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Fatherless #2
Childless
The second installment in the riveting new trilogy from Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner transports readers to a not-too-distant future when the young and healthy strain under the burden of a rapidly aging population.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
24 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
James C. Dobson
253 books376 followersA licensed psychologist and marriage, family, and child counselor, Dr. James Dobson was a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. For 14 years Dr. Dobson was an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and he served for 17 years on the attending staff of Children's Hospital Los Angeles in the Division of Child Development and Medical Genetics. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (1967) in the field of child development.
He was the author of more than 50 books, including The New Dare to Discipline, The New Strong-Willed Child, When God Doesn't Make Sense, Night Light: A Devotional for Couples, Bringing Up Boys, and the New York Times bestseller Bringing Up Girls .
Heavily involved in influencing governmental policies related to the family, Dr. Dobson was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Advisory Commission to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He also served on the Attorney General's Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Health and Human Services' Panel on Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and the Commission on Child and Family Welfare. He was elected in 2008 to the National Radio Hall of Fame, and in 2009 received the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was the author of more than 50 books, including The New Dare to Discipline, The New Strong-Willed Child, When God Doesn't Make Sense, Night Light: A Devotional for Couples, Bringing Up Boys, and the New York Times bestseller Bringing Up Girls .
Heavily involved in influencing governmental policies related to the family, Dr. Dobson was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Advisory Commission to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He also served on the Attorney General's Advisory Board on Missing and Exploited Children, the Department of Health and Human Services' Panel on Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and the Commission on Child and Family Welfare. He was elected in 2008 to the National Radio Hall of Fame, and in 2009 received the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award.
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November 30, 2013
I'm not sure about you, but imagining a society that has moved even farther away from God than has already occurred today is frightening to think about! Such a world is exactly what Dobson and Bruner are exploring in their fascinating trilogy. "Childless" picks up right where the first book in the series, "Fatherless", left off, and once again proves that Dobson and Bruner are able to produce action-packed and thought-provoking fiction. In some ways I found this to be a darker book than the first, especially as we explore even further the character of Matthew, a man who is the very embodiment of the humanist movement at work today, where people live free of the constraint provided by a healthy fear of God and all they care about is themselves. Such is the society depicted in this book, where marriage no longer has meaning and sex is just a cheap act of physical enjoyment, where human life is treated casually, and euthanasia embraced for the "old" and "disabled". Yet this darkness creates a great backdrop for showing faith in action and the beauty of the alternative reality, where God's people are at work spreading his presence.
"Childless" features the characters we came to love (or loathe) in the first book, while introducing some new characters as well. The authors do a good job at fleshing out the characters and giving them intriguing storylines that are woven together in a masterful manner. Despite the dark themes explored in the character's lives, I also enjoyed the way that faith and family is celebrated, for the glimmer of hope that also shines through as well.
I am very curious where the authors are going to take us in the third book in the series. I encourage people to pick up a copy of "Fatherless" if they haven't yet done so, then follow it up with the well-written "Childless" as well. Not only will you be enjoy the dramatic plot, but you will also be left inspired about being salt and light to a society desperately in need of seeing that God is real, truth is alive, and God's way leads to life.
I award this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Book has been provided courtesy of Hachette Book Group Canada, for the purposes of this unbiased review.
November 3, 2013
Dr. James Dobson added the title “novelist” to his resume in January of this year when his first novel, Fatherless was released (with co-author Kurt Bruner), the first of a trilogy of novels set in the 2040s and showing what America might look like if current demographic and cultural trends continue unabated.
Dobson and Bruner take us to a future where America’s population is in decline, the cost of eldercare is tanking the economy, and America has an ever-growing number of vacant homes and vacant playgrounds. Falling fertility, a society that views marriage as optional, and frowns on families with more than two children all help to feed the decline. To stop the bleeding, the Fiscal Conservative Party introduces the Youth Initiative, which legalizes the establishment of Transition clinics that allow people who are viewed as a drain on society (derisively referred to as “debits”) to end their lives. Pressure to do so comes from society as well as from heirs wanting to be relieved of the “burden” of caring for them and collect money from the estate.
Childless, the second novel of the series, was released this month from Faithwords. The 400+ page book has some great highlights but also some major flaws. The book follows two very different lines: one is that of the “thriller” the series was advertised as being. The main plot involves a federal judge receiving threats over his decision in a case related to the Transition industry. The other line is a book is about the human and family relationships of the characters as they interact with the consequences of this world.
Perhaps the best way to look at the book is to contrast its strong points with its weaknesses:
Reasonable and plausible premise
One great problem with much of dystopian literature is that scenarios are often so far-fetched as to be unbelievable based on our current circumstances. In this way, Childless stands above its competition. The demographic trends the authors cite are most probably where America is going in the next thirty years and indeed many Asian and European countries are already further down the road than we are. If anything, their future is a tad optimistic as they portray republican forms of government and most liberties continuing to survive as they are today.
The story world’s overall familiarity makes it work as a cautionary tale. There is still much that can be done to prevent or mitigate the problems that Dobson and Bruner pick up on, and they give readers food for thought. Childless asks us to consider not just short-term benefits, but how the decisions made today may impact the future of the country as well as our own. For example, in the book, “Reverend Grandpa,” a former minister in his seventies, regrets that he and his wife only had one child because now that one child has to carry the entire economic load of his declining health. If she’d had siblings, the burden would be spread out and more manageable. It counters the societal message that extols the virtues of having no children or just one child by pointing out long-term drawbacks.
