Ruth’s Redemption by Marlene Banks

Ruth's Redemption
Author: Marlene Banks
Publisher: Lift Every Voice; New Edition edition (February 1, 2012)
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 9780802402172

This book may be purchased at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

About the Book:

Set in the 1800s, Ruth’s Redemption, depicts slave life in the south. Bo, the main character who was educated while a slave is a freedman who now owns a farm and buys slaves for the purpose of giving them their freedom. Bo is also a widower whose life is destined to changed when he meets the stubborn, proud and hard-hearted 20 year old slave girl, Ruth.

Ruth has known nothing but harshness and brutality since being separated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding and the enlargement of her master’s slave stock, Ruth struggles to understand the way of her new master. Bo is unlike any master she’s known and what she experiences in his care will leave her forever changed.

A gripping pre-Civil War slave era novel, Ruth’s Redemption is a story of forgiveness, acceptance and redemption. Set against the backdrop of the Nat Turner Rebellion in Tidewater,Virginia, this novel shines the light of God’s unconditional love in the darkness of the evils of hatred and acts of inhumanity.

My Thoughts:

Marlene Banks paints a heart-wrenching picture of slavery through this beautifully written story. She gives slavery names and faces and brings to life a time period when the worth of human life was based on the color of skin.

With a gift for story telling, Marlene accurately tells of a time period before the Civil War. A time when even when one was a freed slave, that freedom was not always respected. She tackles the subject of breeders and how damaging and degrading it was through her main character, Ruth. She also gives the reader insight on the Nat Turner Rebellion and its outcome.

From the first page, I was hooked and couldn't put this book down. I devoured it in one sitting. This book gripped me from the beginning with the realism in which it was penned. It made me feel like I was actually part of the story as it brought numerous emotions to the surface. The realism of it still has me mortified that humans can treat other humans like animals - something I still cannot grasp my mind around. Ruth's Redemption is going to stay with me for a long, long time!

About the Author

Marlene Banks is a Philadelphia, PA native. She attended Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA and has an Associate’s Degree in Theology from the Rhema Bible Institute in Keysville, VA. She is the director of ministry at Lifeline Mission of the Gospel. Through her writing ministry, Marlene’s desire is to promote the gospel and serve the needs of her community.

To find out more about the author or her work,  you can visit her at:
www.marlenebanks.com
http://www.ruthsredemption.com


View the blog tour schedule at: http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/



I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for this tour. I was not required to write a positive review, but instead, one that gives my honest opinion.