Audible Book Review: Agenda 21: Into the Shadows by Glenn Beck

This is an engaging dystopian following book one. They both have an agenda to educate the public to the dangers of the Agenda 21 policies. 
Agenda 21: Into the Shadows
Written by: Glenn Beck
Narrated by: Jeremy Lowell, January LaVoy

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:01-06-15
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Genre: Sci Fi, Dystopian
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The sequel to Agenda 21, from number-one New York Times best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio host Glenn Beck.
"I knew those men were our enemies, but they, like everyone else in the Republic, were nothing more than servants. Rule followers. They had no choice. But I did. I had a choice and I made it. I knew then and there that, no matter what happened, I would never go back. Never."
It was once named America, but now it is just "the Republic". Following the worldwide implementation of a UN-led program called Agenda 21, the once-proud people of America have become obedient residents who live in barren, brutal Compounds and serve the autocratic, merciless Authorities.
Citizens mainly keep their heads down and their mouths shut - but Emmeline is different. When the Authorities took her mother away, she started questioning the world around her. What happened to her mom? Why is everyone confined to grim living spaces and made to eat the same food cubes every day? Why was her own baby taken from her to be raised in the Children's Village? And are the rumors that somewhere out beyond the fence live those who got away during the Relocations - the so-called shadow people - really true?
When Emmeline's questions lead to the realization that she will never see her child again, she decides to escape the Compound with her partner David and their baby Elsa. Fleeing the armed enforcers of the Earth Protection Agency, and facing the unknown for the first time in their lives, Emmeline and David run into the shadows in the desperate hope of finding something they'd only heard stories about from those who'd lived before the Relocations: freedom.
©2015 Mercury Radio Arts, Inc. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon and Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Review:
Americans no longer own their own land or choose their own jobs in this society. The people have been relocated to government compounds where they live under the dictates of the Republic authorities who make the rules. Food and water are rationed and children are separated from their parents. Emmeline was able to get a transfer to a new job working at the Children’s Village so she could be near her baby, Elsa. Then she overhears the leaders say that they are going to send the children to another location.

Emmeline has already lost her first assigned mate and her parents. Emmeline convinces her loving partner, David, to help the small family, including an 8-year-old boy, Micah, escape to the lands outside the fences. David’s parents soon follow with the hope of leading the authorities away from their children. Those seeking freedom find help from surprising sources but will they be able to outpace the armed pursuers?

The Earth Protection Agency (EPA) sends out a crew to search for the rebellious citizens. They will bring the adults back to be punished as an example to others. The children are to be brought back to the farm because they are an important resource to be raised to be obedient workers. The EPA crew is led by an experienced chief who is proud and arrogant. He is annoyed that three of his team are new, including a female trainee. This is one of the first females put into the program and he sees only one use for an attractive female out in the field.

This story picked up right where the first book, Agenda 21, ended. I questioned Emmeline and David running out with little in supplies and knowledge. Still, I enjoyed the strength of Emmeline’s independence and determination and I loved the inquisitive and helpful character of Micah as they learned to forage and find shelter. The story presents a distinct difference between the characters seeking freedom and the power hungry and selfish authorities.

The story moves at a good pace and kept me interested. I liked how the authors wove the themes of freedom and God’s grace into the action and relationship dialogues. I recommend this to readers who enjoy dystopian stories that focus on the struggle for freedom.

Audio notes: The alternating narration between Jeremy Lowell and January LaVoy makes the story move very well. They both did a good job with the characters and made the story more engaging for me.

This was from my Audible library and qualifies for Audio Challenge, TBR Triple Dog Dare and March 2016 TBR Challenge. It also qualifies for “A” in Alphabet Soup Challenge.

Audio Book Review: The Eye of Moloch by Glenn Beck

This is another good political thriller - a picture of forces at work in our current world.
The Eye of Moloch
    by Glenn Beck
    Narrated by Jeremy Lowell


    LENGTH    11 hrs and 54 mins
    RELEASE DATE    06-11-13
    PUBLISHER    Simon & Schuster Audio
Genre: Political Thriller
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The last battle for freedom is underway....

By the end of Glenn Beck’s number-one best-selling political thriller The Overton Window, a young rebel named Molly Ross had torn aside the curtain to reveal a shadow war being waged for the future of America. In the six months since then, her fight for freedom hasn’t gone well. Marked as traitors and hunted by ruthless government-sanctioned mercenaries using the most advanced surveillance technologies ever created, Ross and her "Founders' Keepers" find themselves cornered and standing alone. but the fight is far from over.

