

From the back cover of Paco:

Although he had been a junkie and an occasional drug dealer for ten years, Paco Malicksen had always managed to stay one step ahead of the law.  Therefore, when a friend informed him that the cops were on his trail, Paco knew that he had to get out of the Bronx.  But once he wound up in Manhattan, things took a turn for the worse.

In order to support his demanding drug habit, Paco became hopelessly trapped in a revolving door of crime.  And with every new venture—drug dealing... robbing appliance stores... stealing cars... the course of his life veered closer toward a violent end.  When he completed a harrowing term in a New Jersey state pen, Paco quickly returned to crime and drugs, although he knew he was headed for certain death.

But one day Paco overheard a conversation about the one Person who had the power to save and restore broken lives.  Paco knew that he was in a desperate situation.  Was there a chance for him to have a new life?

Content: drug use, car theft, prostitution

I found this particular to title to be very interesting and engaging.  All of these books are, but this one is especially so.  This is an excellent book.

From the back cover of Kristi:

Abused at home by alcoholic parents, fifteen-year-old Kristi Zetterstill was easy prey for a slick-talking New York pimp named Danny, who made a business of luring girls from troubled Midwestern homes.  Promising her independence and freedom, Danny took Kristi from her native Minnesota to New York City, where she quickly learned that she had made a horrible mistake. 

Danny's big promises vanished like smoke and Kristi found herself hopelessly entangled in prostitution.  She was Danny's girl now, and his beating and threats to kill her made her life worthless and unbearable.  In desperation, she tried to take her own life—and nearly succeeded.  Was there any better way to find freedom from her vicious pimp and end her life of misery?  Here's Kristi's gripping story of how she discovered a real lasting peace and joy in her life—and how you can find it, too.

Content: prostitution, violence, murder, suicide attempt, theft

I found this story to be pretty engaging and really enjoyed it. 

Kari and Tracy by John Benton

From the back cover of Kari:

After being raped and beaten by her brutal stepfather, sixteen-year-old Kari Allensworth left home.  And like millions of naive runaways before her, she wound up on California's notorious Sunset Strip with no money and no destination.  Confused, scared, and lonely, she became easy prey for Paco, a flashy pimp who showered the love-starved Kari with compassion and kindness.  But the mask of concern quickly slipped away, revealing a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. 

Paco forced Kari out onto the streets as a hooker and made her his slave by demanding all of her earnings in exchange for her life.  Caught in the degrading world of prostitution and drug trafficking, it looked as though there were no means of escape.  Then one night a woman handed Kari a novel about another prostitute who found deliverance and unconditional love.  Would Kari choose the only way out—or remain enslaved to prostitution forever?

Content:  rape, physical violence, abduction, murder, drug use

Kari is present during two murders.  While Benton has Kari turn her back and not look, she still hears what happens.  The reader can imagine the details despite the minimal description.  These scenes are disturbing even without the details, especially because of the lengthy leadup to each murder.  Both victims know what is going to happen, and the reader knows as well.

Kari has very good reason to run away from home; she has no choice.  Her mother has just married a simply awful man who rapes her the first time he is alone at home with her.  Kari tells her mother, who doesn't believe her.  Kari's stepfather makes it clear that he will get back at her the next time the two of them are alone.  How horrible.

Augie was not compelling because of Augie's stupidity.  He had no reason to turn to crime.  Kari is a victim all the way, and her descent into crime happens as a result of her having no place to go.

This is an excellent book.

From the back cover of Tracy:

Beautiful but belligerent, seventeen-year-old Tracy Hauptly picked pockets to support her drug habit.  Severely beaten by her father and in deep trouble with a vengeful pickpocket victim, Tracy ran away from home and moved in with a friend named Hector.  He set her up as a drug runner for his friend Raul.  When Raul tried to frame Tracy for a junkie's violent death, she managed to escape.  She started to work as a runner for Hector's cousin, until narcotics agents broke up his operation. 

Caught in the deathly trap of addiction, Tracy resorted to prostitution in order to buy drugs.  In time, she was sent to prison, where the horrors of her life and of those around her drove her to the brink of ending it all.  Through her wild experiences and close brushes with death, Tracy finally discovered the way to straighten out her life.  Tracy shows you that God's love is powerful enough to destroy the death trap of sin and create a new life with joy and purpose.

Content:  drug use, physical assault, prostitution, suicide

The front cover depicts a scene from the book, although not completely accurately.  Tracy is given a stack of cards to give to junkies who want to purchase drugs.  When a junkie arrives, Tracy gets in their car and gives them a card.  They drive down an alley to a hole in the wall of one of the tenements.  The card and money are placed in a small basket, which is pulled inside.  The drugs are placed in the basket and pushed outside to the junkie.  In the book, the hole in the wall is about the size of a brick, so it's very small.

This is a very good book.

Sandi and Augie by John Benton

From the back cover of Sandi:

At seventeen, Sandi viewed "life in the fast lane" as pretty exciting.  But within two years, she learned that it inevitably leads to a dead end.  Because she was often "high," she was fired from her job in a pizza parlor.  Left with no means of supporting her insatiable drug habit, she teamed up with another junkie, Maggie, who supported herself and her young daughter by robbing bakeries.  From there they went on to credit card scams and prostitution.

After Maggie was imprisoned and Sandi almost lost her life while pushing drugs, Sandi realized that she was hopelessly tangled in a web of self-destruction from which she could never break free.  Therefore, when a loving, concerned neighbor told Sandi how she could find a new life in Jesus Christ, she didn't take too long to yield her life to Him.

Content: theft, drug use

Maggie's idea to rob bakeries is stupid.  Maggie drives a truck that delivers bread to bakeries.  Of course the bakeries would figure out that they all got robbed around the time that the delivery truck arrived.  These characters are such stupid criminals.

While this is a good book, I didn't enjoy it as much as other titles.

From the back cover of Augie:

When Augie was first approached by a cute young addict and prostitute who needed assistance in ripping off a customer, he agreed, believing "one time can't hurt."  Unfortunately, that impulsive attitude led him into drug addiction.  As their drug habits grew to be insatiable, Augie and Paula were imperiled by involvement in dangerous crimes to support themselves. 

After Augie mistakenly cheated an underworld kingpin, his days were numbered.  When Augie was shot by a hit man, Paula realized that their lives were destined to end violently.  Therefore, she eagerly received some information given to her by some loving people from the Walter Hoving Home.  Was it possible that they could really find a refuge before it was too late?

Content: prostitution, drug use, hijacking, mugging, homocide

From page  87:

We walked into the apartment, and Paula went over to a couple of old books that were on her dresser.  She opened up one of them.  What was she up to?

I immediately guessed what was next.

Paula walked over to me and showed me the book.  There was a big hole cut out of the pages, and the bullets were inside.  Pretty smart, I thought.

Of course.  What else would a criminal be doing with a book?

The schemes in these books are often amusing.  A man approaches Augie.  He fixes up tenements, but he has a competitor who puts in cheap fixtures and sells at a high price.  The man hires Augie to steal from his competitor so that he can use the fixtures in his tenements, where he charges a more fair price.  Sure, by stealing what he needs.  Pretty soon, Augie is stealing toilets.  Imagine what that looks like: Augie walking down the street, carrying a toilet.

From page 112:

"If I were you, kid, I’d walk in there and kill that Malinsky," the other cop told me.

I couldn’t believe it!  A cop telling me to waste Malinsky?  Then I thought about it.  They must be after Malinsky.  They knew he was murdering people.  And if Malinsky got killed, that would be the end of that.

"You mean to tell me you wouldn't care if I walked in there and killed Malinsky?" I demanded.

"Listen, we don’t have to paint you a picture.  Malinsky’s knocked off quite a few people.  The best thing that could happen would be for somebody to get rid of him for us.  Go get him, kid!"

The cops walked back to their car.  "We've got to go, man."  They didn’t even frisk me for weapons!

This is crazy.

I forced myself to read this book after not reading any of these books for three weeks.  The book is good, but I didn't enjoy it that much.

Stephanie and Candi by John Benton

From the back cover of Stephanie:

Sixteen-year-old Stephanie Conder could no longer stand living with her "drill sergeant" father and timid mother.  So when her boyfriend offered her a new lifestyle that promised undreamed-of rewards, she jumped at the chance.  At first, Stephanie found living in a posh New York City apartment exciting.  But there was a price to pay. 

She soon became involved in despicable crimes and fell victim to an enslaving drug habit.  As she sunk lower into a meaningless existence, Stephanie was sure that she would die a violent death and saw no way out.  Her criminal acts resulted in an inevitable term at Riker's Island.  Despite the horror of prison, here she found the hope and freedom she needed to release her from her miserable lifestyle. 

Content: car theft, physical abuse, drug use, burglary, abduction, gun violence, credit card fraud

Stephanie doesn't like her father, so she turns to a life of crime.  This is a bit illogical.

Max, a drug dealer, is owed money by several people.  He orders Stephanie to help him.  She is to find a way to make each person pay his debt, or she can kill each person.  Max doesn't care which Stephanie chooses.  Since she doesn't want to kill anyone, she takes the first man, Jeffrey, to a motel where she handcuffs him to the toilet.  Jeffrey obtains Max's money from his contacts, and then Max orders Stephanie take additional people to the motel.

Pretty soon, Stephanie has several prisoners with her in the motel room.  I find this part of the story to be a bit absurd.  Somehow, one woman manages to keep several men under her control in a motel room while they are free to move around in the room.  Bizarrely, these people grow loyal to Stephanie and begin helping her with her schemes.

This is a very good book.

From the back cover of Candi:

Candi and Kathy used and pushed drugs—and the narcotics agents were on to their game.  After narrowly dodging the law, they moved to another part of town.  Kathy decided prostitution was a safer business, and tried to persuade Candi to join her.  But Candi knew she could never lower herself to that. 

Her decision to help another dealer ended up sending her to the hospital with a shotgun wound.  When she went back to Kathy, she began to steal money for a living.  Though she resented robbery, to her it was better than prostitution.  What would she do when an angry pimp gave her the choice between prostitution and her life?

Content:  prostitution, drug use, robbery

I enjoyed this book.

Denise by John Benton

From the back cover of Denise:

"Denise, I know a way to get rid of all those problems you're having.  I mean all of them."

You probably know someone like Frank—a high school drug pusher who always had an answer ready.  And someone like Denise was ready for anything.  After all, who wouldn't want some kicks, when your mother literally kicks you around?  Who wouldn't want to run away when you discover a dark family secret about yourself?

Denise left her troubles at home and found something far worse on the streets.  Heroin... prostitution... loneliness.  In the end, she felt more used and abused than ever, until...

Someone gave Denise a choice—perhaps the most difficult one she'd ever had to make.  She had to face the truth.  She had to change.  

Would she do it ?  Find out.

This was the very first book that I read by John Benton last summer.  I don't remember much about it, but I placed sticky notes on a few pages.

This book contains strong homophobic content.  A majority of Benton's books contain implied homophobic statements, but they are much worse and quite prominent in parts of this book.  Normally I would include some examples of the content, but I'm not comfortable doing so.  

Many of my followers are gay, and I won't subject them to reading these statements.  I don't want the statements in this blog, since they could be misconstrued as being endorsed by me regardless of what I write.  I'm thinking about how search engine results highlight short phrases from sites in the search results.  I can't risk having that happen.

This is why I was flabbergasted and offended last summer when a member of the Vintage Teen Books group suggested that gay members of the group would be scared of being in my group due to me allowing discussion of these books.  Most people understand that old books have objectionable content and that group moderators do not endorse that content.  Good grief!

Read this post for the full context about this book and the Vintage Teen Books group.

I marked a hilarious passage from pages 46 and 47.  Denise and her boyfriend, Frank, go out to the garage to smoke marijuana.

We went out back into the garage and lit up in the darkness.  We had almost finished the joint when suddenly the lights went on.  I yanked the stick out of my mouth and threw it on the floor.  But not in time, for there stood my mother!

"What on earth is going on out here?" she demanded.

I stuttered, trying to think of something to say.  But Frank piped up with, "We're smoking pot."

That stupid Frank!  I thought he was so smart, so cool.  Why did he admit it?  This was going to be nothing but trouble for me—and him too!

"Smoking pot?" Mom asked.  "Where did you get it?"

"Well, I just happened to have a few joints with me, Mrs. Brady.  Do you want some?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  No way would Frank be able to spend the night at our house now.  He'd be lucky if Mom just threw him out and didn't call the cops!

"I've got another joint, Mrs. Brady," Frank said.  "Denise and I were just going to smoke it.  Why don't you join us?"

Mom hesitated and looked around to see if anyone else was there.  Then she smiled faintly and said, "You know, I've always wondered about marijuana.  I've heard some good things about it and lots of bad.  But I've always had a secret desire to try it."

That was all the encouragement Frank needed.  He quickly lit the stick, handed it to her and said, "Inhale, taking a deep breath.  Then hold it."

When she did, it absolutely disgusted me—that big, fat slob, smoking pot!  So when Frank took the stick and handed it to me, I pushed it away with, "No thanks, Frank.  I'll see you later."

Denise is a very good book.

Valarie and Sheila by John Benton

From the back cover of Valarie:

Arrested for prostitution, Valarie was unable to stop the horrible suicide of another inmate.  But what she saw and knew about her friend's death made her a very real danger to her captors, who arranged for her to be released in custody of "Uncle Harvey."  In return for her freedom, she was forced to work in Harvey's massage parlor, where she found life to be as dangerous as ever. 

There seemed to be no way out for Valarie—no place of safety—no friend who could be trusted —no future.  Would she be better off back on the streets?  Valarie will show you that there is always hope and help available, if you will only reach out to claim it.

Content: prostitution, suicide witnessed by protagonist, physical violence, gun violence, theft, drug abuse

The suicide in this book is highly likely to be triggering.  Valarie witnesses her friend commit suicide by hanging in the adjacent cell.  Valarie screams for the guards repeatedly as she tries to stop her friend.  The guards ignore the cries for help.  The scene is quite disturbing and infuriating.  These books are based on true stories, so this happened.

This is another typically thrilling John Benton book.

My summary of Sheila:

Sheila is addicted to heroin and uses prostitution to fund her habit.  Sheila is so addicted that she can only get straight instead of high.  Sheila must leave her little girl, Robin, alone in their apartment while she walks the streets looking for a trick.  Child welfare begins asking questions, so Sheila flees with her daughter.

Sheila gets an apartment on the second floor of a strip club.  Her employer takes her to conventions where she services all the rich businessmen, making plenty of money for her habit.  But finally, Sheila's lifestyle catches up with her, and she risks losing everything.

Content: child abuse, prostitution, stripping, drug abuse, gun violence, theft

The publisher's summary focuses on around the last 50 pages of the story, so I opted not to use it.  I cannot stand it when publishers choose to focus on the ending instead of the main part of the story.

This is another excellent John Benton book.

Nikki and Connie by John Benton

From the back cover of Nikki:

Abandoned by her father, Nikki and her mother struggled to make ends meet, but fell further and further into poverty and degradation.  When the opportunity came to fly to Miami and make good money at the same time, Nikki jumped at the chance, not knowing what she was in for.  Soon she was living the life of a drug courier—with no way out.  Nikki needed a Friend she could trust, but would she find Him in time to save her life?

Content: completed suicide, suicidal ideation, murder, gun violence, physical violence, drug trafficking 

This book is like Lefty in that it is nonstop action from start to finish.  The book is exciting, and I read it quickly.  This is an excellent book.

