Bookshelf

Deliver Me From Evil
by Kathi Macias

Author Website: www.KathiMacias.com

Available in paperback. New Hope Publishers, 2011; ISBN: 1596693061; 320 pages.


Deliver Me From Evil is the first book in Kathi Macias’s Freedom series. It seeks to expose the truth behind modern day slavery, specifically sexual exploitation both here in the United States and abroad.

I have to stop here. Those of you who know me or have followed my main blog for a while know that my family possesses a history of sexual abuse covering several generations. I praise God every time I look at my daughter that He has enabled us to escape and break this destructive cycle. I mention this here (1) to praise God, but (2) to let you know that I did not want to read this book. The cover description alone made me nervous and nauseous.

But I believe in this cause. I believe that too many people are ignorant of what is going in the shadows much closer than most realize. And so I read the book.

If you are worried about gut-wrenching explicit descriptions of despicable acts, relax. This author does a fantastic job of making people aware of the presence and reality of these truths without glorifying them, without forcing those interested in the cause to rub our noses in the filth. I so very much appreciate this. Readers don’t need to know exactly how bad things are to understand that they've exceeded bad. They have crossed too many lines and we cannot stand for it any more. Action must be taken.

About the book: At the age of seven Mara sold by her poverty-stricken parents to her uncle. They believed he would give her a better life, but he really took her from Mexico to serve as a sex slave in Southern California. Ten years later she is still trapped and quickly outgrowing the tastes of her uncle's clientele. His human trafficking ring includes not only girls purchased, but also some kidnapped.

When one of the girls attempts escape, she runs face-to-face into Jonathan, a high school senior and son of a middle-class Christian family, delivering pizzas to a local motel. The encounter catapults hope for some, awakening for others, and desperation within Jonathan and his family to do something about it. It spells danger for everyone.

Like I said, this is a critical topic that cannot remain hidden. It needs to be addressed. I applaud the book, its author and publisher for those efforts. That said, I struggled with some of the writing. A few sections of dialog seemed too rehearsed, specifically within Jonathan's family. The details of Mara's story were censored, but raw. That contrasted with the stark sterility and perfection of Jonathan's family made his side of the story seem less realistic. A few things aligned too easily for my taste.

Read an interview with the author and view a trailer for this book on my main website. 

Final Thoughts: Even though the writing did not fully meet my expectations, it was still well-written and I highly recommend this book, simply for the sake of raising awareness.