Review: A Must-Read by Paul Nemeth

"I rubbed my eyes, wondering if what I was seeing was real...The wolf was huge, and handsome, with snowy hair. I would have been taken with his beauty, if not for the fact he didn't belong in a hospital room...he'd never been in any of the nightmares I'd had here since... The wolf, the warg, watched our...grief. He cocked his head when he heard me crying...I'd been torn up with grief, but now it was gone, replaced with anger...Fury was born September 15, 1984...
(p. 126-127)

Image by Furryscaly via Flickr



Cataclysm Children


By Paul Nemeth



If I were a parent, or a concerned adult, there are some books about which I would want to be told. Paul Nemeth has written such a book--Cataclysm Children. Some will call it a great action, suspense book. It is that. Some might call it a horror of some time in the past or the future. It is that too.

I call it a warning--a wake-up call! If you haven't already heard it by events such as Columbine I urge you to read this book!

I am not an alarmist; I am a realist...

The book begins in 1991 when Rabbi Avram Levin has been attacked, the synagogue burned. When the police arrive, they find, not what they expected--a swastika.

Instead, they found a Pentagram and in the center was a wolf.

The Rabbi only remembered that he had seen two slithering figures, with clown-white skin and long black hair, with rune-like designs on their face. They looked like demons to him.

The Rabbi had met the Brotherhood of the Wolf...

Moving back and forth in time, readers learn that the Brotherhood had been started in the late 80s. One of the members had murdered Father Dermott Cavanaugh in Hadley, Colorado and was now in prison.

He had been turned in by one of his brothers...









In 2003 Danny Andrews was making his way to class when he was picked up and thrown against the wall by two jocks. He was being punished once again based upon stupid rules established by those who wore the blue shirts, most of those were athletes or those that associated with them. The teacher who saw the incident turned and quickly went back to class. Danny and his friends had no choice but to ignore it; the administrators would do nothing against the blue shirts--it would be Danny or his few friends who would be punished, just because they were not athletes.

Danny had once gone to church, but almost gagged when he had seen Haversmith was a member. Danny figured that anybody who was as mean spirited as Randy Haversmith was, but was involved in church, then he didn't want to participate there. Danny was a musician and had formed a band with his friends, DJ and Tim. They had discovered an old abandoned mansion and used it to practice. Actually, Charon had taken them to the place.

Charon was an older guy, but he knew what it was all about. He brought beer for the boys and supported their efforts and listened to them... Like many families, Danny's father worked all the time. He had remarried and his new wife was totally involved with their baby. Danny lived in the basement since he really had no relationship to his step-mother and his father was never at home. Most nights, he would sneak in and out through the window to be with his friends until early morning.

Charon spoke to the boys as a friend, and bad-mouthed everybody else, except one. He introduced them to Satan and explained how he spoke for them... Charon, however, was only passing on what he himself had been taught years ago, before The Brotherhood had broken up when one of the leaders went to jail...

In fact, Charon spoke to many small groups such as with Danny and he taught them much--he invited them to become a part of a brotherhood...The Brotherhood of the Wolf... None of the boys or girls in the small groups knew any of the others. But they knew that one day hundreds of teenagers would be brought together to work as a group. In the meantime, they were given tests to become members. Such as placing bombs under random cars and blowing them up. Or, burning down any church of any religious group.

Fortunately, one day when a teacher, who was also the football coach, was roughing Danny up in the hall, they were seen by a new guidance counselor. Mary Anne Allen had come to the school as a teacher, but the principal had talked her into taking the administrative job. Now, when she started questioning what was happening, he couldn't very well remove her! Also fortunately for Danny, his uncle, who he didn't even know existed, had come to visit. As Danny talked to both Mary Anne and Ian Andrews, he began to question what he had become involved in.

Especially when he learned who his uncle was...

Paul Nemeth has written an exciting book that provides a climax so amazing that you will have teenagers talking about it... Indeed we adults will love the drama as well, and hopefully will be sharing the book with our children and discussing it with them...There's nothing wrong with a fantastic book also having an underlying theme! Parents, I believe this is a must-read for you and your older teenagers; tell me I'm wrong--read Cataclysm Children by Paul Nemeth...and let's talk!

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G. A. Bixler

Review: A Must-Read YA Book by Amber Lehman!

Torn
By Amber Lehman
Closet Case Press
ISBN: 9780979593369
404 Pages

“The world is a difficult place for children. Thank God we turn out as well as we do.”

In addition to loving to read, I appreciate books that have been obviously created with care. Amber Lehman, in Torn, gives credit to Jill Ronsley. Kudos to both of you for creating a truly beautiful book. Torn is a young adult novel (17+) based upon true stories gathered by the author during her own life. Readers will recognize the love and concern with which she heard and remembered those individuals and their lives, by reading the above beginning note from the author.

I quickly point out that this novel is erotic/sexy—a dramatized story of a young girl named Krista. It is an exciting adventure that many teens will enjoy and learn from through Lehman’s subtle but excellent approach.