From the back cover of Connie:

You've read about teenagers with too little love and too much time and money.  Now read about Connie—a desperate seventeen-year-old.  Connie is the story of what happens when families stop connecting—when parents are too overwhelmed by their own troubles to notice what's happening to their children.

Whether you are a parent or a teenager yourself, you will cry with Connie.  But in the end you'll thrill to the unseen Presence whose power of infinite love and healing gives Connie's story a happy ending.

Content: multiple suicide attempts (alcohol and pills, jumping in front of cars, jumping in the river), alcohol abuse, marijuana, heroin, gang rape, false rape accusation, domestic violence

Connie tells outrageous lies, sometimes just to hurt.  She tells her father that his best salesman raped her, just so that her father would feel bad.  

Early in the story, Connie is eager to get her friend out of detention, so she tells one of her lies.

"Now, Mrs. Sweigart," I soothed, "let me tell you something.  I was in the bathroom with Myra just before this class.  You see, she had a terrible problem I'm sure she didn't want to tell you about."

[snip]

"Now, Mrs. Sweigart, don't you dare tell one person.  If you do, it could mean big problems.  But the reason Myra was late for class was that she just had a miscarriage.  That's why I was in the bathroom, to help her."

"A what?" Mrs. Sweigart yelled in shock.

"Myra just had a miscarriage," I whispered, loud enough for Myra to hear.

Mouth wide open, Mrs. Sweigart looked over at Myra, then back at me.  "You're lying!" she shouted.

Connie then convinces Mrs. Sweigart that she is telling the truth.  Mrs. Sweigart becomes very solicitous and wants to take Myra to the hospital.  Connie can't have that happen, so she says that the father's identity must remain a secret.

"Oh?" Mrs. Sweigart asked, trying to mask her eagerness.  Then she whispered, "Whom did she have this immoral relationship with?"

I put my hand to my mouth.  "I've already said more than I should have, " I told her.  "I promised Myra I would never tell."

"Oh, come on, girls, you can trust me," Mrs. Sweigart pressed.  "I told you I can keep a secret.  Just tell me who was the father of the baby."

"Now, Mrs. Sweigart, it really didn't look like a baby.  I mean, she was hardly pregnant."

"I don't care what it looked like," Mrs. Sweigart responded.  "I just want to know who the man was.  I mean, we've got to do something about men like that!"

[snip]

I decided this was the time to drop the bombshell—and also to get Myra out of there.

[snip]

"The father of Myra's baby was Mr. Reintjes, the principal," I lied.

[snip]

"Mr. Reintjes?" she repeated.  "I'd never... Well, now that you mention it, I have felt uncomfortable around that man a couple of times.  I knew he was a big flirt, and I caught him looking me up and down once.  But I didn't think... Hmmmm.  That man must have nothing but sex on his mind..."

This entire passage is gold.  I quoted the most important parts.  It's amusing in an off-color fashion that they mention that the baby didn't look like a baby.  Um, okay.  And to implicate the principal with the teacher coming up with her own explanation that it was true... This is how easy it is to ruin someone's reputation.

As with all of these books, I really enjoyed this one.

Vicki by John Benton

From the back cover:

The infamous Bourbon Street district in New Orleans gave Vicki Hensley plenty of chance to vent her anger on the world.  With a gun in her hand, she could outsmart just about everyone—except the law.

Her criminal escapades carried a heavy price tag, however.  Serving time in the notorious "stockade," Vicki encountered all kinds of hurt and despair—especially in her own soul.  Faced with a future behind bars, her thoughts turned to suicide.

Then, an unusual message of hope penetrated Vicki's darkened world:  "You may be in prison, but the prison doesn't have to be in you."  What happened afterwards changed her life—forever.

VICKI provides a startling glimpse into prison life... a realistic story of a young woman's self-discovery... and an encounter with the truth that could make a dramatic difference in your life, as well.
 
Content: suicide attempt, completed suicide, violence, theft, drug use, homophobia, transgender issues

From page 80:

"That all depends.  If the judge is in a good mood that day, it could be six months.  If his mood is bad, it could be fifty years.  If the assistant district attorney wants to make an example out of you, it could be more.  If he's busy and wants to get this over with, the judge could even dismiss the charges and put you on probation.  You'd be out free."

Was this justice?  Why should my sentence be determined by the mood of some judge or the case load of some assistant district attorney?  Why wasn't there some way I would know exactly how long I was going to get, so I would know whether to fight or not?

Of course what happens is that the police decide to work out a deal with Vicki.  They want her to turn informant and help them bring the drug dealers to justice.  The police even give Vicki's gun back to her so that she will have protection. 

From pages 172 and 173:

She handed me the book, and I studied the cover.  It looked like any other paperback on the newsstands.  Only this Lori looked a lot like me.  I started to thumb through the book, and one of her experiences caught my eye, and I started reading.

"Not now," Wigge said, pulling the book from my hands.  "When you start one of John Benton's books, it's hard to put it down until you're finished.  There'll be plenty of time for you to read this, later."

While it's a bit funny for Benton to be praising his books in his own books, I do agree with the sentiment.  These books are hard to put down.

I wasn't very interested in the beginning of the story, but I became quite absorbed later.  I especially enjoy the parts where the character is in prison.  This is because the character is in a difficult situation, and I love teen books the best when the character has a great struggle.

