Many books come my way, and I read most of them. Rarely, do I review one. However, Valley of the Dry Bones has so caught my attention I actually need to write about it. Though it is written as fiction, it unfortunately smacks of reality.

Sheriff John Turner of Boise, Idaho is a man under siege; his job has turned into a living nightmare. His grandson burns with hatred for everything the sheriff stands for and has joined a militant pressure group. Turner, is forced to arrest his own pastor and auction off the city's largest churches for payment of delinquent taxes. His prison is jammed with the homeless (now a crime), and Christian protestors are also being jailed in droves. Torn between his Christian convictions, being hated by his top deputies, and the demands of a job increasingly dictated by a society contemptuous of all religion, Turner decides to retire. Suddenly he is confronted with a horrifying crime that leads to one of his deputies, which leads to the Statehouse, and ultimately to the White House - putting retirement plans on hold. 

That is the book cover description, which does not even begin to describe the crux of the story. Valley of the Dry Bones presents terrifying (future) scenarios - good and decent people will be the enemy. Freedom is lost! Practiced sex acts turn deadly! I suggest reading it in the day time -- reading it at night actually caused me to have uncomfortable dreams. 

Valley of the Dry Bones was a market place failure after being boycotted by the liberal New York publication houses. It was also shunned by the Christian book community for being "…too realistic and too frightening for today's Christians to read." Curiously, one of the characters of this novel is a lady United States President, America's first. Publishers and Hollywood producers take note: This book is a winner! I pray some gutsy- risk-takers pick up on it - soon (original publication 1992 by The Word Farm).

Jim E. Reames, the author, began his law-enforcement career in 1966. He graduated from Boise State University with a degree in criminal justice administration. His expertise on law-enforcement computerization led him to teach seminars to such groups as the International Association of Chiefs of Police. In 1980 he was formally recommended to the White House as a consultant to the president. Today Reames is a Homeland Defense Expert and a serious author of fiction novels. "One of my fears," Reames says, "is that Big Government spending will someday destroy freedom in America. As a reader, I hope you enjoy this story of future survival in the face of overwhelming odds."

In the middle of writing this piece I decided to check his web site (cableone.net/jimreames) - to my surprise I found Shenandoah quotes and a link to my site. As of this writing, we have not met or spoken. I also found this touching message from the author (shortened):

"When I first started writing while recovering from a deathbed illness, back in 1978, I was functionally illiterate. Physically too weak to do anything except watch television, which I hated, and too weak to stand on my own power, I typed with just one finger - a novel that never reached the market.

I was unrealistically hopeful my stories would create a beaten path from the New York publication houses and from Hollywood producers to my front door, only to conclude that after many years of trying those hopes were false. I also learned that it is next to impossible to become highly recognized as a writer when your work is not politically correct.

I have selected to make all future work available at no charge to readers via the magic of the World Wide Web . Like a king salmon needs to swim up current so it can spawn, and like a pilot has to fly, I need to write, even though I have, on many occasions, tried to abandon this taxation upon my soul. I am at the age it no longer matters to me whether anyone looks at what my soul produces. While writing, I feel free in an over-taxed world , defying the current of life - having cheated death."

[Help me compile a list of exceptional books concerning Politics and/or Religion. E-mail your suggestions to april@politicsandreligion.tv]

April Shenandoah

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Other articles by April

History of American's Education Part 1
History of America's Education Part 2
History of America's Education Part 3
Bye, Bye Santa Clause and Christmas As We Know It 12/14/2002