Book Review: Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias

Publisher: New Hope
Publication Date: September 5, 2011

Deliver Me From Evil depicts the story of several youth whose lives could not be any different from each other. 18-yr-old Mara has been a victim of sexual slavery since her uncle brought her across the U.S. border from Mexico at the age of 6. Jonathan, also 18, and his 16-yr-old sister, Leah, reside in the comfort of suburbia, pastor’s kids who have known relative security their whole lives and who have been largely unaware of the seedy undercover world around them. When Jonathan drops off a pizza at a motel as part of a routine delivery, his path crosses that of Mara and starts his whole family on a journey they never could have anticipated.

Kathi Macias has penned a heart-wrenching, well-written story, from the haunting beginning to its satisfying conclusion. The author writes with a steady hand, with beautifully developed characters and a keen insight into the world of human trafficking. The transitioning scenes between Mara’s situation of being a sex slave and the home of Jonathan & Leah provide a stark contrast between the world of those where God is given priority, and the world of those where evil rules the day. The additional stories of other children being used for perversion, both in the U.S. and in Thailand, are also powerfully told. I found the novel to be engrossing, and the story impossible to stop reading as I had to find out what happened in the end.

This novel is not a light read. To be honest, I found it incredibly difficult to read about the horrific abuse suffered by the children trapped by human trafficking. At some points I wasn’t sure I could even keep reading because the story made me sick to my stomach, but I’m glad I did as the story is an incredibly important tale, one that will stay on my mind for some time. My heart broke as the author vividly put a face to the experiences of millions of children every day, and I find myself wondering how can I respond? What would God have ME do about the situation?
I challenge everyone to read this book and have their eyes opened to a situation that is real and is likely occurring in their very own backyards. If your heart isn’t touched by this book, then nothing will. Highly recommended, I give this story 4.5 out of 5 stars.

This review is based on an electronic copy provided by the publisher via netgalley for the purpose of completing this review.

++A warning is in order. The content of this book is highly disturbing and should not be read by any teens without approval of their parents.