Jackie and Terri by John Benton

From the back cover of Jackie:

"My old man didn't care about me.  My old lady didn't care.  Nobody cared.  So I'd find a way to punish them—and punish them good."

There's no place like home.  Sixteen-year-old Jackie Marshall found that out when her parents discovered her drug habit.  Vowing to get even with them, she traded her intolerable home life for the streets—and found a lot more than she bargained for.

Narrowly escaping the clutches of a pimp, Jackie sought the protection of a sympathetic junkie, only to resort to the unthinkable in order to support their thousand-dollar habits.  One thing became clear:  the only person she had punished was herself.

Was it too late for a teenage-prostitute and junkie to start life all over again?

Content: prostitution, drug use, physical abuse, false rape accusation, animal abuse

Jackie is one messed-up girl.  She wants to torture her parents.  Her idea of a good joke is to tell them that she's pregnant, when she isn't.  She decides to get even with her father by going to the police and accusing him of rape.  How horrifying.

I was a little worried about Jackie's dog as I read the book.  I never like to see animals hurt.  Fortunately, the dog survives the story just fine.

This girl is a train wreck.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her crazy misadventures.

My summary of Terri:

Terri's father uses all of their family's money to purchase alcohol to fuel his addiction.  The family has no money for food.  Desperate, Terri robs a pizza place.  She gets caught and is sent to a women's prison for a year.  Terri finds herself at the mercy of the mean matron who makes up rules that she then uses to punish Terri.  Terri also is bullied by the other prisoners and fears for her life.  Terri searches for a way to escape.

Content: burglary, physical violence, robbery, drug use, prison

This is one of Benton's more hilarious books.  It is comedy gold.

On pages 30 and 31, Terri's parents get into a physical altercation.  Terri's mom is obese, and her father is drunk.

"Terri, get this two-ton monster off me!" Dad shouted.  "She's about to kill me!"

I ran over, grabbed Mom by the shoulders, and pulled her off-balance.  She tumbled off Dad and rolled across the floor, her blubber making squishy noises as she rolled.

I have no words.

Terri's escapade where she robs the pizza place is absurdly funny.

Terri spends a good portion of the book in the women's prison, that is until she convinces her father to help her escape via a crazy scheme.  I'll not try to describe it, but the result is several chapters full of hilarity.  Such fun.

I love this book.

Lefty by John Benton

From the back cover:

Every choice made by eighteen-year-old Lefty Taggart hinged on one fact: he had an insatiable need for heroin.  Teaming up with another streetwise junkie named Oscar, he entered the double-dealing world of drug connections, theft schemes, and fugitives fleeing the law.

Minutes before undercover policemen closed in on Lefty and Oscar, two compassionate strangers offered them a chance to stop running—and start life all over again.  For one of them, however, it turned out to be too late.

LEFTY introduces you to the treacherous world of the ghetto... to the vicious cycle of drug addiction and crime... and to the one Person who offers anyone—no matter how far gone—a dramatic turning point and a whole new tomorrow.

Content: gun violence, muggings, beatings, mail theft, abductions

This book is nonstop action from start to finish.  I read it fast due to how interesting the story is.  

The book opens with Lefty about to attack an old man with a chain.  Oscar comes along, warning Lefty that the man is a cop.  Lefty gets away and meets up with Oscar.  A boy approaches Oscar wanting to buy drugs from him.  Oscar takes money from the boy, leaving with Lefty.  He then informs Lefty that the boy was a young cop.

The cops start swarming, so Oscar and Lefty force their way into an apartment, holding a mother and young boy hostage for an hour until the cops disappear.  Oscar and Lefty leave, going to Spino's apartment to buy drugs.  On the way up, they spot a con artist on the stairs.  Oscar robs him and threatens to kill him, telling him to stay where he is.  The man is terrified and takes off his clothes to prove that he can't go anywhere.  

Oscar and Lefty continue to Spino's apartment.  Spino is furious that they have endangered him by coming to his apartment, so he robs them and threatens to kill them.  The two leave, passing by the naked man who is still on the stairs and is now crying.

Lefty finally gets some drugs, goes home, and accidentally overdoses.  Lefty's mom finds him and kicks him out for being a junkie.  Lefty goes to live with Oscar in Oscar's nasty, infested basement apartment.

This all happens within 24 hours in the first 44 pages of the story, and I left out some events.

Reverend Benton shows up near the end of the story to tell Lefty about Christ.  I find it amusing that Benton writes himself into the books and describes himself to be a very likeable person.  More than once, Benton is described as having an "infectious laugh."  On page 158, Lefty thinks to himself that he "couldn't help but like the guy."

Lefty is an engaging, exciting book.

Julie and Debbie by John Benton

From the back cover of Julie:

For sixteen-year-old Julie, just living with an alcoholic mother in a junkie-infested neighborhood was bad enough.  But it took the discovery of her father's secret profession as a con artist for Julie's own downfall to begin.  Julie agreed to become her father's partner so she could share in the profits.  Together, father and daughter cooked up ingenious schemes and swindled their innocent victims out of thousands of dollars.  By the time the police had caught up to them, Julie had become a demoralized young woman—and a hopeless drug addict.  As she faced the possibility of a penitentiary sentence, Julie realized her future rested with the judge—or did it? 

JULIE is the moving story of not only one broken life that was healed by the Word, but of an entire family.  Find out how Julie, her mother, and her father were powerless, in the end, to resist the truth that set them free.

