Review: One Child

One Child by Jeff Buick

Publication Date: August, 2010
Publisher: Enthrill Entertainment Inc.
Format: Paperback, 400 pp
Genre: Fiction, thriller
ISBN-13: 9780986619908
ISBN: 0986619906

Synopsis (Courtesy of Amazon):

Halima, a small girl in Khandahar, Afghanistan, dreams she changes the world. U2, the most popular rock band in the world, prepares to take the stage in Moscow. There is no apparent connection between the two, yet the threads of destiny are pulling them together. And when they collide, people across the globe watch in fascination. One child is a reflection of how our world is now, and how it could be. It digs beneath the surface of war-torn Afghanistan through Halima's eyes. It exposes the cost of greed. It shares the anguish of a young American soldier and the tenacity of a Wall Street MBA who learns that the business world can be an ugly monster. From the day you meet Halima, to the day U2 walks on stage, One Child will rock your world.

Thoughts:

The first word that comes to my mind after reading this book is WOW! I admit to being skeptical when I first received the book, I wasn't sure what to expect because of all the website information and how the book was being released a chapter at a time online, with news and video's accompanying it. I am somewhat of a computer novice and found it all a bit overwhelming until I had to opportunity to sit down and read my copy of the book itself. At that point my entire perspective on it changed. The information online became an enhancement of the book and a way to keep updated and aware of what was going on.

I have often wondered about soldiers and what kind of a person it takes to risk their lives on a daily basis for an idea, freedom. What makes a soldier decide to return to battle again and again? How can they continue to go on in the face of danger and death all around them. This book confirmed to me why they do it. What they see everyday. It puts things into perspective and puts us inside a soldier's mind.

The book follows the daily life of Halima, a small girl in Afghanistan and her family and their daily struggle to survive, to find enough food and water, to stay out of harms way and live another day. It follows the life of a billionaire in his fancy home, with million dollar deals a plenty, who doesn't worry about the same things that Halima does as he prepares to send defective weapons to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan for profit, while also attempting to destroy a U2 concert in Moscow sponsored by a rival. It's all about who makes the most profit. It follows a young trader in that billionaires company. Can he be as ruthless as his employer. It follows the story of a U.S. journalist, who tries to record what is going on in Afghanistan and a young soldier who is charged with protecting him. All of these people are following the path of their lives never expecting to intersect, to come together at any one point, to affect each other in any way.

It was amazing to me, how the author, Jeff Buick was able to make the reader care about what happened to each character. He was able to take the reader in close, so they could see and feel the dust of the Afghan streets, hear the instruments tune up for the concert, feel the anger and desperation in the heart of the billionaire. He was able to make us see what life is like, how little we sometimes care about people as long as we get what we want. It is definitely a picture of what we are like today, but it also a picture of hope. It also shows us what we can be... if we want to be. How we can change, how one person affects the world.

This is a very moving book and when the reader reaches the end they will feel a sense of awe, a feeling of astonishment at how it all plays out. That feeling you get when you know you have just become a part of something bigger, something profound. I recommend this book to everyone. It is not a war story, per-say, it is a story of hope in the face of great odds.

One Child is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

Please visit Jeff Buicks website and the One Child website for more information about the author and about the online elements of the book.

This one is definitely getting 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!