Debbie

by John Benton

1981, mass market paperback edition, John Benton Books, Pasadena, CA. 191 pages.

Genres: Young Adult

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1994

Reviews

[Dawn Michelle]

I am not sure how to rate this now - if it was back in 1979[ish - I was 11 when I started that school] when I first picked this [and the rest of the John Benton books] book up off the "library" shelf at the very small Christian school I attended [WHO thinks these kind of books were okay for sheltered, naive, uninformed kids? Because they had a "christian" message, that made them okay. Trust me, we were not reading them for that message, that's for darn sure], I would have rated it 5 stars. I was totally into these books as it showed a world I had never seen before and I read them over and over and over again. I could have cared less about the "message"; it was all about the details and the "sex" and the salaciousness of them. And now, as an adult who has seen the world and looks at things through a much different lens, these books seem..tawdry and very sensationalized and a bit scandalous IMO. So I am going to leave this one [and all the others that I am going to review [with this same review] with no rating. I am really torn now, as an adult, as to what I think about these books.

[alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a result of everything i learned about running away, prostitution, and where to hide your works (SPOILER ALERT: in the unflushed toilet! ew!) from this novel (which supplemented all the shit i already knew from _Go Ask Alice_ and _A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich_), i was able to coast as a worldly-wise young adult well into college.

(really important edit, 4.7.24:

i'm lucky i didnt watch season 4 of 90210 till 2008 because i might've believed that orange juice is as central to meth use as, say, a syringe is to heroin.)

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st Read: January 31, 1996 - February 2, 1996
The same critique I have for all the other John Benton stories is that they (Patti, Terri, Lefty, etc) have a great life turnaround! Somewhat dated and a different era of how people were, but there is an innocence about that. Any young people who are reading these books today, good on ya! I love how this one is "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!" scenario!

[oscar rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

To God be the glory! John Benton book is life changing

I recommend this life changing book for teenagers and young adults. It would be great for book clubs sharing God's love!

[Cindy aka "The Book Fairy" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read encouraging true stories!

[Hyacinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book I thought it was really antiquated. As I kept reading, the message is still true: Jesus is still the way, the truth and the life. Debbie's story sounds statistical along with Harding's. I was surprised a little at the ending. Overall, it was a nice and easy read.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of this book. Some of what was written seemed a bit extreme and hard to believe. The topic was good. I think this book can help shed light on important ministry.