Book Review: Not Guilty

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About Not Guilty

It's 1974 and Carrie Shepherd, daughter of the minister at Windspree Community Church, is a college senior with plans to be a missionary in Africa. Raped by a masked assailant, Carrie is so traumatized she tells no one until she realizes she's pregnant. Refusing to have an abortion, she must find the courage to face her family, her fiance, her friends and a gossiping, angry congregation which may include her attacker.

My thoughts on Not Guilty

I really liked the characters in the book and found parts of it to be very believable, but some parts, particularly towards the end, of it were rather unbelievable.  However, the topics covered, particularly race and the way some Christians judge others, are timeless and you would not have known the story took place in 1974, if you had not been told.  I do like books that include discussion questions and I found the questions in Not Guilty to be thorough and thought provoking.  I also enjoyed the epilogue at the end of the book which gave a sentence or two about what happened in each character's life after the book ended.  One thing I will warn about is that this is a piece of "preachy" Christian literature.  Those of you who have read my reviews know that I enjoy Christian literature and do not mind a bit of preachiness, but this one is heavy with it.  The characters work at converting just about everyone they meet in every interaction.  I am of the belief that it is great to share your beliefs, when it is appropriate, and it is better to live by example.  I just found the way the characters did it to be too much.  In real life, they are the people I would have avoided, especially before I truly began to know Christ.  If people avoid you, your example is lost to them.  As for a recommendation, overall, the book was ok, but not one I would recommend running out and buying it.  If you have the chance to borrow it, it is a decent read though.