I recently enjoyed a book entitled Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury. Karen is a faith-based writer who has written dozens of inspirational best sellers. While I found this book to be a fun summer style read, it also had many points that made me think about my own faith and whether I would have been able to stand up for God if I was put in the lead characters situations.
Fifteen Minutes centers on the main character Zack Dylan. He comes from a small town in Kentucky and is defined by his loves of music, family and faith. When his family’s horse farm finds itself in financial trouble he commits to trying out for an American Idol style singing competition. Even though his family is concerned about how the show might change his core values, he is convinced he can persevere through the competition and still stay humble and give all the glory to God.
As Zack advances though the competition the author takes us on a fascinating journey through behind the scenes workings of a hit television show and how the producers manipulate the storylines that the viewing public sees. All the while he is conflicted and forced to try to hold on to his belief systems while the show and his new found fame are pulling him away from his true self.
In the end it is one of the judges, a former winner of the show and huge star, who is
able to have some private conversations with Zack about her own journey and how
he can best be true to himself and his faith. Karen does an excellent job of pulling
the reader along in a story that makes you want to keep flipping the pages and see what happens next. Then when you least expect it she intertwines quotes from the bible that make you put the book down and have a moment of self reflection to ponder where you are in your personal walk and how you can do more to be true to your own set of beliefs.
This particular book is several years old and I just happened to stumble upon it in
a stack of used books. However, after reading Fifteen Minutes and doing some research about other Karen Kingsbury novels, it will definitely not be my last. I hope
you give it a read, as I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I did and will find it's a novel that's hard to put down.
Mimi Jackie
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