Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl

YA fiction 

"It never fails.  Daddy always finds a way to make morning service extend well into the afternoon, even after he promised he'd keep it short.  Today, during his sermon, he took twenty minutes to really drive home the point that Jesus helps those who help themselves." 

     As you may have guessed by now, Monique, protagonist of Joya Goffney's Confessions Of An Alleged Good Girl, is a preacher's kid.  There's a lot of pressure, especially from her strict mother, to be the perfect teen personified by "committed to Christ" Sasha.

     "You don't see Sasha wrapped up in some boy.  She always pays attention, she always sings along to every song, she never forgets her Bible at home...A stranger might think she was the pastor's daughter."

     The boy Monique is "wrapped up in" is her  boyfriend, Dom.  Her father considers Dom to be " the perfect gentleman," the only boy he'd trust to date her.  What preacher Daddy doesn't know is that not so perfect Dom is focused on premarital sex, a total taboo in their church.  He and Monique have tried unsuccessfully twenty-nine times.  If she can't be penetrated he's going to ditch her.

     Monique feels desperate and alone.  She can't talk to her parents.  She'd be admitting to doing something they consider a cardinal sin.  Rebellious older sister, Myracle, no longer living home, isn't mentioned by her family.  It's like she never existed.  When Monique started dating Dom she got out of touch with her other friends.  And, of course, the congregation assumes she's waiting for marriage.

     But all may not be lost.  With the help of unlikely allies Monique may learn how to take ownership not only of a medical condition, but of her body and her life.

On a purrrsonal note, I'm in the fifth (of six) weeks doing my internship with Upward Bound.  At first I was just expecting to fulfill a requirement of my program.  If I didn't screw up too much.  Imagine how surprised I was when it became one of the most transformative experiences of my life.  And you'll learn more about that in my next posts.  (Jules)

It's getting into the high eighties every day.  It's weather not fit for human nor beast.  Especially us fine furry felines.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the Upward Bound '22 family.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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