Solid Portrayals of Family and Relationship Dynamics
The character of Julia Davidson-Simmons continues to be a series highlight even though she’s not a believer and doesn’t become one by the end of Childless. She’s much more of a seeker and on a journey. She’s smart, resourceful, and compassionate. She is probably the best-developed character in the story. In this book, she’s married Troy Simmons, the Chief of Staff to Congressman Kevin Tolbert, after a lifetime as a single feminist. She is still adjusting to being a wife and struggles with the question of motherhood.
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a book associated with James Dobson would have a lot of scenes centered around family relationships, but these scenes really were extremely well done. They felt emotionally real and often times have raw moments where people dealt with the realities of life in 2040s America. While the book had a plausible picture of the math of our current demographic trends, it never made the mistake of forgetting the real impact that these trends would have on real people. The emotional impact of transitions, absent fathers, and all the abuse in society is never lost on the authors. Indeed, if the whole book had centered around these sort of situations, this would have been a superb book. The only weak relationship scene was the final one, which used too much psychiatrist-speak to exposit the change in the character’s attitude.
Kingdom Values
The book extols an entirely different set of values from what our world and the popular culture of the 2040s advocate. Pop culture advocates a world of self-actualization where you focus on making yourself happy. A life without strings, a life unencumbered by caring for children or aging parents, and a life where relationships continue only as long as you want it is an ideal one by those standards.
Childless exposes the ultimate shallowness of this view by reminding us of the words of Jesus, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39) Childless illustrates how God will use the sacrifices we make for family to mature us, to make us more like Him, to bring us joy, and to benefit the world around us.
The negatives of the book come from the fact that it’s supposed to be a political thriller and the “thriller” aspect takes up about half the book with decidedly poor results. That accounts for most of the book’s problems.
The Stakes are Too Low
If you read the first book and wonder what has happened with the state of play in the political plotline, the answer is nothing whatsoever for the most part.
Indeed, much of what happens in Childless feels like an exact rerun of what happened in Fatherless. Tolbert again pushes his “bright spots” initiative at a meeting of a committee to deal with the economic crisis, a rather modest proposal to increase fertility while decreasing transitions and the first part gains support from Senator Franklin, the party’s front-running candidate for President, but reducing the number of transitions is a no-go. Senator Franklin supported the initiative that created the transition industry and insists that the short-term savings from transitions are fiscally necessary. In the course of this, there’s speculation that Tolbert may be chosen for Vice-President on Franklin’s ticket.
This was most of the basic plot of Fatherless. The book unintentionally raises many questions, such as why Tolbert continues to ally himself with Franklin. Is there anyone else in the Party who he could ally with as an alternative to Franklin since he’s so unreceptive? It feels like as much as these characters are billed as political geniuses, they don’t really have any great vision or foresight to be able to impact the course of events at all.
Perhaps this is realistic, but it’s also boring, particularly the second time around.
Equally un-engaging was the big time bomb of, “Someone’s going to kill a federal judge if our detective can’t catch the person who is sending threatening letters.” Throughout most of the book, we knew, or thought we knew, who had been sending the letters. We knew there was no risk from this person.
Even if there had been as big a deal as they make over it, killing an appeals court judge about to rule as part of a three-judge panel really only delays proceedings. You’ll have to wait several months for a new panel to be set and in most circuits there’s a chance that you’ll get an even less receptive panel than before. In addition, after a three-judge panel rules, there are still a couple of other appeals, one to the full circuit and one to the Supreme Court. The only reason to care about the judge is if you connect to and relate to his family. It means very little to the actual issue of the transitions.
This plot against the judge could have been a good story with the right amount of suspense and mystery thrown in. Unfortunately that brings us to another problem.
Tyler Caine: Lousy Detective
Tyler Caine is perhaps the worst detective I’ve encountered in fiction who wasn’t intended as comic relief. Caine is a former police officer turned private detective and in his fifties. He is hired to investigate threatening notes sent through the mail to Judge Santiago of the Court of Appeals. He’s given envelopes with postmarks that show where the letter was sent. The first two letters came from Boulder, famous for being home of the University of Colorado. The other one came from Denver. The person sending the letter identified himself as “A Manichean,” named after the fourth century Gnostic school of thought. There’s a professor at the University of Colorado who has written a book on Manichaeism. Caine quickly discovers that Manichean refers to an adherent to the religious sect but ignores this and doesn’t even look into it any further.
Instead, Caine flounces around pointlessly from interview to interview, and his performance bares no resemblance whatsoever to an actual investigation. Caine’s plan for snuffing out the author of the notes: looking in the eyes of the person when they’re reading the notes and hoping it’ll reveal their guilt. This is the totality of his investigative strategy. Worse, he digitizes the threatening notes in order to see the look in the eyes of a man he’s talking to remotely. His client strictly forbid him from digitizing the notes. This is what we get from a veteran homicide detective who was born in the 1990s?
When the threats become serious, Tyler does get down to business. After a few minutes searching the Internet, he discovers something he should have found days before and buys himself a drink to celebrate his success. At least he doesn’t suffer low self-esteem.
