Rescuing Liberty by Amanda Washington
Washington, Amanda. Rescuing Liberty: Perseverance Book 1. CreateSpace Publishing, 2009. 216 pp. $12.49. Purchase for less at Amazon.
Introduction
Amanda Washington is a real person and from my own interactions with her and from her website, is very similar to the main female character (at the end!) in the book.
About the book itself, Amanda writes,
It’s not religious, nor is it preachy or condemning. Rescuing Liberty is more about realistic characters struggling through believable circumstances, and coming to terms with their mortality and the decisions they have to make to survive.
Summary
Rescuing Liberty features Liberty Collins and Conner Dunstan as they struggle to survive a complete collapse of the American society. Conner was a successful trial attorney with prior service in the U.S. special forces. He has a niece who will not talk to him because of what he did to her parents.
Liberty Collins worked at a marketing firm before the economy completely collapsed. She was single and proud of it as she had no time for a relationship except with her dog. Once it became “every man for himself,” Liberty set out to move to Canada to live with her friend Michelle.
Conner saves Liberty’s life in the hopes that she might be able to help him with his niece, Ashley. Together, the three set out for Canada hoping they can survive long enough to start life over on foreign soil. What they do not realize is that their is a plan for all three of them that has brought them together.
Review
Rescuing Liberty is the first book in a series entitled Perseverance. It is certainly a fast-paced thrill-ride. It is written from a two-person, first-person point of view. In other words, some chapters are from Conner’s perspective while the others are from Liberty’s perspective. This can be a bit confusing at times, but offered an intriguing story line given the two perspectives going on simultaneously. Also, there are twists and turns that are completely unexpected. So, for an action thriller, this series proves to be extremely promising.
However, I am reviewing this book from an intentionally Christian perspective. With that in mind, I had a couple problems with the book. First, “the call” is evidently God talking to Liberty through an inner voice. He only shows up every now and then and when He does, He merely confuses Liberty.
Second, there is no mention as to how to attain the greatest hope man can have through Jesus Christ. Matter of fact, as far as religion is concerned, the greatest concern is that one prays. It is evidently written from a Roman Catholic perspective with all the “crossing” people do.
This book is replete with death and murder and the total depravity of man. A true gospel message somewhere in the story would have been well received by the reader. Nonetheless, the biblical doctrine of the total depravity of man really was on stage for all to see and, unfortunately, was not too difficult to imagine!
Third, there was some language and a lot of adult-themed material throughout the book. Violence by men against women (sometimes graphic) was found in most every chapter. The language was not too bad, but it was enough to cause me some concern even though it is certainly typical of many who profess faith.
Ultimately, she meets her statement above about this book not being religious or preachy. It does cause you to think at times about what you might do in certain situations.
Recommendation
A few years ago, I would have had no problems with this book whatsoever. Now, and in light of my intended audience on this website, I can only recommend this book to adults and even then, I am hesitant because of the themes and violence towards women. With that said, for those who do enjoy a good, fast-paced thrill ride along the lines of Jonathan Kellerman or James Patterson (though it is not a murder mystery), this book will meet your need. If you read this book, you will definitely be curious about what happens next.
I think you missed the point of the book entirely. No doubt it is Christian. You get that. Do we really have to beat people over the head with Jesus to get their attention. I think the author’s purpose is to introduce people, especially young people, to an alternative to their heathen ways. It serves as a warning as to how quickly a society can disintegrate that is not focused on God. Plus, she’s not done with the story. Perhaps in later books God becomes more defined as does Jesus. You don’t have the whole story so your review is incomplete.
Gary, thank you for your comment. It is important that the context of my audience on this website be kept in mind. I am dealing with the book as a single unit–that is all I have to go on. To argue that something may be said in forthcoming book in the series would be wrong on my part as 1) I am not writing the books in the series, 2) I am merely reviewing this book by itself.
I would also ask when did a gospel presentation become “beat[ing] people over the head?” Amanda even says the book is “not religious, nor is it preachy or condemning,” and I agree. However, I am writing to an intentional audience of Christians, thus, I made the criticisms I did. They are not necessarily negative criticisms. I did say that she met her statement that I quoted and I did recommend the book for adults.