It’s not often that I’m totally committed to a novel in the first few pages. When a friend loaned me Susan May Warren’s My Foolish Heart, I agreed to read it, like a couple of others this summer, for the Tyndale Summer Reading Program. For that reason, alone, I usually give the book more time to grow on me, or I resolve to endure it so that it will count towards the program.
Warren had me at hello. I’d barely finished the first chapter and I’d already laughed and was pulling for Isadora Presley to come out a heroine at the end. I finished the whole book on a recent driving trip from Illinois to Pennsylvania.
Click here for the first chapter to see what I’m talking about. 
My Foolish Heart tackles themes I haven’t seen much or at all in Christian fiction, namely agoraphobia and physical disability. Set in the world of high school football in the Midwest, My Foolish Heart, also paints a picture of transformation and redemption while not feeling like the inclusion of Scripture is forced or an afterthought.
Believable — imperfect and identifiable — characters, descriptive language, real struggles, and a beautifully painted setting combine to make My Foolish Heart an enjoyable escape.
This was my first time reading anything Warren has written. I’ll be back for more!