A Journey, a Reckoning, and a Miracle [Paperback]

K. J. Fraser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2009

Set in America after 2008, A Journey, a Reckoning and a Miracle follows the stories of Lucy, a seventeen year old Rapture believer who travels on a pilgrimage to honor the dead but finds the living; George, a former leader, who through suffering, finally acknowledges his tragic mistakes and begins atonement; and Judith, a severely wounded Iraq War vet who recovers her identity, voice and sense of humor with the help of her loved ones.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Journey, a Reckoning and a Miracle is a serious uncomplaisant wresting with forgiveness and current politics. K.J. Fraser's writing is full of energy, imagination and a deep optimism. Mark Vonnegut, author of Eden ExpressI got totally caught up in the adventures of the characters and really enjoyed it. I loved the writing style and flow of the book. The tone is perfect. A Journey, a Reckoning and a Miracle would make a terrific film. Peter Kurland, Oscar nominee in sound mixing for films Walk the Line and No Country for Old Men

About the Author

K. J. Fraser is currently on the faculty of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry. For the past seven years she has been the medical director of the Continuing Care Clinic at the UNM Psychiatric Center where she does patient care, administration and teaching. She has often been on the list of Best Doctors of America. Kathryn J. Fraser lives in New Mexico with her husband and two sons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: John Hunt Publishing (May 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846942063
• ISBN-13: 978-1846942068
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,489,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating contemporary parable, June 14, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Journey, a Reckoning, and a Miracle (Paperback)

"Spring". Seventeen years old Lucy believes the rapture will be soon forthcoming. She is on a pilgrimage to sites of mass violence to bring solace to those who died for no reason.

"Summer". Judith believed in Bush's war and enlisted. In Iraq she survived but lost all four of her limbs and is blind from a nasty incident. She is bitter as she sees vivacious Condi in her mind selling unnecessary deaths to the public like selling a brush to a bald person. However, her family and Joseph makes Judith feels she is still special as one of God's children and her own whimsical comedic attitude begins to pull her through.

"Autumn". As Bill proposes to Lucy and she accepts, they kayak down the Mississippi near St. Louis when her vessel tips. Mark and his wife using modified swift boats rescue them. If the saved duo were Bushies Mark might have tossed them back into the river. As he, his wife, Lucy, Bill , Judith, Joseph, and others pray for George's soul hoping he will apologize for the war dead though they assume he is more likely to co-star with Dick as stand up comedians doing a neo-con revival show changing the facts.

These three interrelated contemporary tales are fascinating though can turn heavy in their condemnation of the righteous right especially condemning the Iraq War sold by chicken hawks at an exorbitant price to Americans. The book is timely with references to violence in the 1990s as another Democratic president is in the White House enabling the extreme right to justify their right to kill. Fans will be stunned by amount of poignancy and emotion as the cast is solid even that of a caricature of a humbled George seeking redemption. Overkill yes, but well written and intensely interesting as the audience joins K.J. Frasier on A JOURNEY, A RECKONING, AND A MIRACLE.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library contemporary fiction collections, August 8, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Journey, a Reckoning, and a Miracle (Paperback)

Original, deftly written, and a riveting read from first page to last, "A Journey, A Reckoning, And A Miracle" by K. J. Fraser is a iconoclastic novel incorporating religion, politics, magic, humor, adventure, and human nature. Lucy is a seventeen-year-old Rapture believing Christian embarking upon a pilgrimage to honor the dead from such American massacres as took place at Waco and Columbine. Wounded in Iraq, Judith is a young black soldier and well-loved by a voodoo practicing feminist grandmother. Then there is the former American president, George Bush whose nightmares and visions involve ghosts, zombies, Mother Nature, Machiavelli, Schopenhauer, a couple of former presidents, and Alice of 'Alice's Restaurant' fame. Anything can happen with a little faith, a little forgiveness, a little courage, and a lot of creativity. Highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library contemporary fiction collections, "A Journey, A Reckoning, And A Miracle" has more twists and turns than an Appalachian mountain trail -- and the journey through its pages is just as much fun!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're looking for a book that represents the heart and soul of this country you've found it - and it isn't a pretty picture., July 31, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Journey, a Reckoning, and a Miracle (Paperback)

Everyone manages to be on a path of discovery, yet they don't often know where they are going or what they are looking for. George, once the most powerful man in the world, was looking at his past. Judy, who lost not only her arms and legs, but also her eyesight in Iraq, was looking to the future. Lucy, who had no real idea where to find the Rapture, was looking everywhere for it. "I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere man, crossed the deserts bare man . . . " Ah, heck. Even Johnny Cash couldn't keep up with this motley crew.

George was constantly being visited by zombies and demons in his dreams and wished they'd just take a hike because those pills that "psycho-nut quack" threw his way were starting to look dang good. He didn't much care about such rot as global warming `cause the hotter the better in his book, but he didn't want to rot in you know where because that was a bit too hot. It really looked like good old Dubya (we love ya, but only in Texas), "really did seem to want to be remembered as The War President, although he'd never fought as a soldier in a war." Was this guy ever going to get real?

Judy didn't have much going for her after her little "accident" in Iraq, but she had a family full of love who brought her back to the land of the living. There was Joseph who loved her before she almost got blown to kingdom come and always would. The mariachi music and the proposal from an able-bodied man were just a start for Judith. Nothing would stop her, not even MRSA. She told her brother Ben and her psychiatrist that she "wanted to be a comedian. Not a standup comedian, of course. A sitdown comedian." Was this gal ever going to get real?

Lucy had disappeared and it seemed like after a while everybody and his brother was looking for her, but she was looking for something altogether different. Lucy "felt her dream was a dream from God" and she was going on a pilgrimage to Waco, Columbine and beyond. Places like Oklahoma City were calling to her. She was going to pray for the dead. Maybe if she could convert Bill, a Jew, to Christ her parents would approve of her journey. Oh, how wonderful . . . "she imagined them being raptured to heaven together." Was this kid ever going to get real?

I've been reading this book for a month. I'd pick it up, put it down and never seemed to get lost and my interest never wavered, but it isn't the type of book you want to read in a day or even a week. The reader can simply pick up where he or she left off because it is seamlessly written, but it is the type I call a "thinker." This is a brilliant first novel, but you won't find a thriller nor a book with a lot of action. If you want romance and Omar Sharif, he isn't here. If you want Harry Potter to turn back the pages of time, he won't, but if you want the heart and soul of this country you'll find you've struck gold - and it isn't a pretty picture.