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Raise the Flag #6
When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough?
Just as the teen characters in Nancy Rue's Raise the Flag series continue to meet at the school flagpole to pray for one another, teens and preteens will continue to find encouragement and hope in stories that address vital issues and help them find strength to meet the greatest challenges in life-continuing with Book Six: When Is Perfect, Perfect Enough?
Quiet, studious Shannon D'Angelo has never made trouble before—and she's not about to start now! People have started to figure out that she's got a problem with anorexia, but she's certain she can handle the situation on her own. There's no point in worrying her parents; they have enough problems dealing with Caitlin, Shannon's troubled younger sister, who's been getting involved with everything from car accidents to house fires. How can Shannon's struggles even compare?
But Shannon quickly learns that there are some things she can't control, including her illness and, well—life. That means if she's ever going to get well, she's going to have to let go of her need to be perfect and allow herself to be loved and healed by the ones—and the One—who love her most of all.
Quiet, studious Shannon D'Angelo has never made trouble before—and she's not about to start now! People have started to figure out that she's got a problem with anorexia, but she's certain she can handle the situation on her own. There's no point in worrying her parents; they have enough problems dealing with Caitlin, Shannon's troubled younger sister, who's been getting involved with everything from car accidents to house fires. How can Shannon's struggles even compare?
But Shannon quickly learns that there are some things she can't control, including her illness and, well—life. That means if she's ever going to get well, she's going to have to let go of her need to be perfect and allow herself to be loved and healed by the ones—and the One—who love her most of all.
215 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 1999
24 people want to read
About the author
Nancy N. Rue
225 books289 followersNancy Rue is the author of over 100 books for adults and teens, including the Christy Award-winning The Reluctant Prophet, Unexpected Dismounts and Healing Waters (with Steve Arterburn), which was the 2009 Women of Faith Novel of the Year. She travels extensively—at times on the back of a Harley—speaking to and teaching groups of women of all ages. Nancy lives on a lake in Tennessee with her Harley-ridin’ husband, Jim, and their two yellow Labs (without whom writing would be difficult).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 17, 2024
Ein guter Jugendroman über eine heranwachsende Frau, die lernt ihren eigenen Wert und Stimme zu kennen.
Einen Punkt Abzug für den klischeehaften jungen Mann, der sich natürlich ausgerechnet für Laura interessiert, wodurch der Plot suggeriert, wenn du Probleme im Leben hast, findet sich bestimmt auch gleich der passende Partner, der dich natürlich so liebt wie du bist und alles wird gut.
Einen Punkt Abzug für den klischeehaften jungen Mann, der sich natürlich ausgerechnet für Laura interessiert, wodurch der Plot suggeriert, wenn du Probleme im Leben hast, findet sich bestimmt auch gleich der passende Partner, der dich natürlich so liebt wie du bist und alles wird gut.
November 22, 2013
Warning: This books suffers from the following conditions:
Miracle Therapist Syndrome (moderate): The protagonist acquires a therapist who not only understands the protag's feelings but knows without being told what those feelings -- and thoughts and actions -- are, and she knows just what to do about it. As this is Christian fiction, the Miracle Therapist also relies on God.
Cardboard Character Syndrome (severe): Only the protagonist and her sister do any growth throughout the book. Supporting cast members are relegated to one-tone comments and actions.
Racial Stereotype Disease (mild to moderate): To be fair, the (good) characters are fighting racial prejudice, and the supporting cast might be diverse (test are inconclusive, and I am so many kinds of not reading the other books to find out). That doesn't stop the lone black character who gets more than a bite of screen time from being the only apparent character to live in a poorer neighbourhood or know where the 'rough' coffee shop is or speak in any kind of patois. More significant screen time -- and consideration of Cardboard Character Syndrome -- would be required to evaluate this disease further.
Plague of the People Who Smoke Pot Are All Violent Crackheads (moderate): Newly discovered in 2013! Although the rebellious sister makes some surprisingly coherent points on the low risks of pot early on, the plot then devolves into a bad murder mystery-esque feel with a bunch of hardcore crackheads who are really ready to do some violence to anyone who isn't wearing plaid / doesn't look unwashed / might not also be into crack.
Unfinished Business Disorder (moderate to severe): All signs were pointing to Miracle Cure Syndrome, so this was an unexpected find. Instead of Shannon miraculously, and suddenly, recovering by dint of religious intervention or True Love or whatever, she's just...left hanging. It's clear that her parents have no more understanding of (or interest in) her problems than they started out with. Her sister doesn't fare much better. Shannon gets some resolution in terms of her relationship to religion/God, but...that's about it. Some plot lines that (evidently) started in previous books were wrapped up, but this is the last in the series -- no time like the present to address loose ends. Or, in other words: lack of Miracle Cure Syndrome often indicates a good prognosis, but in this case the prognosis was misleading.
