Category: Strong Women

Authors, Books, Christian suspense, Faith, Honor Killing, Nikki Arana, Strong Women, The Next Target review

Honor killings and The Next Target: A Book Review

Mona Alvarado Frazier

After I finished my last manuscript I put it on a flash drive and let it simmer for three weeks. Maybe I should say I let myself ‘simmer’ for a period of time because after I’m done writing the first draft of a story I’m mentally exhausted. During the writing break I take a very low cost vacation:

                                                                            I read for pleasure

It was during one of these breaks that I agreed to read an advanced reading copy (ARC) of a novel listed by an author blog I follow. I love to read and agree to do reviews if the novel is in a genre I enjoy.  This was the first time I read a suspense thriller with Christian themes. I like suspense and appreciate fiction without gratuitous sex, gore, and excessive profanity. So when author Nikki Arana announced that an ARC for her novel, The Next Target, was available to her blog followers, I requested a copy. 

                                                                            Here is my review*: 
Award winning author, Nikki Arana, shows a depth of knowledge about radical Islam, the clash of Muslim culture in American communities, and the risk to Christian outreach workers in this fiction novel, The Next Target.

The backdrop of an ‘honor’ killing of a young Muslim woman begins an engrossing chain of events that takes the reader into another culture, religion, and perspective that is both horrifying and illuminating. Austria Donatelli is a young and recently widowed ESL teacher who runs a Career Center to help immigrants find jobs and learn English. She also ministers to those who want to know about Christianity. The victim of the honor killing was a young woman whose conversion was the cause of her death. This places Austria and those dear to her in the crosshairs of radical Islamists.

Austria is the main character but there are several viewpoint characters with their own story arc, which keeps the reader in the head of each character’s motivations and allows us to see the different and often incompatible perspectives on Islam, Muslim culture, American society and Christianity. The deceit and conflict that surround Austria, the Career Center, her family, and the Muslim community test their resolve, their character, and their faith.

This fast paced suspense story grabs the reader and takes them through the twist and turns of a race between Austria and another convert, an undercover FBI agent, and a terrorist cell intent on killing Austria and initiating an attack on America. These cross-purposes quickly spiral into one of self-doubt and self-preservation. Can Austria and the ones who love her withstand this challenge? Can she continue her work or will she die trying, as others have, including her husband? No character remains the same by the end of this novel.

Readers will find themselves turning the pages as fast as they can because of the quick pace, action, and suspense. The storyline and characters will keep readers captivated until the end because we come to care about the characters and their outcomes.

Nikki Arana’s respectful and non-judgmental treatment of other cultures comes through in her writing, which makes for a quality story. She shows an accuracy of details that is evident of a person who has intimate knowledge of Muslim communities in America, their culture, language, and the challenges of Christian outreach. This novel debuts in June 2012 and you will want to pick up a copy of what is sure to become another best-seller. 

Does this sound like a book you’d enjoy? Are there any other Christian suspense/thriller novels you can recommend? 
If you’re a writer, what do you do to relax after writing a piece? 


*Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this review. 

Denise Oliver Velez, Family, Latinas, Parenting, Strong Women, Wisdom, Women of Color, Women's History Month

How Every Woman Contributes to Women’s History Month

Mona Alvarado Frazier

             Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less. – Myra Pollack Sadker

March is Women’s History Month. How we arrived to setting aside this month to highlight women’s contributions in history is a 34 year road. Longer if we consider that International Women’s Day began in 1911 in Europe.

The purpose of Women’s History Month is to increase consciousness and knowledge of women’s history: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable women, in hopes that the day will soon come when it’s impossible to teach or learn history without remembering these contributions. 

Recognizing the achievements of women in all facets of life – science, community, government, literature, art, sports, medicine – has a huge impact on the development of self-respect and new opportunities for girls and young women.

Most of us who attended high school and college in the early 80’s until present or have children in school easily recognize some of the most notable achievements that are highlighted during this month.


But how do we, as ‘non-famous’ ordinary everyday men and women fit into women’s history?

In our own lives, we can make women’s histories personal. We have a huge resource in our own families. This month can be a time when we discover the stories about our own mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers. 
In turn we share our discoveries with our children so they can better understand their lives, the challenges they faced, and who they are as a result. We can easily start these conversations (okay, maybe there will be an eye roll or two when we start talking about grandma’s day) with our kids. And which kid doesn’t enjoy asking his/her parent about how life was without PC’s in every home or a cell phone. Recognizing the strength and accomplishments of women in our own families and those from other backgrounds leads to higher self-esteem among girls and greater respect among boys and men.
A multi-cultural perspective is also important to pass onto our children. 
An extensive selection of women in the military, Civil War, Science, and Politics can be found in the National Archives. An interesting article on  Native American women’s contributions in women’s history, written by Denise Oliver Velez, goes beyond Sacajawea. This article on five Latina contributions describes authors, activists, and artists. Huffington Post lists more achievements by Latinas. In the blog “Race Relations,” the entire month is devoted to remembering women of color.
I hope your children have WHM events in their schools. Take a few minutes to talk with them about what they’ve learned about women’s contributions. And sometime this week, sit down and tell them your own stories, your mother’s stories, or her mother’s stories. Let them hear about adversities, their values, and the triumphs of women who are important to them every day not just one month out of the year.