FORGET THE CORSAGE

In her debut nonfiction work, Ciminello offers wisdom for teenage girls and young women based on Christian spirituality.

Without holding back, the author describes how, like many young Christian woman, she struggled to accept God’s will when it didn’t mesh with her own desires or expectations. Each chapter describes a stumbling block Ciminello confronted during her formative years, and these stumbling blocks are similar to those faced by many teen girls, especially those pursuing Christian lives. For instance, she describes how she spent the majority of her senior prom waiting for her date to arrive with her corsage. The date—a friend she went with since her crush asked another girl—arrived late and without the corsage, and Ciminello missed out on having fun that evening because she refused to act against her expectations. Alongside each embarrassing and honest story, the author provides a spiritual lesson through Scripture and faith-based reflection. She connects her prom experience to the way that one might wait for life to “begin” even though all one needs has already been gifted by God. Each chapter closes with a journal entry from Ciminello’s past and space for the reader to write a journal entry of her own, rounding the lesson off in a personal manner. This book is best described as personal. By using stories from her own life, the author gains the authority of experience while maintaining a friendly, conversational voice. As such, she can make firm statements about right and wrong and the importance of following God without seeming haughty. Her tone is reminiscent of one a gentle older sister might use in guiding her younger counterpart, making the lessons she offers easy to accept. Additionally, Ciminello crafts her book with a clean structure, making it even easier for readers to follow. Aside from maintaining a similar, sensible form, each chapter is long enough to provide real food for thought without dragging on and causing attentions to drift, further improving the work’s readability.

A reflective, persuasive look at spiritual development for young Christian women, told by someone who’s been there.