Missing Isaac

by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Book Overview

2018 Christy Award Winner

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There was another South in the 1960s, one far removed from the marches and bombings and turmoil in the streets that were broadcast on the evening news. It was a place of inner turmoil, where ordinary people struggled to right themselves on a social landscape that was dramatically shifting beneath their feet. This is the world of Valerie Fraser Luesse's stunning debut, Missing Isaac.

It...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0800728785
• ISBN13: 9780800728786
• Release Date: January 2018
• Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great read

This is good clean Christian reading. One of my favorite books!

A moving and involved family saga

I received a review copy of Missing Isaac from Bookish First in exchange for an honest review. Missing Isaac features three families prominently, but the story is really about the town of Glory, Alabama in the 1960's. Pete's family is white and well off, but in a quiet way that serves to build up the small town rather than flaunt it. Isaac's family is black and he and his mother work for Pete's family for many years and are beloved by their employers. The Picketts live in a place in town where no one goes because they are a family who does not like outsiders and are considered "strange" because they keep to themselves. While some of the content can be a bit corny, I was surprised at how much I fell in love with the characters and couldn't wait to figure out what would happen with each of them. This would have been a great book to make a series because you don't necessarily get everything wrapped up in a bow at the end. Two tragic deaths occur in the book that shape everything that happens, but most especially the second, which is shrouded in mystery for years. The resolution comes quick, and I wish had included more about the justice received when the people responsible for Isaac's death were identified. Also the false accusations toward the person at the end didn't seem all that serious or needed, but ultimately serves to bring two characters together. It's a story we've heard many times about life in the South during the fight for equal rights, but you can't help but fall in love with these families and the way they stand up for those who are unfairly treated in their community.