The battle lines in this bitter rivalry are as old as civilization itself: On one side, an unlikely band of ordinary Americans, ready to make their last stand in defense of self-rule, freedom, and liberty - and on the other, an elite cabal of self-styled tyrants who believe that unlimited power should be wielded only by the chosen few. That group, led by an aging, trillionaire puppet-master named Aaron Doyle, will stop at nothing to destroy the myth that man is capable of ruling himself.

As Doyle prepares to make his final move toward a dark, global vision for humanity's future, new allies join the fight and old enemies change sides. In the midst of it all, Molly draws together a small but devoted group willing to risk their lives to infiltrate one of the most secure locations on earth - a place holding long-standing secrets that, if revealed, would forever change the way Americans view their rare, extraordinary place in history. Exposing these truths, and the real-life game of chess being played for mankind’s freedom, is their last chance to save the country they love.

Review:
This story picks up a few months after The Overton Window closes. Noah has had his life turned upside down by the truths that Molly Ross and her band of Founder’s Keepers are trying to bring to the attention of the public. Noah was tortured by his father to the point where he had to  make a choice to follow in his father’s powerful, manipulative footsteps or die. Or he could pretend to meekly regain his position within his father's regime while playing the inside man to help Molly.

This story focuses on the struggles that Molly, her main protector, Thom Hollis, and the other resistance members face as they continue to try to expose the truth while being maligned.  The power brokers are using terrorism to push citizens to give up their rights and they are blaming the acts on Molly’s group, particularly Hollis. The small resistance team is now on the run, surviving on the road and in the woods, as they try to find a save refuge.

Meanwhile Noah awakes back in the facility his father left him in recovering from an injury after being sent out as part of a militia group to gun down the Founder’s Keepers. He meets three unlikely allies. Virginia Ward is a former CIA assassin who is a self appointed investigator of the truth. Although it is not clear why, she has gotten a request from Noah’s father to interview Noah and investigate the allegations regarding Molly Ross.  Ira is a ‘put-out-to-pasture’ news journalist who is being used to write copy and press releases that are acceptable to the powers that be. Ira’s unhappy companion is Lana, a sullen, angry young girl who is a computer wizard and hacker.

Noah tells Virginia that it is like a game of Chess– Noah and Virginia (and others) are being manipulated and the opposition is already planning three moves ahead. This book also gives a more personal view of Doyle, the head puppeteer, who even controls Noah’s father.

This is a story of truth, love and virtue standing up to the powers of evil, control, corruption and  revenge. The scary thing is it looks like a true picture of happenings in America today - it should serve as a wake up call to those who cherish freedom. Noah is a reluctant hero and leader but, as several of the other characters note, he appears to have been called to step up and lead. There is a little bit more faith based exposure in this book – which is fine by me. The situation with Noah reminded me of the story of Esther who was placed in her position for ‘such a time as this’!

Audio Notes: I was a little disappointed that this was a different narrator than the reader of The Overton Window, which I had just recently listened to. However Mr. Lowell does a good job too of portraying the different character traits through their voices and expressions. Listening moved this book along quickly and enhanced the read for me.

I received the Audio CDs from Simon and Schuster, through Audiobook Jukebox, for an honest review.

Audible Book Review: The Overton Window by Glenn Beck

I found this to be a great, thrilling listen.
The Overton Window
    by Glenn Beck
    Narrated by James Daniels
LENGTH    8 hrs and 43 mins
RELEASE DATE    06-15-10
PUBLISHER    Simon & Schuster Audio
Genre: Political Thriller
My Rating:4.75 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
A plan to destroy America, a hundred years in the making, is about to be unleashed...can it be stopped?

There is a powerful technique called the Overton Window that can shape our lives, our laws, and our future. It works by manipulating public perception so that ideas previously thought of as radical begin to seem acceptable over time. Move the Window and you change the debate. Change the debate and you change the country.

For Noah Gardner, a 20-something public relations executive, it's safe to say that political theory is the furthest thing from his mind. Smart, single, handsome, and insulated from the world's problems by the wealth and power of his father, Noah is far more concerned about the future of his social life than the future of his country.