Content: faking a seizure, various con acts, alcoholism, drug abuse, physical violence

On page 153, Julie vomits into the toilet.  Julie's mom uses some of the toilet water to wipe Julie's face and then flushes the toilet.  Um, what?  Julie's mom wipes Julie's face with the water in the toilet that has vomit in it?  Besides the vomit, toilets are not clean.  The water is contaminated by bacteria from waste material.  This is revolting.  Just, wow.

I enjoyed this book.  It was interesting to read about the different types of con jobs.  

From the back cover of Debbie:

After her first decent foster father died, sixteen-year-old Debbie took a familiar path back to the city streets where a rapid, downward spiral of degradation and despair awaited her.  Lower and lower she sank into a life of prostitution, heroin addiction, physical abuse, and daily threats from the vicious pimp she'd hoped would protect her from a worse fate.

When two kind strangers appeared out of nowhere and offered Debbie a new life based on Jesus' teachings, it didn't take her long to accept it.  Days after she received Christ into her heart, however, Harding, the pimp, tracked her down, gun in hand, and threated Debbie's life again.  Had Debbie won salvation only to lose her life?  This moving story contains a dramatic, surprise twist that will thrill and inspire you and, above all, prove to you that with God there is always a second chance.

Content: prostitution, assault, drug use

This was one of the books I read over six months ago, so I can't remember much of the content.  Here's a great review which gives many funny details.

Debbie by John Benton

Debbie was one of the first few Benton books that I read.  I enjoyed this book and the others that I tried so much that I purchased the entire set.

The Marji Trilogy by John Benton

From the back cover of Marji:

As an heiress to her father's fortune, Marji had everything she needed to lead a comfortable and secure life.  But her new-found faith in God compelled her to leave that wealth behind.  Seeking to share her God with people who did not know Him, Marji moved away from her parents' mansion into a frightening arena of crime and degradation—the ghetto.

Daily Marji faced threats from angry slumlords, misunderstanding from her own family, and rejection from those she sought to help.  Just when she finally was able to open up a counseling center and begin reaching her new friends for the Lord, sudden danger shattered her dream and almost took her life...  Only her belief that God's love was greater than all the evil influences around kept her from giving up her ministry.

On page 108, Marji has been attacked by her neighbor, who feels that her counseling center will cause his pornography shop to lose business.  The man is strangling Marji when she suddenly hears a loud smack, and her neighbor falls away from her. Marji looks up to see a Catholic nun holding a two-by-four.  Way to go, Sister Mary Pat!

On page 170, Marji's counseling center has been heavily damaged after a bomb went off inside her desk.  Marji has a reason for not wanting the culprit to go to prison.  Sister Mary Pat tells Marji that this isn't a problem.  So long as Marji doesn't press charges, then the police will do nothing.

That is certainly the case with a case of assault and battery between two parties.  But what about a bomb?  Maybe the police were cavalier about bombs in New York City in 1980, but I'm certain that they would get a bit upset about a bombing nowadays.  That's terrorism.

From the back cover of Marji and the Kidnap Plot:

For two years, Marji Parker had struggled to build a ministry that would bring the healing love of Jesus to the sin-sick dregs of humanity on the streets of the Lower East Side.  Carefully concealing her identity as a wealthy heiress, she had gained the confidence of prostitutes and gang members, thieves and junkies—winning many an unlikely character to the Lord.

But just as her vision seemed to take on reality, Marji's daily mission became haunted by strange occurrences and intangible fears.  A mysterious black car now lurked around every corner... the mutilated body of a teenage prostitute appeared on the doorstep of her counseling center.. and rumors of a kidnap plot echo repeatedly throughout the underworld.

As the baffling pieces of this puzzle fell into place, Marji realized that her whole ministry was now in jeopardy—not to mention her life.

This book is extremely suspenseful.  It was apparent that Marji could be kidnapped at any time and that she almost certainly would be by the end of the book.

From the back cover of Marji and the Gangland Wars:

Marji had faced danger before in her ghetto ministry; her newly chosen world was populated by prostitutes, pimps, junkies, and every type of down-and-outer.  But when she helped Ratface feed his family and realized he was the leader of a street gang, she became embroiled in something more dangerous than she had ever faced before.  Could she gain the trust of two rival gangs and stop the coming bloodshed?  Would they carry out their threat to kill her?  Just how far could she become involved... and would God's protection be enough, this time?

This book opens with Marji being held captive at knifepoint.  Her attacker is a gangster named Ratface, who just needs help for his mother.  Marji agrees to help Ratface's mom.  She returns to her office, where she finds a thrashing, bloody rat hanging from the doorknob.  This is clearly a warning, gangster style.

This book is pretty interesting at first, but I grew tired of it.  Around halfway through, I began skimming so that I could get done with the story.

I overall greatly enjoyed reading the Marji trilogy.

Sherri by John Benton

From the back cover of Sherri: 

Sixteen-year-old Sherri Lenier could see no way out of her miserable family existence.  Her anger and resentment multiplied every time her alcoholic father lost a job and squandered the grocery money with more drunkenness.

Enraged and desperate, Sherri resorted to shoplifting to put food on the table—not knowing that one impulsive act would lead her into a habitual life of car theft, check forgery, furniture heists, and ultimately, a penitentiary sentence.

Hopelessly trapped in a revolving door of crime, Sherri sank deep in despair, until a guard tossed a unique paperback book into her cell—a book that introduced her to the one Person who could change her life forever.  

Here is a shockingly real picture of the pressures and influences surrounding many teenagers... and a faith-building example of God's power to free young adults from the lure and addiction of crime.

Content:  shoplifting, burglary, marijuana, physical abuse, alcoholism, car theft, forged checks, fake ids

I was amazed at how rapidly Sherri and Teresa begin stealing cars and continue doing so, parking them in a clearing in the woods.  They also turn to check fraud, which ends up sending Sherri to prison.

From page 152:

Because I hadn't created any problems, I was brought before the parole board after two years.  I was one of the lucky ones; they paroled me.  I think that my being white and living in suburbia had a lot to do with it.  I'd hate to think where I'd be, if I had been born in Harlem!

I found it interesting that in 1980 a white Christian male author understood that whether a prisoner is paroled does indeed have much to do with who they are and what they look like.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book.

Lori by John Benton

From the back cover:

To Lori Hutton it seemed as if the world was against her.  She ran away from home to escape cruel parents, but found life on the streets even more cruel.  She turned in desperation to others, only to be deceived by her new "friends."

She was determined to find freedom; instead she found herself enslaved to the disgrace of prostitution.  Hopelessly entangled in the worst kind of human hurt, Lori felt that life was no longer worth living... Then Lori met Rich, a young man who gave her reason for hope and pointed the way to freedom.  In an ultimate expression of friendship, Rich risked his own life to help Lori escape from danger and leave her old life behind—forever.

Content:  physical abuse, streaking, shoplifting, four suicide attempts (pills, slashed wrists, hanging, jumping into the river), prostitution, abduction, violent rape

This book contains one of the funniest passages I have ever read in a book.  I posted it on Facebook while I was reading the book.

I wrote:

Lori is a troubled teenager who wants some painkillers.  She plans to have her younger sister, Peggy, steal the painkillers for her.  But Lori needs to create a distraction.

Lori strips off her clothes and runs around inside the drugstore while Peggy steals the painkillers!  I could hardly read due to how hard I was laughing!

This image shows that part of the book.  Click on the image in order to see it better.

Lori spends a weekend at a millionaire's house.  Lori has been hired to seduce the man's religious nephew.  On page 124, Lori and the nephew settle down to watch a television that has a six-foot screen. 

Okay, wait a minute.  That's impossible unless the image was projected onto a screen.  An actual television set could not have had such a large screen in 1980.  At that time, all televisions had picture tubes.  They were large and very heavy.  A six-foot screen?  Do you know how heavy that would be?

I searched online for information on the largest screen size ever made for cathode ray tube televisions or monitors.  The largest I found was a 43-inch screen set that weighed over 400 pounds.  If a 72-inch screen were to exist, it would have to weigh up towards 1000 pounds.  

This book is interesting in that Lori's conversion occurs gradually during the last one-third of the story.

I greatly enjoyed this book.  

Suzie by John Benton

From the back cover of Suzie:

Her gun brought her everything she wanted... except happiness!

Suzie was a fun-loving teenager who was excited about the challenge of life.  But her unending quest for more excitement and power led her to places and events for which she was not prepared...

At sixteen, Suzie could handle a gun like a pro.  She found that her gun opened doors for her:  it commanded respect and gave her power over others.  Then Suzie met Billy who opened another door for her—into the seemingly exciting world of crime.  But the pleasures of robbery were short-lived; before long Suzie was a fugitive of the FBI.  She fled from state to state, always attempting to go straight, but always slipping back into crime.  Inevitably, Suzie landed in jail.  But instead of her imprisonment being the end of the road, jail opened up for her a whole new beginning.

Content: shoplifting, theft, shooting, sexual abuse father/daughter

Suzie decides that she must have a gun.  She shoplifts in order to raise the money, then she purchases one from a student at school.  Suzie wants to practice, so she heads to the city park.  Suzie proceeds to use a fellow classmate for target practice.  Fortunately, the bullet only grazes his leg.  

Suzie also practices with her gun by shooting out someone's tire from inside her home.  Later, she shoots a glass bottle of milk out of a woman's hand.  Suzie fires from her bedroom window.  This girl is incredibly reckless and stupid.

Suzie wants to practice shooting from her basement.  So that her parents don't catch on, she buys herself a whip.  She tells them that she will practice with the whip in the basement and refers to herself as "Suzie the Wonder Whip."

Later, Suzie's dad questions her, because he smells gunpowder.

From page 30:

"Oh, gunpowder," I said, thinking quickly.  "I thought you were talking about a gun.  I don't have a gun, but I do have gunpowder."

My father bolted up in his chair.  "What in the world are you doing with gunpowder and no gun?"

"Take it easy, Dad.  I hadn't told you about that yet.  You see, if you put gunpowder on the end of the whip, when it snaps, people think it is real powerful.  It's amazing to see them jump back.

"Last Saturday night I took my whip and walked down to the corner of Eighth Avenue and D Street.  Sure enough, there were some gang members hanging around.  I walked up to them, laid out my whip, reared back, and laid a mighty thrust forward.  When I jerked it, it snapped, and gunpowder went everywhere.  Dad, it was the funniest thing.  Those gang members took off running, as if they had been shot at.  I just stood there laughing."