Miracle Therapist Syndrome (moderate): The protagonist acquires a therapist who not only understands the protag's feelings but knows without being told what those feelings -- and thoughts and actions -- are, and she knows just what to do about it. As this is Christian fiction, the Miracle Therapist also relies on God.
Cardboard Character Syndrome (severe): Only the protagonist and her sister do any growth throughout the book. Supporting cast members are relegated to one-tone comments and actions.
Racial Stereotype Disease (mild to moderate): To be fair, the (good) characters are fighting racial prejudice, and the supporting cast might be diverse (test are inconclusive, and I am so many kinds of not reading the other books to find out). That doesn't stop the lone black character who gets more than a bite of screen time from being the only apparent character to live in a poorer neighbourhood or know where the 'rough' coffee shop is or speak in any kind of patois. More significant screen time -- and consideration of Cardboard Character Syndrome -- would be required to evaluate this disease further.
Plague of the People Who Smoke Pot Are All Violent Crackheads (moderate): Newly discovered in 2013! Although the rebellious sister makes some surprisingly coherent points on the low risks of pot early on, the plot then devolves into a bad murder mystery-esque feel with a bunch of hardcore crackheads who are really ready to do some violence to anyone who isn't wearing plaid / doesn't look unwashed / might not also be into crack.
Unfinished Business Disorder (moderate to severe): All signs were pointing to Miracle Cure Syndrome, so this was an unexpected find. Instead of Shannon miraculously, and suddenly, recovering by dint of religious intervention or True Love or whatever, she's just...left hanging. It's clear that her parents have no more understanding of (or interest in) her problems than they started out with. Her sister doesn't fare much better. Shannon gets some resolution in terms of her relationship to religion/God, but...that's about it. Some plot lines that (evidently) started in previous books were wrapped up, but this is the last in the series -- no time like the present to address loose ends. Or, in other words: lack of Miracle Cure Syndrome often indicates a good prognosis, but in this case the prognosis was misleading.
August 8, 2019
This is one of those books that I didn’t really love at first, but after thinking about it for about a week, I realized how much I really liked it. I loved how mature it was and how it talked about “taboo” topics considering the fact that it’s a Christian book, because I feel that Christian books usually shy away from anything controversial. So yeah I would recommend this book! It’s actually super impactful and well-written.
November 9, 2017
This is the sixth and final book in the "Raise the Flag" series.
It follows Shannon. We've seen her actions in all the prior books, but now it's time to see inside her head. And her head..... has "Edith". As we've seen in prior books, her dad has issues with members of other races, and her sister has "acting out" problems that her parents do not want anyone to know about and now we find out specifically that her mom has control issues. Shannon, being the middle child, tries to make everything better for everybody. But when she can't, she listens to "Edith" and punishes herself by not eating.
She asks her parents for help with this not eating thing - but her parents don't take her problem seriously and expect her to take care of it, as she's the responsible one and takes care of everything else that they say to do. It's not until she faints at church and the doctor at the E.R. wants her to have tests run that Shannon takes it seriously. She finally gets her parents to allow her to see a psychologist, who can help her discover why it is that Shannon is not eating. The psychologist is Georgianna, a friend of Ms. Race's. There are several therapy sessions that the readers are privy to - and several realizations that Shannon makes.
Now, Caitlin, Shannon's younger sister is back from boarding school and the summer VBS is going on. When Caitlin disappears after setting the house on fire, Shannon and the Girls make it their mission to find her and bring her home. (Personally, I would have let the cops get her from a crack hotel, but hey, it's a book and has to have some excitement somewhere. It should also come with a warning label: do not do this!)
After Caitlin is home, Shannon finds out that Caitlin will be in rehab and everyone's going to family therapy - but earlier in the book, when Georgianna wanted the family to go to therapy together the reaction was "OH NO!". Sounds peachy, huh?! That was just one thing that got Shannon upset, and she describes it like a burning sensation in the esophagus - Georgianna said it was anger, repressed anger. Shannon's reaction is described in the book, so why don't you go read it!
It follows Shannon. We've seen her actions in all the prior books, but now it's time to see inside her head. And her head..... has "Edith". As we've seen in prior books, her dad has issues with members of other races, and her sister has "acting out" problems that her parents do not want anyone to know about and now we find out specifically that her mom has control issues. Shannon, being the middle child, tries to make everything better for everybody. But when she can't, she listens to "Edith" and punishes herself by not eating.
She asks her parents for help with this not eating thing - but her parents don't take her problem seriously and expect her to take care of it, as she's the responsible one and takes care of everything else that they say to do. It's not until she faints at church and the doctor at the E.R. wants her to have tests run that Shannon takes it seriously. She finally gets her parents to allow her to see a psychologist, who can help her discover why it is that Shannon is not eating. The psychologist is Georgianna, a friend of Ms. Race's. There are several therapy sessions that the readers are privy to - and several realizations that Shannon makes.
