Down from the Mountain

January 26, 2015
All Eva has known since age five is the world of the Righteous Path and the word of Reverend Ezekiel. When Eva’s mother took her away from her father and her home in Chicago to join the itinerant congregation, neither anticipated the way their bond with each other would be severed, the brutal punishments they would face, or the reverend’s intention to marry Eva. Now nearly 15, Eva learns she must leave school to sell her jewelry to outsiders or the Righteous Path will starve. Fixmer (Saint Training) draws on her experience counseling former religious cult members to create believable and detailed accounts of Eva’s encounters with the “heathen” world. When Eva meets college student Trevor, his curiosity about her beliefs sparks her own questions. Eva faces difficult choices when the Reverend begins buying guns, one member flees, and her mother’s pregnancy complications turn dire. Fixmer’s references to C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books persuasively contrast the image of a loving god against the harshness of Reverend Ezekiel in this absorbing and smartly paced novel. Ages 13–up. Agent: Minju Chang, BookStop Literary.

February 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Fourteen-year-old Eva and her mother are members of the Righteous Path, a 17-member cult located in Colorado. Eva struggles to be obedient and is justifiably afraid of Prophet Ezekiel's fierce moods and demands. Her faith is further shaken when her mother must suffer a difficult pregnancy without medical attention or proper nutrition. Eva and Rachel, the youngest of Ezekiel's 10 wives, are sent down the mountain to purchase supplies and sell Eva's handmade jewelry in the nearby town. Eva is fearful and amazed at the contrast between her stark, strict life and the freedom of the "heathen" world. She is also surprised at the kindness of the people she meets, contradicting everything Ezekiel has told them. Meanwhile, Ezekiel has become paranoid that outsiders may try to attack them and spends most of their money buying guns instead of food to last through winter. With the help of a young man whom she meets in town, Eva learns more about the broader world. Her forced betrothal to Ezekiel pushes Eva to take action, leading to a gripping climax. Fixmer, a therapist who has counseled former religious cult members, has written a taut psychological drama with believable and sympathetic characters. The first-person narrative sustains a tense mood throughout, with frequent referrals to tragic real-life cults, such as the Branch Davidians of Waco, TX. This book is similar in theme but less violent than Carol Lynch Williams's The Chosen One (St. Martin's Griffin, 2009). VERDICT Readers will be caught up in this realistic story of a brave girl rebelling against a fundamentalist society.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2015
A girl slowly realizes that she must escape the religious cult in which she has grown up.Fourteen-year-old Eva was named by the Rev. Ezekiel, leader of the Righteous Path, when she and her mother joined it 10 years ago. Under commandment of God, Ezekiel marries all the women-most of the cult members-and forbids biological mothers and children from acknowledging any special relationship. He doles out frequent severe physical punishments for the slightest infractions and controls the lives of the cult members completely. However, the cult needs money, and Eva makes excellent jewelry. Ezekiel allows her and another cult member to go to town, where Eva buys beads and sells her jewelry, providing most of the group's income-which Ezekiel spends on guns, not food. In town, Eva meets Trevor, who becomes her only hope when Eva's mother faces death from a dangerous pregnancy. Finally exposed to the outside world, Eva begins to question her faith. Leaving the cult would mean an actual escape, however, and she knows she can't abandon her fragile mother. Fixmer illustrates the inner workings of a cult, illuminating Eva's psychological progress while exposing the leader as a con artist. Eva's doubts and fears as well as her growing courage are communicated clearly in her first-person, present-tense narration. The action and the psychological realism combine to make an intriguing story, with believable characters and events. An absorbing treatment of a fascinating subject. (Fiction. 12-18)

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March 1, 2015
Grades 7-10 Eva is mostly content with her life in Righteous Path, an isolated religious compound led by Ezekiel, a man who claims to speak directly with God. When Ezekiel orders fourteen-year-old Eva to stop attending school with the other children and devote her energy to making jewelry to sell at the market, she is disappointed to miss her lessons but excited about the chance to see the wider world. Once she witnesses the kindness and generosity of the heathens in the city, however, as well as Ezekiel's growing egomania and paranoid, misogynistic behavior, she starts to question whether he is as holy as he claims. Though some readers may be frustrated by Eva's initial diffidence to Ezekiel's bald-faced narcissism, her earnest first-person narrative offers a meaningful glimpse into the importance of her faith, her gradual realization that she is in danger, and her brave escape plan. It's impossible not to root for Eva as she learns to trust her instincts and her own feelings. Teen readers fascinated by religious cults will be drawn in by Eva's story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)