Quest for Freedom, The

MWSA Review

A tale of adversity and courage, The Quest for Freedom exemplifies the inner struggles of those faced with seemingly insurmountable hardships. A strong spiritual content entwines itself throughout the pages as its characters each focus on their faith - or lack thereof.

This book takes the reader to the jungle of Vietnam, where seven American POWS have languished in unimaginably cruel conditions for forty years. The men are unaware one of them is in fact one of their guards, Le, serving as a spy on the prisoners. It is Le’s newly acquired faith in Jesus that creates a conflict for him as he struggles with his conscience. Faith conquers fear, and Le decides to risk it all to help these men escape. In return each POW must decide to recognize Le’s sincerity and unify in their faith, or to reject both their faith and the man’s offer to help.

Less focused on plot than on matters of faith, this book routinely circles back to spirituality. It is a missionary, Sam, who first meets Le’s wife and teaches Christianity to the Vietnamese. This faith takes a hold of Le, who pays close attention as the prisoners pray together. The POWS, too, often delve into their own spirituality as some reject God after their years of captivity while others strive to keep that faith alive for all of them. The plot serves as a means of discussing this spirituality and faith as the men escape and reunite with their families.

Rothdiener writes with a conviction that faith can lead a person from darkness into light, bothphysically and metaphorically. Readers grappling with their own spirituality may relate to this. The author’s writing suits a young adult audience, and I would recommend this book to youths seeking inspirational stories.

Reviewed by: Barbara Allen (2015)

Author's Summary

Six American soldiers still held as prisoners of war, four decades after the fall of Saigon... When the last US troops withdrew from Vietnam in August of 1973, a handful of men were left behind. Penned like animals in the bamboo cages of their captors, they have long since lost track of the hours, the weeks, and even the years. For these men, the war is not over. They continue to fight it every day, as they are beaten and tormented in retaliation for battles that have all but faded from memory. But in the squalid darkness of their cells, they forge a brotherhood of shared suffering, reinforced by the struggle to maintain their faith in a God who seems to have forsaken them. In this place of unending misery, a tiny flame still flickers in their hearts. Freedom...