Book Tour and Review: People of the Book by Kathi Macias

 
People of the Book by Kathi Macias

Publisher: New Hope Publishers

Publish Date: April 5, 2011

Paperback, 320 pages 
Fiction, Christian
Extreme Devotion Series #4
 ISBN: 978-1596692824

My Review:
Why I read this: I have heard wonderful things about Kathi Macias and this blurb sounded interesting so I wanted to participate in this tour.



My thoughts: What a poignant book, People of the Book is beautifully written and will get you thinking.


When I requested to be a part of this tour, I had heard wonderful things about this book.  However I shy away from reviews of books I plan on reviewing because I don't want to be biased.  So many people said I would enjoy this book but I really didn't know what I was getting into more than what the blurb told me.  The blurb is enticing, but the book is so much more.  I felt such a wide variety of emotions when I read this one.  I must also confess my walk has been a little off lately due to a lot of circumstances, but People of The Book has pointed me back in the right direction.

So what did I like about the book?  As usual let me start with the characters.  The cast of this book is mainly teenagers, with parents involved in the periphery.  I don't mean not involved in the teenagers lives because they are, they are just not a big part of the book plot.  First there is Sara and her brother Emir, who are Americans who were once followers of Islam but now converted Christians.  Sara frequents a chat room for Muslim people who are followers of Christ and she meets Nura who lives in Saudi Arabia and practices Islam, yet with less and less conviction as she questions Sara about Jesus.  Farah is Nura's cousin and also practices Islam with a vigor that is unusual in women.  Farah is waiting for a sign from the prophet Muhammad during Ramadan, but instead she begins to have unusual dreams that involve the prophet Isa (Jesus) instead of Muhammad.  However questioning Islam in a Muslim country such as Saudi Arabia is just something that people and especially women do not do.  And while Farah and Nura become in turmoil with their religion, Sara also has some problems to deal with at home.

Sound interesting?  I thought it was.  I was drawn into this book first by the characters and then by the pace of the plot.  This book is just amazing for creating what felt like real situations and real characters.  I loved the use of the teenagers.  It was different and great because this is definitely a time in life when teenagers are questioning authority, not just their parents but also religion and other authority as well, so I believe using this age group really gave the story a real feel.

Then add in the emotion, the struggles with their faith and the book just jumps to a new level.  I was amazed at how renewed I felt after reading this book.  It is Christian and in a beautiful way.   There is no hatred in the book of Christians towards the Muslims practicing Islam.  In fact I think it was key for Ms. Macias to use the Christians in the book to be former Muslims, therefore they were more understanding of the Muslim characters in Saudi Arabia.  Both groups harbored beliefs about the other group that were stereotypes, but they all soon learn that we all have more in common than we think even though we have different religions, and different cultures.

People of The Book is a beautiful look into the lives of three teenagers and the trials and tribulations they must face as they choose who to believe in.  Ms. Macias has crafted a wonderful and believable book and I look forward to going back and reading other books in this series.  The look into the Muslim faith was fascinating and I also enjoyed the look into the culture and the month of Ramadan.  Thank you Ms. Macias for showing me this and sharing this book with me as a reader.


My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About Kathi Macias

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. Her most recent release is People of the Book, the fourth and final book in her Extreme Devotion series. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and was named 2008 Member of the Year by AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time riding in Al’s new sunburst orange Corvette.
You can reach Kathi or find out more about her writing and speaking at www.kathimacias.com. You can also visit her “Easy Writer” blog at http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com/.

About People of the Book

Farah lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with her family, and wants nothing more than to develop a deeper devotion to her Muslim faith. She sees the month of Ramadan as her chance to draw nearer to Allah, and pursues that goal. All goes well until the prophet Isa—Jesus—appears to her in a dream and calls her to Himself. Her brother, Kareem, who has never liked her, seeks to discredit her.
Farah’s cousin, an only child, frequents an online chat. She discovers former Muslims discussing their new belief that Isa is much more than a Muslim prophet—He is actually the Son of God. She becomes acquainted with an American girl of Muslim ancestry—now a devout Christian—Sara. Sara has problems of her own due to her brother Emir’s suspicious behavior.
Each finds their faith put to the test. Will they be true to their beliefs? Will God protect them, or will they pay the ultimate price for their faith?

Read an Excerpt!

Prologue
Eighteen-year-old Farah Mohammed Al Otaibi lay bruised and bloody on the floor beside her bed. The image of her soft mattress floated in and out of her consciousness, but she had no strength to drag herself from her current position. Even the slightest movement brought stabs of excruciating pain, so she tried to remember to keep her breathing shallow and her body still.
How long had she been here? Hours, certainly. Days? She couldn’t be sure. Her father and brother had covered the windows with heavy, dark cloth, blocking out any light that might help her keep track of time.
Hunger wasn’t an issue, for who could think of food when the pain was so intense? But thirst? Oh, how she longed for just a sip of cool water! Surely her mother would sneak in soon and bring her some. She had always taken care of her before—
Before…
The memory was back, though she tried desperately to block it out. Impossible. She could never forget that moment in time, for it was the dividing line between the before and after of her life. Before the tragedy that led to her brother’s discovery. Before her father had flown into a rage over what he considered his daughter’s betrayal and treachery. Before they had threatened to kill her in order to preserve the family’s honor. Before her mother had tried to intervene…
Hot tears pricked the back of Farah’s eyelids, as the vision of her mother’s face before—and after—swam in front of her eyes. The pain in her heart at that moment far exceeded anything she felt in her body. Then suddenly, inexplicably, the meaning of her name—Farah, joy and cheerfulness—burst into her consciousness. Despite her agony and sorrow, Farah was unable to hold back the brief burst of laughter that exploded from her aching chest. How absurd that her parents had given her a name that implied happiness, and yet she now wondered if she had ever truly understood or experienced any of it in her not quite nineteen years of life.
But then she had met Isa, and everything—both good and bad—had changed forever….

Other Books by Kathi Macias:

People of the Book Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, May 2
Book reviewed at 4 the Love of Books
Tuesday, May 3
Book reviewed at By the Book
Wednesday, May 4
Book spotlight and giveaway at I’m A Reader, Not A Writer
Thursday, May 5
Book reviewed at Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Friday, May 6
Book reviewed at Life in Review
Monday, May 9
Book reviewed at My Reading Room
Tuesday, May 10
Book reviewed and interviewed at Onedesertrose’s Blog
Wednesday, May 11
Book reviewed at The Phantom Paragrapher
Thursday, May 12
Book spotlight, guest blogging, and giveaway at Go Ahead and Wear the Purple
Friday, May 13
Book reviewed at Lynn’s Corner
Monday, May 16
Guest blogging at The Hot Author Report
Tuesday, May 17
Guest blogging at Thoughts in Progress
Wednesday, May 18
Guest blogging at Lori’s Reading Corner
Thursday, May 19
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn
Friday, May 20
Book reviewed and giveaway at The Book Connection
Monday, May 23
Book reviewed at Book Reviews by Molly
Tuesday, May 24
Interviewed at Literarily Speaking
Wednesday, May 25
Author interviewed at Linda Clare’s Writer’s Tips
Thursday, May 26
Book spotlight and interviewed at Pamela S. Thibodeaux – Blog
Friday, May 27
Book reviewed at Writing for Christ

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher through Pump Up Your Book Promotion for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.