It may be a difficult book for parents to read; but, in my opinion, you must. Amber Lehman provides a well-written, truly realistic story of the lives of various teens at a local high school. It could be the school your children attend. It could be the lives your children are leading. It could be you, the absent parent(s). With proper guidance and discussions, if I had younger teens, I would also share this book with those mid-teens that are the true characters in this book!

Krista is 14 when her family moves from Ohio to Southern California. Throughout her early years of school she attended a private religious school for girls. Krista would be attending public school for the first time. Her mother is gone for a year, on a church mission in Nicaragua. During her absence, her older half-brother, Marc, a pediatrician, is living at home with Krista and her other half-brother Josh—both with whom she has had little experience in relating/living. Krista dreads starting school.

Krista is artistic, and in choosing a dance class, she finds she’s also part of the cheerleaders. There she met Carrie, who became her best friend, and others. Through Carrie she met Brandon, or rather, she saw Brandon with Carrie as they were making out in the corridors near their lockers. Brandon had pulled back from Carrie, licked his lips at Krista, as if Carrie was no longer there! Quite a first impression about him!

It was only later that Krista learned that Brandon was gay.

Krista had never been kissed. Now she was meeting new boys all around her. So in sharing her fear with Carrie, they decided to learn by kissing each other. That first experiment led to many other sex-related encounters as Krista tries to become comfortable in this new world. All of the girls surrounding her were always talking about boys and what they could do to get their attention--even her brother Josh!

One of her friends then invited her to join a Bible study group at her home, taught by her brother, Daemon, who was twice Krista’s age. He was Aeliese’s guardian while their parents, who were also missionaries, were away from home. Krista also attended their church and found it quite different—where were the statues, the confession booth, the majesty of the priests in long robes? So much was so different! Krista had nowhere to turn to discuss all of these strange and new experiences, except older brothers and friends. And then Krista began to have other ideas about Aeliese’s older brother.

This story is sexy, because the children in the story are surrounded by experiences that include sexuality—drinking, drugs, and what can happen under their influence; sexual orientation experimentation; early experiences of abuse; but, more importantly, the sharing and caring, and, yes, love, that grows between young teens when they have few, if any, adults with whom to relate and discuss such important issues. Torn by decisions that they must make each day.

Step into the lives of the teens you know and love! Read Torn by Amber Lehman. Reality awaits you in this inspiring, frank and, yet, sensitive love story. Meet Krista and her friends now!

G. A. Bixler

Story of One Asperger Syndrome Teenager!

Marcelo in the Real World
By Francisco X. Stork
Arthur A. Levine Books
ISBN: 9780545054744
314 Pages


Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork is listed as a young adult novel. It may contain the story of a teenager; however, I personally would place it for reading by older individuals as well. For those who have found the Rain Man or Forrest Gump of special interest, this book may well be a must-read for you.

Marcelo is just 17 when his father decides that he must be introduced to the “real world.” He wants him to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer, after which he would like him to finish 12th grade at the local high school. Marcelo, on the other hand, has been looking forward to continuing his work with the horses at Paterson. He has attended Paterson his entire life, thanks to the wealth of his family. He does not wish to make this change for his last year. Unfortunately, his mother is willing to support his father at this time.

Marcelo, who has the habit of speaking of himself in the third person, has attempted to negotiate a little and, at the end of the summer, he will be able to choose which school he wants to attend. In the meantime, he has already been scheduled to begin work! His father explains that he needs to be able to interact with people and to learn about the rules in the real world. Considering Marcelo’s significant interest and knowledge in religion and religious texts, he uses it to highlight that, “in the real world” people do not normally quote a Bible verse, together with its location in the Bible, as part of daily conversation. However, it is his religious knowledge that plays a big part in how he begins to live in the world into which he was thrown!

The duties in the firm’s mailroom are broader than most would think. It includes printing and binding and delivery services, among other things. Jasmine is his boss, and she is quite free to show her being upset that she was forced to have Marcelo work for her rather than the individual she had already hired. However, little by little a relationship develops and Jasmine is willing to learn and adjust to Marcelo’s limitations, the primary one being that his actions are slower since he must mentally go through the process and work to be perfect on each activity. In fact, Jasmine must very well be the very first friend Marcelo has ever grown to care about...

Ironically, it is what Marcelo learns there at the firm that is life-changing for his entire family. For he learns about the bad things that people sometimes do! And he is forced to realize that people lie and will hurt people in order to have their own way—or worse yet, to make money, above all else. And these lessons are learned through actions of those working in the firm, including his own father! In fact, I was left with one feeling—who learned the most about living in the real world—Marcelo or Arturo, his father?

For those of us who personally know someone with autism and, in particular, Asperger’s syndrome, I want to add a caveat that Marcelo is an individual and his life cannot be considered as one lived by all those with Asperger’s and/or other levels of autism. The author has the character Marcelo using third person to talk about himself. While this may not have actually occurred, this method provides the reader to see and understand much about the thinking processes Marcelo goes through.

Readers may very well experience strong feelings about what happens to Marcelo. I know I did. The author has created a book that easily elicits thoughts of protectiveness, yet it is we, who come to know Marcelo that are faced with our own worlds of reality and how we each choose to face the hate, lies and corruption out there in “the real world.”


G. A. Bixler
For Amazon Vine