Some Through the Fire

by Jeri Massi

"Valkyries" tells the story of a teenage girl in the '70s who commits herself to Jesus at a tent meeting and is then immediately plunged into her family's traumatic breakup, which results in violent... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080241513X
• ISBN13: 9780802415134
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Length: 2 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.7" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Glowing comments from readers

"I am blessed and encouraged after reading this story. I feel - I remember why I believed in Jesus when I first did. Thank you for reminding me of what is good and true in the Lord." "I'm speechless. I just finished it, and I know I have to write to you, but I truly have no idea what to say. What an amazing story! The way you wrote it made me feel as if I was there watching it. "I have just finished reading your Valkyrie series. It was a work of the very highest standard. Rarely have I read at story that has engendered such a range of emotions in me or moved me in such a spiritual way." "I VERY much enjoyed reading that book. I think it's Christian fiction at its finest." "I just wanted to thank you for your work in writing it and making it available.... The message of God's grace in light of our own failures was not lost on this reader, and I hope it reaches many more people in the years to come." "I genuinely feel...that apart from the undisputed classics like NARNIA and the CURDIE books, VALKYRIES is the best Christian novel for young people that I have *ever* read."

A gripping coming-of-age story with profound spiritual truth

The Valkyries books (Moody Press) are really parts one and two of one story: a rare blend of a coming-of-age tale set in the 1970's, an exciting athletic narrative, and the story of a young girl's poignant and gripping spiritual journey.Just after her 8th-grade year, Tracey Jacamuzzi goes against her Italian-Catholic upbringing by attending a Baptist tent meeting and "getting saved"--a term that baffles her friends and family. Tracey's conversion is too much for her parents--a father who is already violent toward her, and a mother who is too preoccupied with an extramarital affair to give her eldest daughter much thought. A violent showdown with her father results in Tracey being banished to the Sanctuary of Mary and Joseph, an all-girls' Catholic boarding school. Here she endures cruel hazing before realizing that basketball is the school's all-consuming passion, and she must become skillful at the sport in order to survive. An older girl takes Tracey under her wing as a basketball coach and mentor, and becomes her best friend in the process, making life more bearable at the school.The team's mascot, the Valkyries--valiant female warriors in Norse mythology--become symbols of Tracey's quest for strength and truth.But Tracey must still deal with questions in her growing faith, and the fact that what she is reading in the Bible is often at odds with the doctrines taught at the school. In addition, the fact that she is outspoken and often headstrong makes for some severe confrontations with Sister Mary, the rigid and coldhearted acting principal.Along the way, God brings people into Tracey's life that give her love and acceptance and help her answer the spiritual questions that haunt her. School volunteer Maddie Murdoch imparts wise counsel and the promise of a motherly love Tracey craves.Jeri Massi brings the story grippingly to life. You feel outrage when Tracey is abused, share her pain when she is treated unkindly and unfairly, and are moved when she learns new spiritual truths. (The fact that I, a 40-something, non-athletic woman from a conservative Baptist background, could so empathize with this Italian-Catholic teen-aged girl, is a credit to Massi's ability to make this story so real.) Massi's descriptive pen makes you actually see the mist shimmering on the serene campus, and vividly described dream sequences hint at her background in writing science fiction. And the basketball scenes are fastpaced and exciting, and could only be written by someone intimately acquainted with the sport.If you are a Catholic, you may not appreciate Massi's unflinching criticism of the church's doctrinal conflicts with Bible teaching. But she doesn't vilify Catholics themselves--one of Tracey's "good angels" in the book is the elderly Sister James Anne, who gives her unfailing love and acceptance; Father "Bing," the school's Bing Crosby-look-alike headmaster, shows her kindness; and she develops good relationships with some of the nuns who teach and coach her

Couldn't put it down

This story rings with honesty. It's a transparent account of coming to Christ from outside an Evangelical background. In the unlikely but believable environment of the Sanctuary of Mary and Joseph, Tracey Jacamuzzi comes to grips with the precious cornerstone of Protestant doctrine: the Grace of God is all that we have. Fast paced with the pounding rhythm of a basketball game, filled with grief, tragedy, hilarity, and an amazing, quick-fire dialogue that one seldom sees in Christian fiction, this book is a keeper. You won't be able to put it down! Be sure to get both VALKYRIES: Some Through the Fire, and volume 2, VALKYRIES, All Through the Blood. You need to read both to get the complete story!

An outstanding achievement in Christian fiction

The two-volume story VALKYRIES has been billed as "a hard-hitting novel about the grace of God". The description is indeed apt, because this story pulls no punches. It is by far the most honest, compelling, non-stereotypical, and thought-provoking Christian novel for young adults that I have ever read. The heroine, Tracey, is not some paper saint -- she is a fully believable character whose struggles and doubts are very real. Nor are the challenges that she faces as a young believer downplayed or oversimplified. As Tracey seeks to grow in her newfound faith and take a stand for Christ in a hostile environment, the errors she makes and the failures and disappointments she experiences teach important truths about God's mercy, grace, and love. Yet the story is far from preachy, and the lessons are never glib.One of the most remarkable things about this story is the richness and depth of the characterization. Although Tracey's conversion from Catholicism and her subsequent opposition to Catholic doctrines and practices are central to the book, the Catholic characters are not demonized, nor the evangelicals glorified. Neither can any one of the characters be reduced to a mere stereotype -- not even the apparent villains of the piece, like Tracey's abusive father or the harshly dictatorial principal of her Catholic school. Each person Tracey meets, regardless of their beliefs, is portrayed as a real human being, with virtues as well as faults. As such, the story rings true to life.The dialogue in the book flows easily and naturally from the characters, without any of the golly-gee hokiness or wooden diction that infects many Christian novels. It also shows real wit -- some of the quips made by Tracey's schoolmates are laugh-out-loud funny -- yet the humour is never forced or contrived. The narrative style of the novel is highly readable, clear and straightforward, providing just enough detail to create a picture in the reader's mind while spare enough to keep the action moving right along. Although Tracey's story unfolds slowly, each scene advances the plot, adds interest and depth to the characters, and none of it feels superfluous or wasted. I am a non-athlete and have no interest in team sports as a rule, but Tracey's high school basketball career -- an element which is crucial to the book, and not presented merely to add excitement or to glorify sport for its own sake -- is so skilfully described that I was captivated by it.Reading VALKYRIES, I was moved to both laughter and tears -- a rare experience for me. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a forthright, uncompromising, and deeply moving portrayal of what it really means to be a Christian and a child of God.

Intense, amazing, and real-life

This taut, unique novel is a real page-turner. Tracey Jacamuzzi wanders into an evangelistic service, hears the Gospel, and soon becomes convinced of the authority of the Bible. Within a few weeks, Tracey gets saved. Her Roman Catholic family swiftly exiles her to the Villa of Mary and Joseph, a harsh boarding school of high academics, rigid discipline, and intense competition. The story races by as though the pages turn themselves. The principal is cruel and runs things by manipulating some and humiliating others, yet she is offset by the kind and wise Sister James Anne. Tracey's new best friend, Liz Lukas, teacher her to play basketball and behaves with geneorsity and true compassion towards her, yet Liz espouses no belief in God at all. And Tracey, suffering for her faith, also doubts her own faith and moves from one crisis of belief to another. Yet behind everything, the shining image of the young woman born of heaven, a shield maiden of the Lord of Hosts---a Valkyrie---beckons to Tracey with the promise of Grace. Whatever you do, read both Volume One (Some Through the Fire) and Volume Two (All Through the Blood), and read them in order!