So after receiving an advance copy of one of Theresa Linden’s books, I requested that our local library carry one of her titles which would make for a very nice alternative to the material that’s out there for the YA audience. I was pleasantly surprised that they agreed and, before I knew it, I was placed on queue for the book the library decided to purchase: “The Battle for His Soul: A West Brothers Story (Book 3).”
I was mildly surprised that they chose this book (I had indicated in my request which books I had already read, and they were nice enough not to order the same books I had already finished) since it is in the middle of the West Brothers Story series. But when I saw the cover, I saw that this particular title had been “1st place winner of the Catholic Press Association Teen & YA Book Award.” Even if you are not familiar with the award-giving body, it is a good enough place to start when starting your foray into the Catholic Youth Fiction genre.
Synopsis
Jarret West is a teenager on the cusp of adulthood, but has strayed throughout his teenage life. Not only had he gotten his former girlfriend Zoe pregnant, but he had been a very mean brother to Roland, and has shunned his twin brother Keefe’s renewed faith and religious devotion. His father had tried to help him in whatever way he can, but Jarret just lets himself be consumed by envy and pride and refuses to give up his worldly vices and turn to his faith.
During a visit to a family friend’s ranch in Arizona, Jarret is faced with his broken relationships and his own brokenness. It is one ugly realization. Will he have enough time to mend them before it’s too late?
God appoints only one guardian angel for each human being. This angel remains the protective spirit of that person until bodily death, but is not reassigned to anyone else until the end of the world.
Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. in Catholic Catechism on the Angels
Hovering in the background are the main characters’ guardian angels as well as demon-minders. They do what they can in their power to either sway them to do good or give in to temptation. It is a battle that rages internally and invisibly, yet the effects can be seen externally in Jarret’s, Keefe’s and Roland’s reactions and decisions–of which will change the course of their lives.
Author’s Note on Angels and Demons
I reached out to Theresa Linden with regards to her use of the spiritual beings in this story as I was intrigued as to what was true to Catholic teachings, and which ones were based on her own interpretation of them.
I have read that demons have “specialties.” St. Thomas writes that “each angel is the only one of its kind.” Each angel was assigned a particular function when he was created. Each was created to represent God in a particular way, their own unique way. When they rejected God, they rejected that particular function.
– Theresa Linden
In the book, Jarret has Ellechial while Caitlyn’s spiritual guard is Cyabrial, and Roland has Nadriel. Theresa explains that all names were made up but they follow the same end syllable as the names of the most famous angels in the Bible: Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael.
The demons, on the other hand, are simply called the vices that they represent, with Self-pity, Fear, and Resentment, as examples, and they are presented as demons that are smaller in stature. The all-menacing Deth-Kye stalks Jarret with lies, hell-bent (pardon the pun) on taking him down with him, while an unnamed demon of death also makes a cameo as a “pointy-chinned, blood-red grimacing face.”
Though there is no official teaching about demons specifically assigned to each person, Theresa took inspiration from other literary works to make the case for an “assigned demon” such as in C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters.” Theresa also mentioned Fr. Chad Ripperger whose body of works on angels and demons also include the idea of “generational spirits”–spirits that seemingly follow the family down generations.
Whether these are factual, speculative, or merely creative, the devil’s main aim remains the same–and that is to bring about the downfall of man; and without the additional armor provided by our spiritual soldiers and prayers, man would be easy prey.
Take-aways
After reading the book, I was not surprised that it had won the award. The characters were teenagers representing a range of young people who are trying to live out their faith and praying for their friends and peers who may be struggling with theirs. It was a reminder for me that not all teens are the ones we see on TV or in social media postings. That there are young people out there who are just like Roland West, Caitlyn Summer, Keefe West, Peter Brandt, Kiara, Phoebe, Dominic, Zoe McGowan, Selena Zamorano, and, the main protagonist, Jarret West, whom faith-filled teens may relate with. It is a book that reminds them that prayer groups are not weird and that peers in their age group can get together and do wholesome activities.
The plot was well worked out with the narration moving from Jarret’s current state of mind, to the guardian angels and demons battling it out to sway Jarret one way or the other. It also has a mini-flashback to the time when Jarret was coerced to accompany his dad on a project for the monks after his disclosure that he had gotten his then-girlfriend Zoe pregnant.
What I found most enlightening was the way the guardian angels are presented as warriors for their charges’ souls. It is literally a fight between the angels and the demons. And as Jarret responds one way or another, either the angel, Ellechial, or the demon Deth-kye become stronger and gain more hold over him. It is a gripping visual of how we can easily become enslaved by our sins when the demon literally has a chain around the neck of one who has succumbed to addictions or feelings of despair; it becomes easier to just give in. It also shows how one side becomes more powerful and can lead to either greater good or greater evil. For many teens, this is a good imagery to have when they are in the midst of making decisions–does one listen to their guardian angel’s warnings or to the sweet lurings of the devil? The author points out: “The more we listen to our angels, the more we pray, and are open to their guidance; the more they can help us and the holier we become.”
Another aspect of the book which I really loved is the sending up of prayers. When one of the teens prays, it shows their angels quickly flying to bring in their prayers to be laid at God’s feet. Whether they are answered or not, it is a very good reminder that our prayers do reach the Heavenly Ears, and it is doubly guaranteed that we’ve been heard, as our angels also pray with us (especially if they are for our good or the good of others). This is another aspect that makes the Catholic faith uniquely different from others–we believe in the power of intercessory prayers; the power of prayer is multiplied when we not only pray in a group (When two or three are gathered in my name…) but also through the intercession of our heavenly guardians who will add their prayers to ours. Doesn’t that conjure a stronger image of a whole prayer society?
(Every time the book mentions a prayer brought up to Heaven, I imagine myself sending up my own prayers and hoping that my guardian angel is on standby to take it up to Him as well. It is actually a very comforting thought.)
Aside from that, there are plenty of Catholic beliefs, values, and causes that are thrown into the mix without getting too preachy (at least, it wasn’t for me). The concept of Purgatory, the true Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the power of prayer (especially through the intercessions of Mary, the saints, and the angels) were all brought up in the book. Also, you will find a strong pro-life stance, the power of forgiveness, and the hope that comes with second chances (these are not exclusive to Catholics but it is a recurring theme).
These are good values and beliefs to have that make up a strong foundation of the Catholic faith–a foundation that forms consciences and moral standards that help shape decisions and choices one makes later on in life. Decisions that either “feed” the good or the worse in us–either strengthening our ties to the angel that watches over us or gives the demons more power to enslave us to sin.
If books are food for the soul, then this is one book that many young adults should be encouraged to read.
Next Steps
As I mentioned at the start, I had requested an alternative to the mainstream YA literature that our children are exposed to, and was able to get our library to carry this book. I believe if anyone who has been touched by Theresa’s or other Catholic writer’s books made a request, then we could do our part in trying to broaden the reach of these authors and help teens have access to these sorts of stories. The worst that can happen is they say no, but at least we would have tried.
Another concrete way to help spread the word is to reach out to the leader of your parish’s youth group to use the book as a book club pick. I do believe that there is a wealth of topics to discuss and Theresa already has a set of ready-made questions and discussion topics found here.
Then, after reaching out to the librarians, youth leaders, and other Catholic mama bears, we send up a prayer to our guardian angels to tell their guardian angels to help fulfill our requests. A little whisper, a little nudge could go a long way.
Additional Resources:
St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, question 63
Theresa Linden’s blog called “A Bit About Angels”
Article on how angels battle demons
Article on demons assigned to us
Fr. Ripperger’s video on demons
Catholic Catechism on the Angels
Support Theresa Linden
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