Then an actual murder results from Caine’s conduct of the investigation—a murder that doesn’t make any more sense than the rest of the thriller portions, and Caine has no clue as to who did it. The truth of what happened would have occurred to any half-way competent detective but it doesn’t occur to Caine.
This character is unbelievable, unlikable, and poorly crafted. His incompetence was over the top and ruined what was billed as the book’s central conflict.
This is a frustrating book. On one hand, artistic errors like head-hopping and technical gaffes like continuity errors were strewn throughout the story, and the Tyler Caine plot generated literal face-palm moments. On the other hand, the book had a solid message reflecting the glories of the family as God created it and showing what happens when a society loses respect for human life while also including some solid emotional scenes. This could have been a great book had the authors created a believable plot, or let the political/legal plot fall into the background while focusing on the human relations stuff. Instead, the result is mediocre at best.
In the end, Childless is not the type of book you’d read just to see its dystopian elements. There’s very little new in that regards that wasn’t covered in the first novel, Fatherless, which was a better book. I can only recommend this book for readers of Fatherless who want to see how the characters of Julia Davidson and Matthew Adams develop and are willing to endure some weak writing to do it.
Dobson and Bruner take us to a future where America’s population is in decline, the cost of eldercare is tanking the economy, and America has an ever-growing number of vacant homes and vacant playgrounds. Falling fertility, a society that views marriage as optional, and frowns on families with more than two children all help to feed the decline. To stop the bleeding, the Fiscal Conservative Party introduces the Youth Initiative, which legalizes the establishment of Transition clinics that allow people who are viewed as a drain on society (derisively referred to as “debits”) to end their lives. Pressure to do so comes from society as well as from heirs wanting to be relieved of the “burden” of caring for them and collect money from the estate.
Childless, the second novel of the series, was released this month from Faithwords. The 400+ page book has some great highlights but also some major flaws. The book follows two very different lines: one is that of the “thriller” the series was advertised as being. The main plot involves a federal judge receiving threats over his decision in a case related to the Transition industry. The other line is a book is about the human and family relationships of the characters as they interact with the consequences of this world.
Perhaps the best way to look at the book is to contrast its strong points with its weaknesses:
Reasonable and plausible premise
One great problem with much of dystopian literature is that scenarios are often so far-fetched as to be unbelievable based on our current circumstances. In this way, Childless stands above its competition. The demographic trends the authors cite are most probably where America is going in the next thirty years and indeed many Asian and European countries are already further down the road than we are. If anything, their future is a tad optimistic as they portray republican forms of government and most liberties continuing to survive as they are today.
The story world’s overall familiarity makes it work as a cautionary tale. There is still much that can be done to prevent or mitigate the problems that Dobson and Bruner pick up on, and they give readers food for thought. Childless asks us to consider not just short-term benefits, but how the decisions made today may impact the future of the country as well as our own. For example, in the book, “Reverend Grandpa,” a former minister in his seventies, regrets that he and his wife only had one child because now that one child has to carry the entire economic load of his declining health. If she’d had siblings, the burden would be spread out and more manageable. It counters the societal message that extols the virtues of having no children or just one child by pointing out long-term drawbacks.
Solid Portrayals of Family and Relationship Dynamics
The character of Julia Davidson-Simmons continues to be a series highlight even though she’s not a believer and doesn’t become one by the end of Childless. She’s much more of a seeker and on a journey. She’s smart, resourceful, and compassionate. She is probably the best-developed character in the story. In this book, she’s married Troy Simmons, the Chief of Staff to Congressman Kevin Tolbert, after a lifetime as a single feminist. She is still adjusting to being a wife and struggles with the question of motherhood.
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a book associated with James Dobson would have a lot of scenes centered around family relationships, but these scenes really were extremely well done. They felt emotionally real and often times have raw moments where people dealt with the realities of life in 2040s America. While the book had a plausible picture of the math of our current demographic trends, it never made the mistake of forgetting the real impact that these trends would have on real people. The emotional impact of transitions, absent fathers, and all the abuse in society is never lost on the authors. Indeed, if the whole book had centered around these sort of situations, this would have been a superb book. The only weak relationship scene was the final one, which used too much psychiatrist-speak to exposit the change in the character’s attitude.
Kingdom Values
The book extols an entirely different set of values from what our world and the popular culture of the 2040s advocate. Pop culture advocates a world of self-actualization where you focus on making yourself happy. A life without strings, a life unencumbered by caring for children or aging parents, and a life where relationships continue only as long as you want it is an ideal one by those standards.
Childless exposes the ultimate shallowness of this view by reminding us of the words of Jesus, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39) Childless illustrates how God will use the sacrifices we make for family to mature us, to make us more like Him, to bring us joy, and to benefit the world around us.
The negatives of the book come from the fact that it’s supposed to be a political thriller and the “thriller” aspect takes up about half the book with decidedly poor results. That accounts for most of the book’s problems.
The Stakes are Too Low
If you read the first book and wonder what has happened with the state of play in the political plotline, the answer is nothing whatsoever for the most part.
Indeed, much of what happens in Childless feels like an exact rerun of what happened in Fatherless. Tolbert again pushes his “bright spots” initiative at a meeting of a committee to deal with the economic crisis, a rather modest proposal to increase fertility while decreasing transitions and the first part gains support from Senator Franklin, the party’s front-running candidate for President, but reducing the number of transitions is a no-go. Senator Franklin supported the initiative that created the transition industry and insists that the short-term savings from transitions are fiscally necessary. In the course of this, there’s speculation that Tolbert may be chosen for Vice-President on Franklin’s ticket.