Now, Caitlin, Shannon's younger sister is back from boarding school and the summer VBS is going on. When Caitlin disappears after setting the house on fire, Shannon and the Girls make it their mission to find her and bring her home. (Personally, I would have let the cops get her from a crack hotel, but hey, it's a book and has to have some excitement somewhere. It should also come with a warning label: do not do this!)
After Caitlin is home, Shannon finds out that Caitlin will be in rehab and everyone's going to family therapy - but earlier in the book, when Georgianna wanted the family to go to therapy together the reaction was "OH NO!". Sounds peachy, huh?! That was just one thing that got Shannon upset, and she describes it like a burning sensation in the esophagus - Georgianna said it was anger, repressed anger. Shannon's reaction is described in the book, so why don't you go read it!
October 1, 2013
This was a fantastic book. I loved the perfect balance of emotional (Shannon's disease) and physical (Shannon's search for Caitlin) elements. I would absolutely recommend this book, or any other book in the series (I've read them all!) to anyone. Although the book has a lot of meat to it in terms of content, the writing is more "fluffy"--I finished this book in an afternoon.
There are so many fabulous characters in this book. Each of the Flagpole Girls has her own multidimensional personality: confident Tobey, say-it-like-it-is Norie, chatty Cheyenne, incisive Brianna, selfless Marissa, and, the main character of the book, quiet Shannon. The boys also play important roles in the development of the storyline: Tobey's brother and Cheyenne's boyfriend, Fletcher; Brianna's wheelchair-bound boyfriend, Ira; Cheyenne's foster brother, Diesel; Shannon's boyfriend, Adam; and Norie's boyfriend, Wyatt. Other significant characters are Mrs. Race, the understanding mentor of the Flagpole Girls; Caitlin, Shannon's rebellious younger sister; and Shannon's loving yet uncompromising parents, John and Bronwyn. I think that this is the most important part of the book.
I also loved the portion of the storyline regarding Shannon's recovery from her illness. It was heartbreaking to "watch" her go through it, but it was amazing how strong she had become by the end of the book. Watching Shannon's character and relationships develop was my favorite part of this book.
There are so many fabulous characters in this book. Each of the Flagpole Girls has her own multidimensional personality: confident Tobey, say-it-like-it-is Norie, chatty Cheyenne, incisive Brianna, selfless Marissa, and, the main character of the book, quiet Shannon. The boys also play important roles in the development of the storyline: Tobey's brother and Cheyenne's boyfriend, Fletcher; Brianna's wheelchair-bound boyfriend, Ira; Cheyenne's foster brother, Diesel; Shannon's boyfriend, Adam; and Norie's boyfriend, Wyatt. Other significant characters are Mrs. Race, the understanding mentor of the Flagpole Girls; Caitlin, Shannon's rebellious younger sister; and Shannon's loving yet uncompromising parents, John and Bronwyn. I think that this is the most important part of the book.
I also loved the portion of the storyline regarding Shannon's recovery from her illness. It was heartbreaking to "watch" her go through it, but it was amazing how strong she had become by the end of the book. Watching Shannon's character and relationships develop was my favorite part of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2012
"When is Perfect Perfect Enough" is a young adult Christian novel. This book is the sixth in a series. This story appears to have began in book five (which I haven't read), but the things that have come before this regarding Shannon's anorexia and her sister's misbehavior are summarized at the beginning of this book. Certain events from books four and five regarding Ira are mildly spoiled in this one.
Of the four books in this series that I've read, the other three seemed to push events to extremes to increase the suspense. This one felt more realistic to me in terms of it being a situation the readers are more likely to encounter (in person or in a friend) and in how the characters reacted to the events. All of the characters were more rounded out and complex in how they dealt with problems, and we got to know them on a deeper basis. I liked that. I also liked how her friends were involved and how they learned how to help her.
The Christian element was mainly some God-talk ("we'll pray" and "God loves you"), and God was credited for helping Shannon make progress. There was some "he cussed" style bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I would recommend this book.
Of the four books in this series that I've read, the other three seemed to push events to extremes to increase the suspense. This one felt more realistic to me in terms of it being a situation the readers are more likely to encounter (in person or in a friend) and in how the characters reacted to the events. All of the characters were more rounded out and complex in how they dealt with problems, and we got to know them on a deeper basis. I liked that. I also liked how her friends were involved and how they learned how to help her.
The Christian element was mainly some God-talk ("we'll pray" and "God loves you"), and God was credited for helping Shannon make progress. There was some "he cussed" style bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I would recommend this book.
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July 16, 2014This series is just brimming with wit, raw struggle, and wisdom. I fell in love with each one of the characters. If I could, I would give the series to every American teenage girl.
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May 14, 2010F RUE rtf bk.6
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews