Michael Phillips A Perilous Proposal

A Perilous Proposal

Michael Phillips

Bethany House, 2005, $12.99

ISBN: 0764200410

During the Civil War, slave child Jake detests his yoke, and though young shows open signs of rebellion against his master, in spite of the warnings from his father. Jake's anger explodes when his dad vanishes as he assumes foul play. Out of control, he kills a white drifter who he caught molesting his mother. Knowing that in the Confederacy, no black can get justice when a white is involved, Jake runs away.

Confederate soldiers capture Jake, but he escapes and joins the Union army. There he meets a kind mentor, Micah, a black soldier, who counsels the lad to help let his anger go. Holding a grudge, he deserts the army, heading to North Carolina where he is shocked to meet up with his father, and a young black woman, Mayme, who he falls in love with. Even in this southern state, Jake goes out of his way to alienate whites who burn crosses on their lawn.

Using the Civil War as a backdrop, Michael Phillips provides a rousing exciting inspirational tale, that makes a strong case that racism destroys everyone, even the innocent. Jake is a fabulous protagonist struggling with devastating blows to his heart. He knows he must forgive his father for deserting his mother and him, but finds it difficult to do so in spite of the encouragement of several women, including Mayme, to let it go so that he can move on. The cast makes the tale, as readers will obtain a taste of how crippling hatred is.