Journal #7

The book, The Foretelling, is a story about the Amazon Warriors. If you do not know, the Amazonian population are all women. Strong, powerful, warrior women. The main character in this book is Rain, the daughter of the Queen. Rain struggles with the fact that she thinks her mother hates her. Based on the story of her conception, it makes sense. Being raped by 50 men, is an inconceivable pain and horror that no one would want to remember. It must be so hard for the Queen to think about her daughter, which is why she let others raise her. Through out this book, Rain is jealous of the new woman her mother is with and angry at the new sister she has gained. Rain tries to find out how to be a good person as well as a successful warrior. She struggles with death. When she realizes she is going to be Queen, she struggles with that fact as well.

In the story, Rain talks to the woman who raised her and asks her, "Isn't every Queen cruel?". Her response is, "The weak are cruel, the strong have no need to be." This quote stuck with me throughout the rest of the novel. It is a motif of Rain's life. Later in the novel, when things get tough and complicated, she does not automatically resort to violence. Being strong is not just being physically strong, it is being able to be a leader that people will follow, it is knowing when to fight and when not to, it is being able to take charge when need be, it is being courageous, it is knowing love is more powerful that hatred. Rain is strong.

Even though the Amazon Warriors are extreme in their ways compared to society today, you can take a lot of the advice given in this book and it will still apply to life now. That is what I liked about reading this story. It will make you think about who you are and who you can become all based on the choices you make.