Empress Theresa raises the bar of modern day writing in many ways.

Point 1: The story is about a teenage girl just setting out to finding her place in the world. The flexibility and potential of youth define the future. This is illustrated in Theresa who changes the world with her firm moral compass and bravery.

Her power and influence are so great that if she made a negative public statement about anybody that person's life would be hell, but she never does that.

   Point 2: The bookstores are full of young adult novels, but most of them are about teenage problems, bad parenting, bullying, drugs, alcohol, bad friends, depression, and such personal problems, or they are about dystopian futures like The Hunger Games, or some such scifi. There are very few stories in which young people deal with a realistic adult world. I can think of Treasure Island, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, To Kill A Mockingbird, and that’s about all I’m aware of. Empress Theresa deals with issues in the adult world: the weather, food supply, oil supply, the Arab/Israel conflict, the North  Korean dictatorship, and terrorism.  

 Point 3: Empress Theresa is fun to read. Most stories written today are too grim. Writers probably do this to make their stories look 'powerful'. Why would you read something that doesn't give you pleasure? Here are comments by Amazon five star reviewers: Robert Shuler's long review ends with the remark, "I say good work....let's have a sequel" Karrit wrote, "A gem of modern literature." Kevin Brown wrote, "Love this book." Non mess wrote, "To say I loved it would be an understatement." Joe Blow wrote, "It ought to be recipient of Best Novel by Hugo Awards." Iggy wrote, "Nice work, Norman Boutin. Keep up the good work. I enjoyed the story thoroughly."

  Point 4: Empress Theresa has an outstanding role model. Theresa is a wonderful girl.  Amazon five star reviewer Non mess writes, ‘’Give empress theresq a try if you're seeking a good role model.’’ A mother who read the book with her nine yo daughter wrote. ‘’ My daughter's words.....I like Theresa. She is a nice girl and there are not many of those these days. I hope I am a good girl. I want to be good too.’’

 Point 5:  Empress Theresa has simplicity. The recent bestseller "The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo" according to the wikipedia article about the book has twenty-nine characters.  Empress Theresa has only ten major speaking roles: Theresa and Steve Hartley, Jan Struthers, Father Donuoughty, Prime Minister Blair, Prime Minister Scherzer, President Stinson, and in the Parker mansion,  Edmund and Helen Parker, and Arthur Bemming.  Their relationships with each other and with Theresa are simple because they have no conflicting interests.  They all want Theresa to succeed.

Besides few characters Empress Theresa is simple in not requiring the reader to  have knowledge of any career.  Theresa never has a job. She is a student, and then she is technically speaking unemployed.   

 Point 6:  One element common to most lives is the unexpected. The valedictorian giving his optomistic speech at his high school graduation tells the crowd the world is theirs and anything is possible while he faces hundreds of the graduates's parents who never achieved all their goals.  What can prepare people for the unexpected?

Theresa only wanted to be a high school math teacher, but she will never have a job.  At eighteen she is thrown onto the world stage with responsibilities for which neither she nor anybody else could have been prepared.  The only thing that can get her through these trials is her character.

 Point 7:  Empress Theresa illustrates emotional and intellectual development.  In chapter 1 we see Theresa as a ten year old.  She doesn't know much about how the world works and has no serious emotional swings since she's not being seriously challenged.  She shows no signs of being an exceptionally effective person.  Well, we'll see about that!

Before the end of the story she looks back on what she's done and asks herself,  "How did I come so far?" The answer to that question is the story.



Point 8:  Empress Theresa dares to mention God and his involvement in human events.  Some people don't like to be reminded of that.

A novel is supposed to illutrate reality. There is no reality more important than our total dependence on God.  There is not a single atome in the center of the largest star in the most distant galaxy that would remain in existence one nanosecord if God didn't keep it in existence.  Similarly, we would collapse back into the nothingness from which we came if God didn't sustain us.  Theresa is conscious of this and puts her trust in Him.

Point 9: Theresa’s faith is the source of her triumph. Take a large group of people.  Impose the same difficult situation on them.  Gradually increase the difficulty and watch what happens.  One by one people will drop out of the challenge.

Theresa is challenged with difficulties she calls 'impossible', but she doesn't give up.  To much is at stake to give her the luxury of walking away. 

What keeps her going?  She trusts that God will get her through it somehow.  Later in the story President Stinson expressed this idea:  "I can't believe a God who brought her this far without making mistakes will let her make one now."

 Point 10:  Is Empress Theresa a Christian novel?  Some people say a Christian novel is full of scriptural quotes and discussion of Jesus Christ's activity in what is now Israel.  Empress Theresa is nothing like that.  Prime Minister Blair makes four scriptural references, only one from the New Testament.  Theresa makes none.  Jesus is not mentioned.  Theresa refers to the Father, Maker and God.

Empress Theresa is a Christian novel in the sense that Theresa is a believer and this gives her confidence, energy, and effectiveness, ( ''Theresa can't be defeated.'' ) 

Some people will say Theresa's faith is unfounded and her false belief is what guides her.  Others, like President Stinson in Point 9, will say the influence of Providence on Theresa is real and God directs her mind in the right direction.

You decide.  😁

n

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11 ET lacks bigotry

12 Theresa has simple tastes

13 Theresa is humble

14 Theresa only uses her power when necessary

15 As symbolized by the above list, Theresa shows genius in bringing together volumes of information from many sources although there is nothing in her background to prepare her

.In the history of the human intellect, untrained, inexperienced, and using only its birthright equipment of untried capacities, there is nothing which approaches this. Joan of Arc stands alone, and must continue to stand alone, by reason of the unfellowed fact that in the things wherein she was great she was so without shade or suggestion of help from preparatory teaching, practice, environment, or experience. There is no one to compare her with, none to measure her by.