Suzie's parents began laughing, and so did I.

On page 66, Billy talks about a battery trick.  The plan is for Billy to ask the clerk for triple-A batteries.  The clerk won't know what they are, so he'll walk away from the counter to check the battery display.  Meanwhile, Suzie will steal a stack of traveler's checks.

I found that interesting.  This book is from 1979, and I can't remember what kind of batteries were used in most devices at that time.  Looking at some online pages for old electronics, I believe that 9-volt batteries were often used.  AA batteries were more common back in those days.  I assume that AAA batteries were not yet being widely used at that time.

The book also contains a crazy scene where Suzie smuggles a gun into the jail by hiding it in her bra.  She is allowed to visit Wayne, who is in jail.  She is locked in Wayne's cell with him.  Suzie kisses Wayne, telling him where the gun is.  The two proceed to kiss passionately with Wayne groping Suzie as he maneuvers the gun out of her bra.  A drunk in another cell looks on and hoots his approval. 

This book is utterly hilarious.  I loved it.

Patti by John Benton

From the back cover of Patti:

Patti Jacobson is a young teenager from Duluth, Minnesota.  Hanging out in bars at the age of fifteen, she finds herself involved with the wrong type of people.  Convinced that she can make "big money" as a prostitute, she is caught in a miserable, degrading spiral of sex, crime and disillusionment.  Running away from her life in one city after another, it seemed that she would never escape the ruthless, sordid world of prostitution.

Patti is one of thousands of young girls who are troubled, confused, misunderstood... desperately looking for happiness.  Yet, there is hope for these girls.  Her moving story contains a powerful, positive message for all young people who are searching for meaning in a complex, impersonal world.  Find out how she frees herself from her hopeless existence and discovers a new, rewarding way of life.
 
Content:  abortion, car theft, prostitution

This book is especially crazy.

Patti gets arrested and bailed out by a young cop.  He forces her into a relationship, and she gets pregnant.  She has an abortion.  Later, Patti steals her pimp's car and drives it to her own house.  This seems rather... stupid.  Of course the pimp has no trouble tracking her down.  Patti then runs off with an escaped convict who becomes her new pimp.  The new pimp's main gig is to have Patti steal from truck drivers.

From page 81:

I knew what was happening to him.  He was having problems with his wife.  She was another of those frigid girls.  She probably cut him off—that was her way of penalizing him.  Some wives don't know it, but they drive their husbands to prostitution.

Of course it's the wife's fault.

From page 132:

I knew what he wanted, but he didn't know what I wanted.  As we rolled back and forth, I worked his wallet out.  He didn't notice.  I was even able to open it and grab the bills.

He was getting more passionate.  Would he reach for his wallet and offer to pay me?  I knew I could get a hundred dollars now, but the bills I felt in my hand were over that.

Suddenly I just lay there quietly.  "What's the matter?" he demanded.

"I feel something."

"Feel something?  What's the matter?  Is the mattress too hard?"

I laughed.  "No.  I feel something between my legs that isn't quite right."

He rolled over.  I sat up straight, holding the hand with the wad of bills underneath me.  "I hate to tell you this," I said, "but I gotta go to the bathroom and check myself.  You see, I, uh... It's really embarrassing, mister, but I've been about four days late, and I think it's happened."

His chin dropped.  "What a dirty break!"

Oh, my.  It's astonishing that these books were written by a minister and were actually sold in church bookstores. 

On page 157, Patti is solicited by a man and woman who are living in a camper.  The man explains their situation.

"One night we got into an argument, and I said I wanted someone else.  So rather than breaking up our marriage, we both decided we would have the same person.  So we agreed to go to bed with the same person, and you are it.  Now, young lady, don't take me wrong.  We are plain, decent people.  You can trust us."

This scene struck me funny.  "You are it."  Ha.  This book has many funny parts. I loved it.

Crazy Mary and Cindy by John Benton

From the back cover of Crazy Mary:

The dramatic story of a young girl's faith that conquered alcoholism and insanity.

They locked her in a mental institution.  But was she really insane?  No one knew for sure, not even Mary herself.  One thing was certain, though— she wanted to get out of the mess that her drinking, her crime, and her defiance had created.  

Find out how Christ delivered her from hopelessness to a new life that had love and meaning.  Drawn from the actual experiences of the delinquent girls that author John Benton has encountered, here is proof that Jesus can transform anyone's life.

Content warning:  attempted suicide, car theft, police chase, homophobia

Mary is crazy in the sense that she continually makes the stupidest, most impulsive decisions.  She uses very bad judgment.

This is a good book.

From the back cover of Cindy:

There were two sides to her life—mother and streetwalker.

Cindy was a prostitute.  Turning tricks was the only way she knew to support her addiction to heroin.  But how could she take care of her little girl Melody when she couldn't even manage her own life?  Like many young girls today, Cindy was confused and alone in an impersonal, uncaring society.  Loving mother or drug addict and streetwalker—which person was the real Cindy?  CINDY is the story of her struggle to decide.

Content:  prostitution, drugs

Much of this book was not that interesting to me.  A good amount of the book is devoted to events surrounding the creation of the Walter Hoving Home.  This doesn't necessarily mean that the book is boring; I just wasn't interested in reading it.

I skimmed this book.