This was most of the basic plot of Fatherless. The book unintentionally raises many questions, such as why Tolbert continues to ally himself with Franklin. Is there anyone else in the Party who he could ally with as an alternative to Franklin since he’s so unreceptive? It feels like as much as these characters are billed as political geniuses, they don’t really have any great vision or foresight to be able to impact the course of events at all.
Perhaps this is realistic, but it’s also boring, particularly the second time around.
Equally un-engaging was the big time bomb of, “Someone’s going to kill a federal judge if our detective can’t catch the person who is sending threatening letters.” Throughout most of the book, we knew, or thought we knew, who had been sending the letters. We knew there was no risk from this person.
Even if there had been as big a deal as they make over it, killing an appeals court judge about to rule as part of a three-judge panel really only delays proceedings. You’ll have to wait several months for a new panel to be set and in most circuits there’s a chance that you’ll get an even less receptive panel than before. In addition, after a three-judge panel rules, there are still a couple of other appeals, one to the full circuit and one to the Supreme Court. The only reason to care about the judge is if you connect to and relate to his family. It means very little to the actual issue of the transitions.
This plot against the judge could have been a good story with the right amount of suspense and mystery thrown in. Unfortunately that brings us to another problem.
Tyler Caine: Lousy Detective
Tyler Caine is perhaps the worst detective I’ve encountered in fiction who wasn’t intended as comic relief. Caine is a former police officer turned private detective and in his fifties. He is hired to investigate threatening notes sent through the mail to Judge Santiago of the Court of Appeals. He’s given envelopes with postmarks that show where the letter was sent. The first two letters came from Boulder, famous for being home of the University of Colorado. The other one came from Denver. The person sending the letter identified himself as “A Manichean,” named after the fourth century Gnostic school of thought. There’s a professor at the University of Colorado who has written a book on Manichaeism. Caine quickly discovers that Manichean refers to an adherent to the religious sect but ignores this and doesn’t even look into it any further.
Instead, Caine flounces around pointlessly from interview to interview, and his performance bares no resemblance whatsoever to an actual investigation. Caine’s plan for snuffing out the author of the notes: looking in the eyes of the person when they’re reading the notes and hoping it’ll reveal their guilt. This is the totality of his investigative strategy. Worse, he digitizes the threatening notes in order to see the look in the eyes of a man he’s talking to remotely. His client strictly forbid him from digitizing the notes. This is what we get from a veteran homicide detective who was born in the 1990s?
When the threats become serious, Tyler does get down to business. After a few minutes searching the Internet, he discovers something he should have found days before and buys himself a drink to celebrate his success. At least he doesn’t suffer low self-esteem.
Then an actual murder results from Caine’s conduct of the investigation—a murder that doesn’t make any more sense than the rest of the thriller portions, and Caine has no clue as to who did it. The truth of what happened would have occurred to any half-way competent detective but it doesn’t occur to Caine.
This character is unbelievable, unlikable, and poorly crafted. His incompetence was over the top and ruined what was billed as the book’s central conflict.
This is a frustrating book. On one hand, artistic errors like head-hopping and technical gaffes like continuity errors were strewn throughout the story, and the Tyler Caine plot generated literal face-palm moments. On the other hand, the book had a solid message reflecting the glories of the family as God created it and showing what happens when a society loses respect for human life while also including some solid emotional scenes. This could have been a great book had the authors created a believable plot, or let the political/legal plot fall into the background while focusing on the human relations stuff. Instead, the result is mediocre at best.
In the end, Childless is not the type of book you’d read just to see its dystopian elements. There’s very little new in that regards that wasn’t covered in the first novel, Fatherless, which was a better book. I can only recommend this book for readers of Fatherless who want to see how the characters of Julia Davidson and Matthew Adams develop and are willing to endure some weak writing to do it.
March 9, 2014
In an effort to curb the downward fall of the world's economy, a task force has been created to look for more innovative ideas as part of President Lowman's Youth Initiative. Now in looking for greater incentives for potential transition volunteers to expand the Youth Initiative. Greater incentives meant increased pressure. Make it easier to say yes so it would be harder to say no. America needed more of the elderly and disabled to get with the program. They were, after all, debits. They cost more than they produced. They spent personal wealth on themselves rather than releasing it to the younger, healthier generation. That is why so many had come to label them, "selfish parasites" draining rather than fueling the economy by requiring time and attention from otherwise productive workers and entrepreneurs; those who contributed. Those who paid taxes.
In the second novel in Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruners series set in the future 2043, Childless picks up on the heels of it's predecessor Fatherless. We now see the evil that dwells behind the scenes promoting the latest politcal agenda that is facing this generation where there are more senior citizens than young people. The economy has been challenged with reducing health care for it's aging population while trying to increase the younger generation of productive workers. Transition is simply a generic term for sanctioned suicide of the elderly with the governments assistance to reduce the rising costs of health care for senior citizens and the disabled. Now it seems that Congressmen Kevin Tolbert has discovered "bright spots" places in the world when the economy is improving when families increase the number of children they have as well as reduce the number of transitions that happen.
But like all great political suspense thrillers, there is always a twist. Now it seems that in light of the upcoming verdict in the case against NEXT, Inc, the judge Victor Santiago is receiving death threats to consider how he will vote against the lawsuit from a transition's family member and how it would affect NEXT, Inc in the public's eye. Whenever a family member transitions, their inheritance is passed along to the family. Pending the verdict in this case, all cash disbursements are currently on hold until the case is settled. This isn't what Matthew Adams had planned on when he convinced his elderly mother suffering from dementia to transition so he could go to college instead of spending her dwindling bank account on her prescriptions and medical care. Now it seems that it might be on hold indefinitely if the verdict is unfavorable for NEXT, Inc.
But in this novel children aren't being born as families learn they are expecting. In fact, it's quite the opposite, fetuses are being sold at $2000 each to a embryotic's supply company to utilize for skin care and skin grafting procedures. It seems like nothing is off limits. Even your baby can be genetically screened before birth to help parents increase the likelihood of delivering a healthy baby and even the sex of the baby can be guaranteed. They offer this option as a way for families to reduce the lifelong medical expense due to disability and disease. Even now most health care physicians won't even accept insurance unless the parents have undergone the prescreening process.
I received Childless by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own unless otherwise noted. This is a chilling look at what could very well be the future of the world if we continue on the trends we are now seeing happening all over the world, from physician assisted suicides to abortions. In fact Dr. James Dobson shares his thoughts in a note at the beginning of the novel where "places like Japan and Russia are already experiencing the economic turmoil caused by too few children trying to support a growing pool of aging citizens. In this novel they deal with what happens when sex is severed from the life-giving joys of maternity. Be forewarned, such questions require depicting ugly realities that come when we disregard the beauty and sanctity of the marriage bed." I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for Godless, the third novel coming out in the fall of 2014.
In the second novel in Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruners series set in the future 2043, Childless picks up on the heels of it's predecessor Fatherless. We now see the evil that dwells behind the scenes promoting the latest politcal agenda that is facing this generation where there are more senior citizens than young people. The economy has been challenged with reducing health care for it's aging population while trying to increase the younger generation of productive workers. Transition is simply a generic term for sanctioned suicide of the elderly with the governments assistance to reduce the rising costs of health care for senior citizens and the disabled. Now it seems that Congressmen Kevin Tolbert has discovered "bright spots" places in the world when the economy is improving when families increase the number of children they have as well as reduce the number of transitions that happen.
But like all great political suspense thrillers, there is always a twist. Now it seems that in light of the upcoming verdict in the case against NEXT, Inc, the judge Victor Santiago is receiving death threats to consider how he will vote against the lawsuit from a transition's family member and how it would affect NEXT, Inc in the public's eye. Whenever a family member transitions, their inheritance is passed along to the family. Pending the verdict in this case, all cash disbursements are currently on hold until the case is settled. This isn't what Matthew Adams had planned on when he convinced his elderly mother suffering from dementia to transition so he could go to college instead of spending her dwindling bank account on her prescriptions and medical care. Now it seems that it might be on hold indefinitely if the verdict is unfavorable for NEXT, Inc.
But in this novel children aren't being born as families learn they are expecting. In fact, it's quite the opposite, fetuses are being sold at $2000 each to a embryotic's supply company to utilize for skin care and skin grafting procedures. It seems like nothing is off limits. Even your baby can be genetically screened before birth to help parents increase the likelihood of delivering a healthy baby and even the sex of the baby can be guaranteed. They offer this option as a way for families to reduce the lifelong medical expense due to disability and disease. Even now most health care physicians won't even accept insurance unless the parents have undergone the prescreening process.
I received Childless by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own unless otherwise noted. This is a chilling look at what could very well be the future of the world if we continue on the trends we are now seeing happening all over the world, from physician assisted suicides to abortions. In fact Dr. James Dobson shares his thoughts in a note at the beginning of the novel where "places like Japan and Russia are already experiencing the economic turmoil caused by too few children trying to support a growing pool of aging citizens. In this novel they deal with what happens when sex is severed from the life-giving joys of maternity. Be forewarned, such questions require depicting ugly realities that come when we disregard the beauty and sanctity of the marriage bed." I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for Godless, the third novel coming out in the fall of 2014.
May 21, 2014
Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner in their new book, “Childless” Book Two in the Fatherless series published by FaithWords brings us back into the life of Julia Davidson.
From the back cover: The second installment in the riveting new trilogy from Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner transports readers to a not-too-distant future when the young and healthy strain under the burden of a rapidly aging population.
Everyone is nervous about how Judge Victor Santiago will rule. The case involved the tragic demise of a loving mother and her disabled son. A common medical procedure has somehow created havoc across the legal and economic landscape. The president’s popular Youth Initiative is losing momentum. Political and economic fortunes are at stake. That’s why someone, somewhere, would rather put the judge in his grave than risk a wrong decision.
Tyler Cain, a once respected police detective turned sleazy private investigator, has been pulled into the middle of events way above his pay grade. He hopes the case will restore some measure of dignity. But does he have what it takes to find the potential assassin before time runs out?
He seeks help from Julia Davidson, a newly married journalist, who finds herself torn between the influence she craves and the husband she loves. She wants significance. But he wants a child. In Fatherless, Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner depicted a time in which present-day trends come to sinister fruition. This eagerly awaited follow-up vividly imagines what happens when the abiding joys of parenthood are exchanged for the gradual deterioration of a CHILDLESS world.
Welcome back to the future and it is most certainly not a brave new world. A new world yes but it has become a dark twisted society where human life is treated casually and euthanasia is embraced for the “old” and “disabled”. Frightening yes what is even more frightening is that it is not a huge leap from the society that we live in today. The Nazis tried to do some of this in World War II and some of this is going on today. It is just when you total it all together and then add more to the pot that society is out of control and chaos is at hand. The good guys remind me of the Resistance Movement in France during World War II. They are fighting against overwhelming odds but they fight on anyway. I enjoy that this is social commentary all wrapped up in a fiction thriller. Make no doubt about this the lives of practically everyone are in very great danger and it gets progressively worse as the story unfolds. Danger, action and adventure are all rolled up in a very exciting read. These are wonderful characters that live and breathe on the pages and you care deeply for them. This book does not disappoint at all. I enjoyed it and I am so looking forward to the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from FaithWords. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the back cover: The second installment in the riveting new trilogy from Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner transports readers to a not-too-distant future when the young and healthy strain under the burden of a rapidly aging population.
Everyone is nervous about how Judge Victor Santiago will rule. The case involved the tragic demise of a loving mother and her disabled son. A common medical procedure has somehow created havoc across the legal and economic landscape. The president’s popular Youth Initiative is losing momentum. Political and economic fortunes are at stake. That’s why someone, somewhere, would rather put the judge in his grave than risk a wrong decision.
Tyler Cain, a once respected police detective turned sleazy private investigator, has been pulled into the middle of events way above his pay grade. He hopes the case will restore some measure of dignity. But does he have what it takes to find the potential assassin before time runs out?
He seeks help from Julia Davidson, a newly married journalist, who finds herself torn between the influence she craves and the husband she loves. She wants significance. But he wants a child. In Fatherless, Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner depicted a time in which present-day trends come to sinister fruition. This eagerly awaited follow-up vividly imagines what happens when the abiding joys of parenthood are exchanged for the gradual deterioration of a CHILDLESS world.
Welcome back to the future and it is most certainly not a brave new world. A new world yes but it has become a dark twisted society where human life is treated casually and euthanasia is embraced for the “old” and “disabled”. Frightening yes what is even more frightening is that it is not a huge leap from the society that we live in today. The Nazis tried to do some of this in World War II and some of this is going on today. It is just when you total it all together and then add more to the pot that society is out of control and chaos is at hand. The good guys remind me of the Resistance Movement in France during World War II. They are fighting against overwhelming odds but they fight on anyway. I enjoy that this is social commentary all wrapped up in a fiction thriller. Make no doubt about this the lives of practically everyone are in very great danger and it gets progressively worse as the story unfolds. Danger, action and adventure are all rolled up in a very exciting read. These are wonderful characters that live and breathe on the pages and you care deeply for them. This book does not disappoint at all. I enjoyed it and I am so looking forward to the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from FaithWords. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
December 10, 2013
While I am a Christian, I typically don't care for so-called Christian novels, as they tend to be bad novels with the Christian theme being the only redeeming value. A few authors who are exceptions to that include T. Davis Bunn and Ted Dekker. I can now add James Dobson to that list. While his fiction writing may not be as polished as his non-fiction writing, he tells a good story with realistic characters and settings. And in the setting of a society that has morally declined from ours (about 30 years in the future), there is even less of a Godly influence in these characters' lives, and Dobson does not shy away from showing us the depravity that comes with that.
I'll highlight one thread that had some great lines, ones that I just had to read out loud to my wife. This came from a husband and wife couple who had periodic discussions about having children. The husband was ready; the wife was not. He suggested having unprotected sex in an effort to get pregnant. Her response was "If you want to make love, we can do that anywhere, any time. If you want to make babies, you go to a clinic." That pretty much sums up the prominent thought process of the culture as depicted in the novel - children were not longer a gift from God, but at best, an item with features that you picked out with genetic screening. Of course, what this means is that many embryos are created and those that are not desirable are discarded, or worse, are purchased by companies for medical and other uses.
I recommend starting with the first book of the series, Fatherless, then picking up this book as well. The third book in the trilogy will be out in Spring 2014.
I'll highlight one thread that had some great lines, ones that I just had to read out loud to my wife. This came from a husband and wife couple who had periodic discussions about having children. The husband was ready; the wife was not. He suggested having unprotected sex in an effort to get pregnant. Her response was "If you want to make love, we can do that anywhere, any time. If you want to make babies, you go to a clinic." That pretty much sums up the prominent thought process of the culture as depicted in the novel - children were not longer a gift from God, but at best, an item with features that you picked out with genetic screening. Of course, what this means is that many embryos are created and those that are not desirable are discarded, or worse, are purchased by companies for medical and other uses.
I recommend starting with the first book of the series, Fatherless, then picking up this book as well. The third book in the trilogy will be out in Spring 2014.
January 13, 2014
I won a copy of "Childless: A Novel" by Dr. James Dobson and Kurt Bruner, through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest.
This is the second novel in the trilogy that transports readers to the future, year 2043. In this dystopian society, there is great conflict and debate over the lack of contribution or the burden of a rapidly aging population. This is a brave new world where people are classified as debits or credits to the system, children born with disabilities...or defective?, that may never be capable of living on the credit side of the ledger. As the elderly get old and sick, they volunteer to transition, or death.