But all of that changes when Noah meets Molly Ross, a woman who is consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever. She and her group of patriots have vowed to remember the past and fight for the future - but Noah, convinced they're just misguided conspiracy-theorists, isn't interested in lending his considerable skills to their cause.

And then the world changes.

An unprecedented attack on U.S. soil shakes the country to the core and puts into motion a frightening plan, decades in the making, to transform America and demonize all those who stand in the way. Amidst the chaos, many don't know the difference between conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact - or, more important, which side to fight for.

But for Noah, the choice is clear: Exposing the plan, and revealing the conspirators behind it, is the only way to save both the woman he loves and the individual freedoms he once took for granted.

After five back-to-back number-one New York Times best sellers, national radio and Fox News television host Glenn Beck has delivered a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that seamlessly weaves together American history, frightening facts about our present condition, and a heart-stopping plot. The Overton Window will educate, enlighten, and, most important, entertain - with twists and revelations no one will see coming.

Review:
Noah Gardner is a lackluster son of a highly powerful, political puppet master, Arthur Gardner. Noah doesn’t invest emotionally in any of the ambitious projects or politics of his daily work at the prestigious public relations firm, Doyle and Merchant. He does enjoy the playboy lifestyle afforded by his father’s position and money. One afternoon his attention is captured by an alluring young woman in the office even though she rebuffs him with disinterest.

Noah pursues her by following her to a rally supporting the American Constitution. Molly Ross continues to intrigue him with her disdain as well as her passion for the cause of American freedom. She is part of a group, similar to a Tea Party, known as the Founder’s Keepers, who profess to seek peaceable change. When the rally turns violent many of the attendees are taken to jail. Noah insists that there was a plant who instigated the violence and when that truth appears to be close to being revealed to the public most of the rally attendees are released with a little help from Noah’s father and attorney.

Noah is further embroiled in Molly’s schemes to gain access and information from his father’s computers. They learn that Arthur Gardner and his firm are part of a group of elite power brokers who are seeking to bring about a one world government. They will use money, power, manipulation, bribery, coercion, and whatever other means necessary to achieve their goal. Molly (and the reader) learn of a tool known as “the Overton Window” which measures public opinion. This tool allows the monied powers to manipulate public opinion by setting up events that slowly push the boundaries of public acceptance closer and closer to the desired controls sought by the puppet masters.

Noah is kidnapped and it becomes clear that Molly used him from the outset. Yet he thinks there was more between them than the obvious lies. Noah again seeks to help Molly as a nefarious terrorist plot slowly unfolds. A horrible act of violence that is being arranged by the puppet masters but will be blamed on Molly’s group.

The beginning was a bit slow as I wondered at the detailed descriptions of Noah’s obsessive interest in Molly. However that is understandable as the plot progresses. After an hour or two in I was glued to listening to this story until it finished. I was impressed with the writing skills as well as the characterization and plot. All of the elements reveal the extreme intelligence of the author – regardless of what one might think of his political and religious views. Does it contain a message on politics and religion? Yes - clearly on politics and subtly on religion. Is it a good thriller? Absolutely.

Beck starts the book with a preface that declares the work to be in the nature of “faction” – a fictional story woven around facts. The story presents a present day situation that should open eyes and make each of us look at the circumstances around us to see if we can really discern truth from intentionally manipulated PR. I loved the story and am anxious to begin the next book, The Eye of Molech, which I am reviewing for Simon and Schuster through Audiobook Jukebox.

Audio Notes: This story was good on its own but the narration enhanced my enjoyment and made it move much more quickly than if I had read a print or ebook version. James Daniels does a really good job keying into the character personalities. I will look for other works narrated by Mr. Daniels.

Mr. Beck quotes several treatices on freedom and government in the story. One that I think is particularly appropriate is:

The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best.
Thomas Sowell

This audio was from my Audible library.

Audio Book Review: Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck

This is an eye opening and thought provoking story with a timely message.
Agenda 21 
by Glenn Beck (Author), (with Harriet Parke)
January LaVoy (Reader)

 Amazon Link

• Audio CD (7 discs)
• Listening Length: 8 hours and 35 minutes
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (November 20, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442360925
• ISBN-13: 978-1442360921

Genre: Thriller, Political Fiction, Sci Fi?
My Rating:  4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Release Date: November 20, 2012
“I was just a baby when we were relocated and I don’t remember much. Everybody has that black hole at the beginning of their life. That time you can’t remember. Your first step. Your first taste of table food. My real memories begin in our assigned living area in Compound 14.”

