Ruth's Redemption [Paperback]

Marlene Banks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2012

Set in the 1800s, Ruth's Redemption, is an unusual depiction of the lives of slaves and free blacks in pre-Civil War America.  Bo, was educated while a slave.  He was given his freedom and now owns a farm buying slaves for the sole purpose of giving them their freedom. Bo is also a man of God and widower whose life is destined to change when he meets the proud and hard-hearted slave girl, Ruth.

Ruth has known nothing but servitude and brutality since being separated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding, Ruth struggles to adjust to life outside of bondage.  She wants no part of Bo's Godly devotion.  Yet Bo is unlike any man she's known and her experiences with him will leave her forever changed.

A gripping slave era novel, Ruth's Redemption is a story of love, forgiveness, 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 a culture's cruel socially accepted inhumanity.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

RUTH'S REDEMPTION  12/6/11

 

Ruth, a proud and defiant slave, has known little kindness since she was taken from her mother at the tender age of thirteen. Sold and purchased for breeding, Ruth's heart is overcome with bitterness. She's paid a high price for being beautiful and strong. Now what she desires and longs for most, as she faces being sold again, is to be free.  

 

Bo, an ex-slave, is well educated and strong in his faith. Though he tends his farm in Tidewater, his real business is buying slaves to set them free.  He is shaken when he sees Ruth on the auction block.  Freedom for her comes at a high price. Will he be able to pay it?

 

When Nat Turner, a preacher and self-proclaimed prophet, comes to Tidewater he rallies the blacks there to join the cause for freedom. His stance is clear.  It's time to fight or die trying. 

 

Three hearts set on freedom. Two men take different paths in their pursuit.  One woman longs for it but cannot seem to grasp what it truly means to be free.

 

Author Bio:

 

MARLENE BANKS worked in the nursing and business arenas for more than 30 years. She is a graduate of Rhema Bible Institute in Keysville, Virginia. Her goal as a writer is to respond to God's calling through the creation of inspiring, gripping and realistic stories with an emphasis on African American history. Marlene currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

MARLENE BANKS lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended Westminster College in Pennsylvania and has an Associate of Theology Degree from Rhema Bible Institute in Keysville, Virginia. She is a member of Bethel Deliverance International Church pastored by Bishop Eric A. Lambert II in Wyncote, Pennsylvania.Marlene worked in nursing for over thirty years and in business as an administrative coordinator for over eight years. Her goal as a writer is to create inspiring, gripping and realistic tales with an emphasis on African American literature. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, she considers her writing a Kingdom assignment from the LORD.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Lift Every Voice; New Edition edition (February 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802402178
• ISBN-13: 978-0802402172
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great historical read!, January 29, 2012

By 

Pirate2240 "Kat" (Victorville, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruth's Redemption (Paperback)

Sometimes reading about the mistakes of America's past can be difficult especially when it happened over 200 years ago but it doesn't minimize the impact it would have on you reading about it. Take for example the recent book I just read, Ruth's Redemption by Marlene Banks about the horrors of the slavery conditions that happened in the early 1800's. Even though the story is a fictional account it was still based on true events. This one centered around the Nat Turner Rebellion in Tidewater, Virginia and is where the story begins.

It shows how the differences in peoples mind's about slavery between those in the North and those in the deep South. The North had begun to accept that slavery should be abolished but the progress was slow in getting people to come to terms with equality among all men and women. Bodine Peace was left free when his master died and left him adequate land to begin a life for himself. He finally found that deep within himself that all along, owning slaves had been wrong. He made sure that the terms for freeing Bodine Peace was upheld by his sons. Bodine Peace, or Bo as he was called was a man of God who believed that despite how long it was taking for God to bring about justice to all men, He would eventually free them all.

Bo used his land to help other slaves become free as well. Asking that all they had to do for freedom was work off the price he had to pay for them by working on the land Mr. Maitland had given him. He would teach them a fair trade, educate them and when a year's time was up, he had legal papers drawn up to provide them their freedom. It was during this time that Bo came across a woman who called herself Ruth. He was in town to purchase slaves as he felt led by God and when Ruth's determined actions cause her owner to beat her in public, Bo felt he had God's answer.

Yet it would take time to heal the hatred in Ruth's heart towards all men and especially to heal her bitterness and resentment towards God. Ruth had been sold into slavery primarily for breeding based on her good looks which she saw as a curse from God since there wasn't anything she could do about that. So she remained determined to do whatever she could to find freedom even if that meant using her looks to her advantage.

I received Ruth's Redemption by Marlene Banks compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and really loved how well the characters of Ruth and Bo were developed by Marlene so that the reader would be immersed in their lives and could see things from their eyes, how cruel the world could be, and how not everyone believed people should be treated like livestock. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars in my book and shows just how much God's plan will work for those who LOVE Him despite the outward circumstances.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeking knowledge, February 17, 2012

By 

Ron - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ruth's Redemption (Paperback)

Thie book immediately grabbed me, and it held me until the last page. I did not want to finish it because I was living with Bo, Ruth, Namoi, and all the rest of the characters. I took me back 200 years, and it showed me the path to salvation is in beleiving. Bo stands strong, and he is an example of faith.

Anyone seeking inspiration, love, understanding, and knowledge must read this book. When I finished, I felt good, it was the triumph over evil by Bo and Ruth that is so wonderful. It shows that perseverance and faith in God rewards as promised.

Read it, you will love it.