Maureen goes to Colonel Wakefield's residence only to find out he is no longer alive. His family knowing nothing of the debt, casts her out. In fear of being deported, Maureen connives a plan to get a job at Darcy's Department Store. She soon discovers a terrible secret. Women are secretly being taken upstairs for "better jobs". When women start disappearing, she fears the worst. Soon she knows more than she should and her own life is in danger. Along with some unexpected allies, the horrible business begins to be uncovered, but due to her own "stained" past Maureen finds it hard to trust anyone. Will she be able to put aside all of that and trust anyone? Will she ever realize that she is worthy of love? Will she ever except the healing power of God?
Olivia Wakefield is the daughter of Colonel Wakefield. Once Olivia discovers her deceased father's promise to the O'Reilly family she vows, despite her family's disapproval, to honor his wishes. When Olivia finds out what is going on at the department store she rallies the ladies from her circle and they all begin to fight for the lives of the growing band of sisters. Will they make it in time? Will the women be able to open their hearts to divine leading or will it be too late?
This a compelling and convicting book that will pull at your heartstrings. Cathy Gohlke had me so captivated by this story, I could hardly put the book down. Anyone who reads it will likely be deeply moved by this gripping tale. It was different then most books I read. It touches on a topic that most of us give little consideration to. In my own little corner of the world I sometimes forget that there is more than just the things I see going on. Even though this story is set in 1910 it brings attention to modern-day slavery. Human trafficking is a very real problem. More real now than it was then. Even though this book brings awareness to modern-day slavery we must remember this is a mild story. The realities are far more grim then what you will read on these pages. I found my self crying as I read how the women in this book were treated, but I know this was just a small glimpse into a world that I know little about. It's easy to say "I'm just one person, how can I make a difference in such a big problem", but as the book states we must ask ourselves....What would JESUS do? Here is an excerpt from Cathy Gohlke's Note to Readers at the end of the book:
If we all truly do what Jesus would do, slavery will end. Jesus never exploited men or women. He never used children or child labor for ease or gain. He never bought or sold baby girls to fulfill the "bride needs" in one-child cultures favoring boys. He never bought or sold human organs or fetuses or body parts. He never lied to immigrants, never enslaved them, never threatened their families or their loved ones or their lives if they did not comply with His demands, never coerced or forced, never shamed or punished a single person into submission to His will. But in every way He set a moral compass, employed divine compassion to the brokenhearted and broken-bodied, and held to account any and all who victimized others.
So with that I must ask one more question. What are you going to do? This is our mother's, our sister's, our daughter's. What are you going to do? If you would like to know more about human trafficking or about what you can do to help you can go to http://authorcathygohlke.com/resources/
Here is a video that the Author of this story shares on her resource page! Enjoy!
***The book Band of Sisters was provided to my through Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment