Title: The
Hallowed Ones
Author: Laura Bickle
Synopsis: “Katie
is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are
free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe
world starts to crumble. It begins with
a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive
unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there … and it is making a
killing.
“Unsure
why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: No one goes
outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young
man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to
die. She refuses to submit to the Elders’
rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community – but what else is she
bringing in with him?”
Review: I spent
all of my teenage years in a Mennonite Community. I walked the walk, talked the talk, dressed
the dress… whatever you want to call it.
I immersed myself in the culture and I loved it. We still had cars and telephones, although
back then hardly anyone had cell phones, so it wasn't as extreme as the
Amish. I tell you this so you understand
that when I saw the cover of The Hallowed Ones I absolutely had to have
it. Some of my family still follows many
of the Mennonite ways, although I am no longer living in the Mennonite Community
for those of you that wonder. My Mother’s
nearest neighbors are Amish, and I am very familiar with their beliefs and
customs. I understand that each Amish
community is a bit different, but I was a tad disappointed in Bickle’s
portrayal of the Amish. Two points: 1)
The Amish do not pray out loud at meals.
They pray silently before and after a meal. 2) The Amish do not believe that they can
know they are going to heaven as this would lead to pride. Now I understand that this may garner me some
flack as each community is different.
However I have been led to understand, by the Amish that I know, that
these are rigid rules and beliefs that should be the same in every
community. I also understand that there
is such a thing as poetic license which is why I will not let this small
disappointment tarnish my love of this book.
I did love
The Hallowed Ones. I read it in less
than a day. It was my birthday and I
treated myself to a trip to Barnes and Noble.
I bought a lot of books. At one
point a salesperson offered me a basket.
I declined because my rule is that I can’t buy more books than I can
carry. A few minutes later another
salesperson offered to take some of the books to a register for me. She looked very concerned for my safety. I can carry a lot of books! Okay, back to the book. The cover of The Hallowed Ones grabbed my attention
right away. I didn’t really pay
attention to what it was about until I got home; I just knew that I needed this
book with the Amish girl on the cover.
The Hallowed Ones is a
horror novel about an apocalypse told from the perspective of an Amish
teenager. It was wonderful. I was sad when I finished it. It made me angry and it made me sad. It made me smile and it made my heart pound. I loved Katie and the fact that she didn’t
just blindly follow along with what the Elders told everyone to do like a
sheep. She loved her community but
wanted to understand the reasons that they did things the way that they did. She knew that she would most likely end up
choosing the Amish life but wanted to experience life outside of the community first
and all of that was ruined by this disaster.
When we read and write
novels about apocalypse or dystopian earth we rarely consider what would happen
to these people who already live apart from the rest of society. With no phones, no television and no radio,
these communities would be the last to know about a disaster and the least
affected by one. The Hallowed Ones was
very original and told a story that many of us have not really considered
before now.
Publisher: Graphia / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 978-0547859262
If you like this book you may want to read:
Obernewtyn: The Obernewtyn Chronicles book 1 by Isobelle
Carmody
The Forrest of Hands and Teeth Series by Carrie Ryan
