Review of Asterisk

[Joy Wendy]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Asterisk" by Booth Milovnik.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Navigating through life alone can sometimes be overwhelming and challenging, but with family, it becomes less of a burden as they bring comfort in moments of sadness and join in celebrating in moments of happiness.

Cynthia Floyd was a teenager, and one night of teenage shenanigans made her end up pregnant. She is from a Catholic background; hence, terminating the pregnancy was never an option. Though her parents weren’t thrilled with the situation at that time, her mom found comfort in the words of a priest, who said, "A child is a gift from God." She ends up giving birth to her little boy named Matthew, whom she calls “my little asterisk.” Matthew grows up with two fathers: his biological father and his stepdad. He writes letters to his biological father, who updates him on the things he has been engaging in. His stepdad is his go-to for advice whenever he’s confused. As time goes on, the family expands, and he gets to have two little brothers and a sister. Matthew is getting a lot of attention from girls, but his mom tries to lay down strict rules and watches him like a hawk so that he doesn’t make the same mistake she did. Does Matthew learn from the mistake his father made, or does he make the same mistake his father did? Read the book to find out more.

Asterisk by Booth Milovnik was a very interesting read, with several lessons to pick from the story. Firstly, I learned from the life of Cynthia Floyd how mistakes don’t make a person. She got pregnant out of wedlock, but she didn’t let that end her life as she went on to live a fulfilling life, even ending up with an amazing spouse. Also, the importance of family in trying times was another lesson I got from the book. Although her family didn’t welcome the idea of their daughter having a child at a young age, they later saw things differently and supported her in every way they could.

One thing I disliked about the book was the subtle promotion of premarital sex and other sexual activities, especially among teenagers, as this would lead to an increased rate of teen pregnancy. Aside from that, I loved every other thing about the book.

Overall, this book was easy to read; I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I did not like seeing teenagers encouraged to engage in sexual activities, which was why I removed a star. There were no errors in this book; it was superbly edited. This book is suitable for anyone, with no exceptions.

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Asterisk
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