Defiant Heart

Bateman, Tracey. Defiant Heart. Avon Inspire: 2007. ISBN: 9780061246333.

Plot Summary:
Seventeen year old Fannie Caldwell has known her share of hard times. When she was fourteen her step-father sold Fannie and her nine year old twin siblings to Tom, an obese, mean shop owner in a small frontier town. The deal was fifty dollars for two years of indentured service. The two years has passed and Tom won't let the kids leave. After a third year, Fannie is determined to get away as her sister begins to physically mature and she catches Tom leering at her. During the summer months wagon trains stop outside of town to buy supplies and repair their wagons. Fannie has decided that they will be on the wagon train heading to Oregon. The wagon master, twenty-five year old Blake Tanner has a policy that doesn't allow unaccompanied females as part of this train. Undeterred Fannie, her siblings, and a prostitute from the local saloon begin following the wagon train until Blake relents and lets them join. Trouble seems to follow this bunch and soon Blake regrets his decision.

Critical Review:
Christian fiction follows a formula. People have a problem or issue and their faith in God is strengthen, renewed or realized by the end of the novel. Throw in some romance and a wedding and the setting and time frame doesn't matter. Tracey Bateman has written an interesting novel with well formed characters that manage to build a connection with the reader. If you take out the few bits of dogma about God and his love, the book reads just like a historical novel. Not all historical Christian fiction does that. Defiant Heart is the first in a series called Westward Hearts; a lot of the genre is written in series format. The author takes time telling the story without giving too much background. Immediately the reader is drawn in by the compelling situation of the Caldwell orphans. Tom, the villain is portrayed as physically disgusting as he is morally bankrupt. Of course, the stars of the show are all nice looking and worth redemption.

Reader's Annotation:
Determination and hard work can get you far, but sometimes we all need help from our fellow human beings. Allowing them to help is a gift for all.

Information About the Author:
Tracey Bateman is the mother of four kids with whom she lives in the Ozarks with her husband.
According to her website, Tracey has over one million books in print and also writes under a pen name, Tracey Cross. Her newest publication is Tandem, a vampire novel for the Christian market.

Genre:
Christian Fiction/Historical/Romance

Curriculum Ties:
Pioneers
Wagon Trains
Indentured Servants

Reading Level/Interest Age:
9th +

Challenge Issue
Religion

To be prepared for a book challenge you must read the book! And encourage all involved in the process to read the book, not just the questionable passages.
Make sure the institution's procedure is followed, this is a protection for all.
ALA provides written guidelines it would be handy to have a hard copy available.

Why Book Included:
I wanted to include all genres in the collection. My daughter knew how unhappy I was with The Peacemaker, so she wanted me to try another Christian Fiction novel that she liked.