Just a generation ago this place was called America. Now, after the worldwide implementation of UN-lead program called Agenda 21, it’s simply known as the “Republic.” There is no president. No congress. No Supreme Court. No freedom.

There are only the Authorities.

Citizens have two primary goals in the new Republic: to create clean energy and to create new human life.

Those who cannot do either are of no use to society.

This bleak and barren existence is all that eighteen-year-old Emmeline has ever known. She dutifully walks her energy board daily and accepts all male pairings assigned to her by the Authorities. Like most citizens, she keeps her head down and her eyes closed.

Until the day they came for her mother.

“You save what you think you’re going to lose.”

Woken up to the harsh reality of her life and her family’s future inside the Republic, Emmeline begins to search for the truth. Why are all citizens confined to ubiquitous concrete living spaces? Why are Compounds guarded by Gatekeepers who track all movements? Why are food, water and energy rationed so strictly? And, most important, why are babies taken from their mothers at birth?

As Emmeline begins to understand the true objectives of Agenda 21 she realizes that she is up against far more than she ever thought. With the Authorities closing in, and nowhere to run, Emmeline embarks on an audacious plan to save her family and expose the Republic—but is she already too late?

Review:
Emmeline lives with her mother in a small dwelling where they spend their days walking the energy making treadmills. They must meet their quota or they will be removed. There is no interaction with neighbors, no recreation, no real community. Even family is limited and Emmeline is one of the last “home-raised” children as now children are raised by the Authorities.

Emmeline’s parents share remembrances of ‘before’ when they had freedom, lived on a farm and raised crops and animals. Now plants and animals and the environment are protected.

When economic failure occurred in America a new government promised housing, food and equal treatment for everyone. The people were moved, voluntarily or by force, into compounds where they were assigned jobs, provided humble housing with rationed food cubes and where pairing mates were directed by the Republic. All possessions were given up although Emmeline finds a horde of small things her mother hid.

Emmeline is first paired with an older man. George is kind and they got along all right. Their successful mating produced a child who is kept by the nursery while Emmeline is sent home. An accident kills George and her father and Emmeline’s mother curls up in despair.

A replacement mate is a frail young man, really still a boy, who resents the home raised Emmeline. Emmeline’s mother is taken away and the boy runs off. As the Authorities seek another replacement mate, Emmeline is befriended by a transporter, who helped calm her when she had to leave her baby behind, and his son, David, a night Gatekeeper.

Emmeline is intent on getting to be with her baby girl, Elsa, but the rules won’t allow it. With the help of her new friends she gets a position in the nursery where she can see her baby. She finds the other workers hostile as they have been raised by impersonal care of the Republic with a mind set only to duty.

The Authorities are concerned because the birth rate is down and babies in the nursery have not been thriving. Although the nursery manager, David’s mother, thinks the children need nurturing, the workers want to continue their impersonal treatment of the infants and toddlers. There is the strong possibility that the nursery will be closed and all children moved to another community compound.

What options exist for Emmeline? How far will she go and what will she risk to be with and protect her child?

This starts a little slowly, which actually fits the monotony of the controlled lives. Then I became wrapped into Emmeline’s sad, controlled and limited world. My spirit wanted to break free with hers. The writing could have been more polished and there are gaps in the society development and lots of questions left open. But the point is made. This is a scary scenario with a timely message about the dangers of relinquishing personal freedoms to government control.

Audio Notes: I was not particularly impressed with the narration, which I first thought was rather bland. There is emotion expressed, especially when Emmeline is removed from her baby but I didn’t like the whinny cries. I think it was more that I didn’t care for the narrator’s voice and I didn’t feel there was much effort to distinguish between the characters.

I was surprised and impressed by the Afterword but since there is a request not to reveal the contents I will honor that request. I encourage any reader who is concerned about the struggles of balancing personal freedoms with environmental protections, or interested in possible future society solutions, to read this book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emmeline realizes that they will take her baby and these sentiments echo indifference shown in history past:

I should have known they would take my baby. Maybe I thought it wouldn’t happen to me. Never again would I think that way. Anything could happen to me. Disc 2 Track 4.

