Life in Defiance

Life in Defiance
by
Mary E. DeMuth
Zondervan Publishers
May, 2010; 368 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In a town she personifies, Ouisie Pepper wrestles with her own defiance. Desperate to become the wife and mother her husband Hap demands, Ouisie pores over a simple book about womanhood, constantly falling short but determined to improve.

Through all that self-improvement, Ouisie carries a terrible secret: she knows who killed Daisy Chance. As her children inch closer to uncovering the killer’s identity and Hap’s rages roar louder and become increasingly violent, Ouisie has to make a decision. Will she protect her children by telling her secret? Or will Hap’s violence silence them all?

Set on the backdrop of Defiance, Texas, Ouisie’s journey typifies the choices we all face—whether to tell the truth about secrets and fight for the truth or bury them forever and live with the violent consequences.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Author and speaker Mary DeMuth helps people turn their trials to triumph. Her books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God; Building the Christian Family You Never Had; Watching the Tree Limbs; Wishing on Dandelions; Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture and the first two books in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy: Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn.

National media regularly seek Mary’s candid ability to connect with their listeners. Her radio appearances include FamilyLife Today, Moody Midday Connection, Point of View and U.S.A. Radio Network and is frequently featured on Chuck Colson’s BreakPoint. She has published articles in In Touch, HomeLife, Writer’s Digest and The Writer.

Mary lives with her husband Patrick and their three children in Texas. Learn more about her at her website or her blog.

MY THOUGHTS:
I read and reviewed Daisy Chain in February of last year. (That book has been nominated for a Christy Award this year.) Then I had the delightful privilege of meeting and interviewing Mary at the Book Expo that March shortly before the release of A Slow Burn. Getting a glimpse of her heart and her passion for sharing God's light in the darkest of circumstances was such a treat and enhanced my reading. I eagerly awaited the release of this final book in the trilogy, and it is every bit as captivating as the first two. While glimpses of Ouisie Pepper's life and struggles were provided in the previous books, this novel focuses on her. My heart ached as she wrestled with her responsibility as a wife and presenting the image of a spiritual home. As for those who blithely asserted their opinion on wifely submission and duty in the midst of suffering and abuse, let's just say I was tempted to give them a taste of that treatment! And poor Ouisie not only must grapple with those issues and the dilemma of reaching for help, she also harbors the secret of knowing who Daisy Chance's killer was. Life in Defiance aptly describes the journey of this woman and this town. Will the Truth really make her free?


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.