Synopses & Reviews
The first book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Their lives are nothing but drama. . . .
Camille can't believe her bad luck when she's ordered to join a church youth group after hiding her boyfriend from the police. She'll bide her time if that's what it takes to get everyone off her back, but it's the last place she ever expected to make a new friend. Angel has a secret that's got her running scared, so when she sees a flyer for the group, she heads to the church, hoping to find an answer to her problem. Now Rachel, their group leader, has a task for them that may just end their daily dramas and give them a whole new beginning.
They just have to take a leap of faith. . . .
Along the way, they meet tough-as-nails Jasmine and society-darling Alexis, forging friendships built on strength, loyalty, and faith. As the girls take up Rachel's challenge to honor their parents, they find that walking a new path isn't always the easiest way to go. But together, Camille, Angel, Jasmine, and Alexis will embark on adventures that only the best of friends can share.
Review
"[This] light-hearted novel is filled with teen observations on love, boys, and life in general, yet with a strong relevant message." -- Jacquelin Thomas, bestselling author of Simply Divine
Synopsis
Four teenage girls from different backgrounds find faith and friendship after joining Good Girlz, an afterschool church youth group.
Synopsis
The first book in an exciting and inspiring new series from national bestselling author ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Their lives are nothing but drama. . . .
Camille can't believe her bad luck when she's ordered to join a church youth group after hiding her boyfriend from the police. She'll bide her time if that's what it takes to get everyone off her back, but it's the last place she ever expected to make a new friend. Angel has a secret that's got her running scared, so when she sees a flyer for the group, she heads to the church, hoping to find an answer to her problem. Now Rachel, their group leader, has a task for them that may just end their daily dramas and give them a whole new beginning.
They just have to take a leap of faith. . . .
Along the way, they meet tough-as-nails Jasmine and society-darling Alexis, forging friendships built on strength, loyalty, and faith. As the girls take up Rachel's challenge to honor their parents, they find that walking a new path isn't always the easiest way to go. But together, Camille, Angel, Jasmine, and Alexis will embark on adventures that only the best of friends can share.
Synopsis
A first installment in a new inspirational series finds an adult Rachel Jackson organizing a youth group for wayward teens and counseling a range of troubled participants, from nave pregnant Angel to rebellious abuse victim Jasmine. Original.
About the Author
ReShonda Tate Billingsley is the #1 national bestselling author of numerous novels for adults, as well as the Good Girlz teen series. She has won many awards for her journalism and fiction, including the Nova Lee Nation Award from the Greater Dallas Writing Association, the prestigious Gold Pen Award for Best New Author for her first novel, My Brother’s Keeper, and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Fiction for Say Amen, Again. Her short fiction appears in the story anthology Have a Little Faith. She is also the author of the nonfiction book Help! I’ve Turned Into My Mother. ReShonda welcomes readers to her websites at ReShondaTateBillingsley.com.
Reading Group Guide
Reading Group Guide for
Nothing But Drama
Questions for Discussions
1. One of the major themes in Nothing But Drama is the clash between individuality and respect for a parent's wishes. When Camille is arrested for harboring her fugitive boyfriend in her grandmother's house, she says, "My mother was going to kill me for sure." Despite her fear of punishment, why does Camille continue to defy her mother and see Keith? How do you think Camille's mother could communicate more effectively with her?
2. Camille's mother shows her a newspaper article about Keith being found at the home of his girlfriend...who is also the mother of his child. Why is Camille resentful of her mother showing her the article? Cite instances where the generation gap between Camille and her mother is apparent.
3. After Camille's mother reads her journal and learns that she's still seeing Keith, she states, "When you start paying bills around here, then you can have some privacy." Do you agree with this? What does Camille learn after her mother suffers a heart attack? How does this put everything into perspective?
4. Angel is initially interested in Good Girlz because of the $25 raffle. Camille tells her, "This is my first time here. I'm just coming because I didn't have a choice." When all the girls agree to give Angel the money instead of participating in the drawing, it shows that not everything in their lives is out of their control. In what other instances throughout the novel do they exhibit the power of choice?
5. Rachel Adams, the First Lady of Zion Hill and the founder of the Good Girlz, admits, "It takes a lot of effort for me to walk the straight and narrow." Why do you think she shares her personal story and invites the girls to her happy home? What is she trying to show them?
6. Alexis comes from a wealthy family and appears to have the perfect life, but she has a mentally challenged sister whom her mother tries to hide. Rachel says, "We may not always understand our parents' motives, but it's important to respect their places in our lives." At what point in the story do the girls see for themselves how dysfunctional Alexis's family is? What do they learn about their own families?
7. Angel's mother convinces her to give her baby daughter up for adoption, but the adoption couple decides they want a baby boy instead. If fate hadn't intervened, would Angel have been true to herself and stood up to her mom? How will raising her own baby redefine Angel's relationship with her own mother? What do you think she will learn?
8. When you first meet Jasmine, she's the bulldog of the group, always picking a fight and intimidating the others. How does Jasmine change as the story progresses? Why do you think she's afraid to show her inner femininity and vulnerability in the beginning? How does she feel about boys? Discuss her relationship with her grandmother and how it helps define her.
9. When the girls find out that Angel is running away to Mexico, they follow her to bring her home. What does this say about their shift in priorities? At this point in the story, how has each girl changed for the better since she first joined Good Girlz?
10. Camille often asks that God not judge her and asks for His forgiveness. "I hoped God was as forgiving as Miss Rachel always claimed He was because I needed Him now more than ever." How does Camille's growing bond with God affect other relationships in her life? Do you think the girls changed for God...themselves...or someone else in their lives?
Activities to Enhance Your Book Club
Follow in the Good Girlz's footsteps and give back to your community. Check out Youth Service America at www.ysa.org where you can get involved in volunteer opportunities like fighting childhood hunger.
How well do you and your fellow book club members know each other? Write a multiple choice quiz about your favorite things -- like food, movies, singers -- then team up and see how many questions your fellow reader can get right.
Interview a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle about what he/she was like as a teenager, and then share the results at your next meeting. Some of the stories might surprise you!