Dear Bob

by    20th June 2003    0 responses

dearbob

University can be a life-changing experience. You’re suddenly thrown together with hundreds of people you don’t know, and are expected to find friends, look after yourself, and sometimes even go to the occasional lecture, too!

For young Christians, university can be a very daunting place. Should we stand strong in our faith, and consciously stand out from our peers, or should we make more of an effort to conform to the typical student culture? Dear Bob tackles this question head on.

Dear Bob is the diary of Jude Singleton, a first year student at Bymouth University. Why “Dear Bob?” Well, all the entries of Jude’s diary are written to the boyfriend who she longs to meet, who she names Bob.

Jude was brought up in a Christian family, and regularly attended church, where she was a member of the youth group. She even claims to know all of the guitar chords for Matt Redman’s songs, even though she doesn’t play the guitar! As soon as she started at university, however, she had a dream that shook her faith, and left her wondering if God was real, and whether she wanted to have anything to do with him. Her diary tells of her quest for the truth, as well as her quest for a boyfriend!

During her time at university, she encounters a cult, befriends a rude old lady, is elected to the Christian Union committee, meets a dodgy counsellor and even makes a life-changing trip to Romania.

Don’t be deceived by the pink and purple cover of this book. This is an extremely well written and useful insight into a Christian student’s life. It will make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, and it’ll inspire you to think deeply about your own faith. One of the real strengths of this book is the characterisation. Within a few pages, you will feel that the characters are your friends, and you won’t be able to put the book down, as you’ll want to know what happens next. Through these really strong characters, you will be encouraged to think about your own faith, and how you relate to other people. It will also help you to understand perhaps why people act in the way they do. It really demonstrates just how and why it is wrong to judge people.

This is a tremendous book that I have no hesitation in recommending. It will particularly interest people who are about to start at university, who are currently students, or who have an interest in student culture. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dear Bob, and can’t wait for Annie Porthouse’s next book!

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Simon is a teacher, writer and preacher based in Kent in the United Kingdom. Simon enjoys sailing, and is a keen geocacher. Simon is married to Claire.

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