Family Story

By: Frank Cahill

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Juvenile fiction for ages eight to fourteen and up. It follows a teenage girl, her brother, and parents as they deal with their problems and disappointments.

Hannah is fifteen and learning to cope with romance problems and peer pressure. Her boyfriend pressures her for intimacy. Later, she and her mom have a candid talk about birth control.

Her dad and Hannah try to compare evolution facts in her school science class with the explanation of creation as described in the Bible. They have an interesting discussion about the differences.

Hannah is close friends with two other girls. They call themselves the three amigos. One girl is extremely beautiful, but she was born with one arm missing from above the elbow. The other girl buddy is a tomboy and has decided she wants to be changed into a boy. So Hannah tries to understand why the girls must endure these hardships. The three girls attend a music concert by a demon-themed band. But Hannah lies to her parents about going, because she fears they won’t let her attend. They are offered drugs at a music concert and must make a choice. One accepts.

Jackie is Hannah’s ten-year-old brother. His main focus is baseball. He is a left fielder and is learning to be a good batter. But a player named Danny is a far better player than anyone else on the team. Jackie is rebuffed by Danny as he tries to make friends, and his attitude develops into full blown jealousy. Later, though, Jackie learns that Danny’s mother is an alcoholic, and that is the underlying reason for Danny’s gruff behavior.

Their grandmother is suffering with cancer. She is extremely ill as a result of heavy chemotherapy. The entire family suffers with her as she takes heavy sedatives for the extreme pain of her illness. Hannah and all members of the family try to comfort their grandfather and each other.

Hannah is found out about deceiving her parents about attending the music concert, and her guilt overwhelms her. When her folks discover what she has done, Hannah can hardly face them. Eventually, her grandfather discusses her guilt with her, eases her pain, and ultimately she is forgiven by the whole family.

The entire story is surrounded by underlying spiritual ideals. Mom and dad teach the children about learning to be patient and selfless to achieve a gentle spirit. They learn that to love God and others is the duty of humankind, but people fail to do this not only through their words and acts, but also through their very thoughts.

The book is enriched with illustrations for younger readers, and it presents a good story that children can relate to with other children struggling with similar problems in life.