I received this from Simon and Schuster through Audiobook Jukebox for an honest review.

Audio Book Review: The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck

This is an emotional story set at Christmas time but sharing messages for anytime of the year.

The Snow Angel

By Glenn Beck and Nicole Baart

Read by: Ron McLarty and January LaVoy

Simon & Schuster Audio, October 2011
Unabridged Compact Disk, 6 disks
ISBN-10: 1442345527
ISBN-13: 9781442345522

     Genre:  Christian Fiction
     My Rating:  4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: October 25, 2011
A heartwarming novel from Glenn Beck, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Sweater and phenomenally popular radio and television host.

Rachel Price’s one happy memory from her childhood is of playing outside with her father, Mitch, on a cold and snowy day. In that moment he took her hands in his and called her his angel. She felt safe, loved, and protected. Rachel’s mother dies in a car crash a few years later—a sudden and unresolved ending to a complicated relationship. Mitch’s reaction to certain realities surrounding the death pushes Rachel away and confirms her fear that Mitch never truly loved her at all.

Years later, Rachel’s daughter, Lily, is the only light in her dark life. Rachel is consumed by an abusive marriage but too afraid to escape. On Christmas Eve, Rachel’s husband raises a hand to Lily in a moment of aggression that finally snaps Rachel out of her docile state. She realizes immediately that she must protect her daughter in ways her own parents didn’t protect her and remove Lily from the situation. Through the help of an old and dear friend, Rachel has a safe place to go, but first, she must say goodbye to her father.

As the snow falls on this Christmas Eve, Rachel learns that it’s never too late to start over. The Snow Angel is a tale about family, forgiveness, and learning to treasure our memories while allowing ourselves to move forward.

Review:
This is a heart wrenching story of a woman growing beyond childhood abuse and neglect, beyond marital oppression and abuse, to a place of personal fortitude and even forgiveness.

The story rocks between poignant memories of Mitch and Rachel.  Mitch is an Alzheimer’s patient struggling with the unfamiliarity of the nursing home.  He has flash back memories of his beloved wife whom he also feared and loathed because of her drunken meanness.  Mitch’s friend reminds him that he has a daughter whom he loved but Mitch is sure that he failed her.  Yet, as Christmas nears, his befuddled mind anticipates a visit from the young girl in the photo that he treasures.  

Rachel portrays a perfect family to hide that she is in an abusive marriage. The sophisticated husband she adored as a senior in high school has become her controlling, oppressive jailor, isolating her from friends, verbally belittling her and sometimes physically hurting her.

Rachel has maintained an image for the sake of their 11 year old daughter, Lily. But Lily is old enough to realize that all is not rosy.  Rachel’s husband forbid her to see her father or her employer/surrogate parents, Max and his wife. Now Max has called Rachel to help him complete his last major tailoring order. Rachel begins to sneak out in the afternoons. Soon Lily is helping too and demanding to know why her mother has to help Max in secret. Lily also wants to meet her grandfather. Lily shows her maturity and child’s wisdom as she points out that her mother doesn’t have to protect her because “God is my shield.”

At the insistence of her daughter and Rachel’s new friend, the pastor’s wife, Rachel slowly reveals the pain of her childhood memories - an alcoholic mother who neglected or abused her. Then a distant father who didn’t protect his daughter and whose seeming indifference drove Rachel to a marriage where she found a new abuser. Through her revelations and her husband’s continued behavior Rachel finally realizes that he will not change and she must take control to change her own life and protect Lily from the potential lash back.

The emotions of Mitch and Rachel seem so real that I wondered how the author could know the frustration and fears to express them so well. I liked the secondary characters as well. The story is not preachy yet has a soft faith message of individual worth and forgiveness. The narrators do an excellent job of conveying the emotional struggles. The male narrator catches the wavering confusion and frustration of Mitch and the female narrator does a good job for Rachel and for the Swedish accent of Max.  As the final events of the story unfold I found myself holding my breath against threatened tears - you might not want to listen to the last disc while driving! Will Mitch recognize Rachel and will Rachel forgive her father? You won’t know until the ending.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Audiobook Jukebox for this audiobook to review.

One additional comment - I had a college raise their eyebrows when they noted I was listening to a book by 'Glenn Beck.'  I encourage everyone to not let any political feelings prevent you from enjoying this lovely story.