The story centers around a high profile case involving a loving mother and her disabled son... the decision ruled by Judge Victor Santiago, in the tenth Circuit Court of Appeal. The Judge had received threatening letters regarding where the Judge stands on this wrongful death appeal, invoking NEXT Transition Services. And someone would rather kill the judge than risk a wrong decision.
Tyler Cain, a once respected police detective, now low life private investigator, is pulled into the middle of this dilemma. He hopes he could get hired back on the force. But can he find the assassin in time?
Tyler gets help from Julia Davidson, a newly married journalist. She wants significance. Her husband wants a child. This novel makes one look very deeply at the ever changing values of society and the future consequences of their actions. Only time will tell...
This is the second novel in the trilogy that transports readers to the future, year 2043. In this dystopian society, there is great conflict and debate over the lack of contribution or the burden of a rapidly aging population. This is a brave new world where people are classified as debits or credits to the system, children born with disabilities...or defective?, that may never be capable of living on the credit side of the ledger. As the elderly get old and sick, they volunteer to transition, or death.
The story centers around a high profile case involving a loving mother and her disabled son... the decision ruled by Judge Victor Santiago, in the tenth Circuit Court of Appeal. The Judge had received threatening letters regarding where the Judge stands on this wrongful death appeal, invoking NEXT Transition Services. And someone would rather kill the judge than risk a wrong decision.
Tyler Cain, a once respected police detective, now low life private investigator, is pulled into the middle of this dilemma. He hopes he could get hired back on the force. But can he find the assassin in time?
Tyler gets help from Julia Davidson, a newly married journalist. She wants significance. Her husband wants a child. This novel makes one look very deeply at the ever changing values of society and the future consequences of their actions. Only time will tell...
July 17, 2014
In the sequel to Fatherless, Childless pick up fairly soon after the events of Fatherless. Matthew is still struggling with his decision to encourage his mom to "transition" and since his money is tied up in the court case against NEXT takes a job as an elderly care giver. The irony is not lost on him, as he is now taking care of a stranger rather than his mother.
Julia Davidson has married Troy Simmons, who has left Washington to work on his and Kevin's business while still trying to promote the Bright Spots initiative. Even though they've only been married for 6 months, Troy is ready to be a father, while Julia is struggling with the thought of motherhood.
Finally, Tyler Cain is hired after Judge Santiago has been issued threats in regards to the NEXT case. Will he find the person threatening to kill him or his wife in time?
My only complaint is leaving out Kevin Tolbert. His story line does not progress that much in this book. I hope that the final book will do his and his family's characters justice.
Overall a very enjoyable novel. It was a great summer read. Looking forward to finishing the trilogy with Godless.
Julia Davidson has married Troy Simmons, who has left Washington to work on his and Kevin's business while still trying to promote the Bright Spots initiative. Even though they've only been married for 6 months, Troy is ready to be a father, while Julia is struggling with the thought of motherhood.
Finally, Tyler Cain is hired after Judge Santiago has been issued threats in regards to the NEXT case. Will he find the person threatening to kill him or his wife in time?
My only complaint is leaving out Kevin Tolbert. His story line does not progress that much in this book. I hope that the final book will do his and his family's characters justice.
Overall a very enjoyable novel. It was a great summer read. Looking forward to finishing the trilogy with Godless.
July 13, 2014
This was just as good as the first one. Also, noticeably more dark.
I really enjoyed the social aspects of this book, it was very interesting seeing the way all these lives are impacted by the society and lifestyle they find themselves in. It was great getting to explore Julia's character some more, I really enjoyed her chapters.
I do agree with other reviewers that Tyler Cain was a horrible P.I. He took awhile to get his stuff together. I did appreciate his character growth though, he was not nearly as self-centered at the end of the book as he was at the beginning.
I didn't like Matthew in the first book.
I like him even less now.
Ugh, he made me so mad. He is an extremely unlikeable character, and I'm going to assume that he's meant to be unlikeable. Especially the way his part in the book ended left me feeling disgusted and not liking him at all. Grrrr... Maybe he'll get better, or get his comeuppance. Either way, I don't like him.
I really enjoyed the social aspects of this book, it was very interesting seeing the way all these lives are impacted by the society and lifestyle they find themselves in. It was great getting to explore Julia's character some more, I really enjoyed her chapters.
I do agree with other reviewers that Tyler Cain was a horrible P.I. He took awhile to get his stuff together. I did appreciate his character growth though, he was not nearly as self-centered at the end of the book as he was at the beginning.
I didn't like Matthew in the first book.
I like him even less now.
Ugh, he made me so mad. He is an extremely unlikeable character, and I'm going to assume that he's meant to be unlikeable. Especially the way his part in the book ended left me feeling disgusted and not liking him at all. Grrrr... Maybe he'll get better, or get his comeuppance. Either way, I don't like him.
December 7, 2013
Childless started off slow and took a long time to get back to the core characters from Dobson's first book in the trilogy, Fatherless. As such, it was much harder to get into this book in the beginning to the point that I considered not reading the rest. However, once the story began to form (about 30% in) I found this book to be a much more interesting story than Fatherless. On the other hand, Fatherless did a much better job at pointing out where we could possibly be headed as a nation if our current trends don't turn...I wish Childless did more reinforcement that area.
