Joan of Arkansas

"Terrified, I do it anyway..." * * * Joanie Smith's mom is a heroin junkie who prefers a pet hamster to her own daughter. Joan of Arc's dad once got drunk and demanded his sons kill their sister: Drown that witch! But other than dysfunctional families, what else do these teenagers have in common? Because Joanie's grandma has been insisting they're so much alike for years. You're just like her... she'd always say, while staring up at the 15th century soldier girl's stained-glass window at church. Joanie would shrink in her pew. But I'm too scared to raise my hand in class, she'd think. Even when I know the answer! Join Joanie as she faces challenges large and small: from caring for a sick grandmother, to dealing with an abusive mom, to battling bullies at school-all while dealing with the flutters of first love and finding her unique voice in the most crucial human rights movement of our time. Get to know a different side of the infamous Joan of Arc while you're at it-the ordinary peasant whose dad tried to force her into an arranged marriage; the simple farm girl who faced exclusion from peers and cried to go home to her family after proving herself as a soldier. Figure out for yourself what these young women have in common and ponder how you too-an ordinary person-can be used by God (if you're willing) to do the extraordinary.