This book makes me cry each time I read it- tears of sorrow and also tears of wonder at the strength of the martyrs portrayed. Every day, I grumble and fuss when I am called to not wear a particular pair of shorts or not go to an unwise event for Christ's sake, entirely ignoring the fact that there were thousands whom God allowed to be imprisoned, slaughtered, beheaded, stoned. Crucified. For the advancement of the Gospel.
The Robe in this book isn't just a great responsibility that the main character has to shoulder- instead, it is a symbol of the cause that we each must dedicate ourselves to, sacrifice ourselves to, day after day, year after year.
We have been given a tremendous blessing in Christ, but the fact that we bear it means that we must orient our lives completely with God's will. The true bestowal of God's salvation demands nothing less. That, at its heart, is what I Douglas is communicating in The Robe.
I would entirely recommend this book to teens and all adults. There is a "clean" romance in it with a few kisses in it, and there are a few instances of the word "damn," but those are all the caveats I can offer. It does portray Jesus, though, and many people object to that. I would definitely agree that portraying Jesus is highly dangerous, and often people will project their own ideals into Jesus' character, which is of course a horrible and sacrilegious thing to do. However, I think that Douglas does a good job at sticking only to what the Bible tells us about Jesus.
All in all, this book is great for teens and adults and maybe also for a book club, as it could spark some really thought-provoking conversations.
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