All in all, this is a good premise, a good continuation, and a good story - worth reading.
All in all, this is a good premise, a good continuation, and a good story - worth reading.
October 6, 2013
If you liked the first you will like the second. Very similar. Again, just like in the first, I am not overly fond of the writing style. The "as if" description is imo over used. I also think the PI is a bit on the slow side but like most books if the cops were smart the story would be too short.
I still really enjoyed the novel, mostly because of the concept of the story. Interesting topic. Will read the next in the series as soon as it comes out too.
I still really enjoyed the novel, mostly because of the concept of the story. Interesting topic. Will read the next in the series as soon as it comes out too.
March 17, 2016
This continues on where the last one left off. Not so many stats as the first, thus one can focus more on the storyline. It also brings in how important these issues are to big business - it's not just a moral issue. And this book also brings in the effect of sex before marriage, in the marital relationship. It continues to explore how in marriage, one puts their spouse's needs first. Thought provoking as well as a good mystery.
July 22, 2016
Book #2 in the series, book #1 is Fatherless. Some of the scenarios in this book made me have to pause and take a breath. Set as a futuristic America, some of these things are happening TODAY and will happen if we continue down our current path of the ACA. Read this book and really THINK about the America/world you want to leave to your children and grandchildren.....and how you want them to treat you and make decisions about you in a few years!
December 21, 2014
This is the second in Dobson's trilogy of the US in the near future. Most pregnancies are done by invitro. Natural pregnancies are looked down upon as genetic conditions are not weeded out. This book builds on the characters in the first book, Fatherless.I like the way Dobson comments on the culture, but the actual dialogue and characterization felt stilted and formulaic.
January 26, 2014
While I looked Fatherless better, this book was also very good. Most of the characters pick up where we left them and we gain a few more. The reader knows so much more than the characters, so it is interesting watching them figure it out. There are some loose ends that in sure will be addressed in Godless.
April 22, 2016
Great second part to the series. There are more eye opening details. Some of the ideas in the book I see as have already started. That is a little scary. We are on a slipper slope. As a Believer it makes me see we as a society need to start speaking for what is right and what is wrong not in just our eyes but through God's eyes!
October 13, 2013
Enjoying this series even though the premise is disturbing. The depth of the writing in this book, particularly in the second half, was better than the first installment of the series. Overall, a real page turner. I look forward to the next book in the summer!
October 17, 2013
It took me a while to remember the characters from "Fatherless", but I love this book. "Childless" paints a tragic picture and offers hope at the same time. I can't wait to read "Godless" to find out what happens next. Well worth the time.
August 14, 2014
nations wane as babes decrease Russia Japan, sex severed from life giving maternity, may carry you to the deep end of the pool, logic over love and prescreening, healthcare screening regs, love is a choice not a feeling, embodied spirits.
April 29, 2016
NOT far fetched.
WAKE UP CHURCH! http://churchrepent.com/
abolishhumanabortion.com
Abolish Human Abortion on FB ---> https://www.facebook.com/AbolishHuman...
https://www.facebook.com/standing4life/
http://youtu.be/J2tg8RvXsZw?list=PLBf...
WAKE UP CHURCH! http://churchrepent.com/
abolishhumanabortion.com
Abolish Human Abortion on FB ---> https://www.facebook.com/AbolishHuman...
https://www.facebook.com/standing4life/
http://youtu.be/J2tg8RvXsZw?list=PLBf...
November 12, 2015
Good but leaning toward cheesey
Overall, I really liked this book. I enjoy the characters and especially the premise of a childless future. However, some of the characters are too typical Christian for me, flat and unrealistic.
Overall, I really liked this book. I enjoy the characters and especially the premise of a childless future. However, some of the characters are too typical Christian for me, flat and unrealistic.
November 6, 2013
I'd really rate this 3.5 stars. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first installment, but it was plenty disturbing.
January 5, 2014
Fantastic!
December 11, 2013
I don't normally read fiction but this series has really kept me on the edge. I was constantly trying to find time to get back to the book.
November 18, 2014
I really enjoyed Fatherless, and I thought Childless was even more interesting. Can't wait to read the next book!
June 8, 2015
Thought provoking!
March 2, 2016
Excellent book! Interesting how it ended with one sad thing and one happy thing, but still a great way to lead into the third and final book: Godless.
May 30, 2016
Like its predecessor, this book is another heart-wrenching look at the future of our planet. If you read and enjoyed the first entry in this series, you should definitely check out this one.
July 20, 2015
A must-read for anyone who plans to be alive in thirty years; absolutely riveting in every way.
January 2, 2020
Although I don’t mind the writing style of this author, I didn’t find this was a book I was quick to pick up or finish. There seems to be two different story lines happening here: one of a mystery thriller type story where a judge is receiving death threats and the other focussing on varying relationships within the story. I felt a lot was left hanging when I ended the book. But the point remains taken: what kind of world would we live in where having children becomes a burden and looking after aging parents becomes an option? Above all, casting God aside for our selfish ambitions makes for a pretty sad world.
June 12, 2023
This is the 2nd book in the dystopian series by Dr. Dobson and Kurt Bruner. Kevin Tolbert is trying to get legislation to encourage larger families but the prejudice against "breeders" is great. A Euthanasia court case is coming to a head and Julia and Troy Simmons are trying to conceive with little success.
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