Damien Decides
Summary
Damien Decides is a children’s picture book written by Rachel James and illustrated by Michael Bliss. In it, Damien must decide how to use his superpowers of transformation. During a particularly intense time of acting out, Damien’s Uncle Joe comes in and begins to teach Damien how to use his powers for good. Will the young boy learn to be a good man who uses his powers out of love for others or will he use his powers selfishly, out of pride and stubbornness?
Assessment
Damien Decides is a theologically rich book with an incredible message for young boys about manhood and what it means to follow Christ as a man. Several God-given virtues are looked at against their sinful counterparts represented by each of the animals Damien can transform into. For example, Damien turns into a lion to scare his sister, but his Uncle Joe shows him how to use that power to protect her instead. So on and so forth the book goes through several different virtues and their flip sides.
The message and writing are where this book really shines, diving into the ever-important and oft-overlooked question of “what does it mean to be a good man?”. The artwork has a distinctive, sketchy charm that is reminiscent of children’s artwork. In terms of cleanliness, the book is incredibly clean and appropriate for the age it is targeting. A few of the wider concepts may technically be over the heads of the audience, but the book will be able to lay in a good foundation in their minds for future exposure to its ideas.
Light-o-Meter
Artwork: 3 out of 7 Little Lights
Writing: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Age-Appropriateness: Appropriate for intended age.
Theological Message: 6 out out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
As with all pieces of media designed specifically to teach boys how to become good, Godly men, this book makes me incredibly happy to see and support. In a world where so much media is geared towards the female audience (which, there’s nothing wrong with!) and Godly masculine traits are constantly mistaken for their toxic counterparts, seeing books that uphold these Biblical values is amazing.
Damien Decides does a fantastic job of drawing the dividing line between genuinely toxic masculine traits and the good, healthy attributes that God has designed men to have. The stubbornness of the donkey is shown as both obnoxious when used for selfish reasons (i.e. not wanting to eat broccoli) and valuable in protecting the loved ones with unwavering devotion. The strength of the ox is useful for a variety of tasks, but that same ox can be easily led astray by a simple nose ring. This book handled it better than some novels I’ve read geared towards grown men, breaking down the difference between using your God-given abilities for the love of others or for yourself.
I did think the artwork leaned a bit too heavily into the “sketchy/half-finished” kind of style that can be reminiscent of children’s artwork. That being said, the characters are very expressive and the illustrations do get the story’s point across and I think the heavier colors will absolutely appeal to boys (as well as all the cool animal transformations).
Where to Enjoy
Amazon: Damian Decides: James, Rachel, Bliss, Michael: 9798990788503: Amazon.com: Books
Barnes & Noble: Damian Decides by Rachel James, Michael Bliss, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble®
Books-a-Million: Damian Decides by Rachel James; Michael Bliss
Disclaimer: This review is for this specific product and this product alone. In no way, shape, or form is this review meant to be an endorsement of the private lives, individual choices, lifestyles, or behaviors of those company(ies), publisher(s), creator(s), producer(s), author(s), artist(s), etc. associated with this product. It is God's sole providence alone to judge, and we make no claim to this right. With our reviews, we're simply looking at the value and merits of this specific product alone through the content and perspective of a Christian worldview. We pray you find it helpful and useful.