Your Sins and Mine

by Taylor Caldwell

First there were the changes in weather. Lack of rain was turning the plains of Iowa, Kansas, and Idaho into arid blocks of parched earth. In the North, it was already January, and no sign of snow. All over the world, the seas were shrinking, and creeks and rivers looked like dried scars. But for Pete, the terrified son of a midwestern farming family, the first great omen came one unseasonably warm winter night when the moon simply vanished from a cloudless sky, and the clocks stopped.Soon, Pete’s family farm becomes a prison as a strange sulfurous fog rolls across the land. In its wake, poisonous and mindful weeds grow wild, choking to death anything—and anyone—within reach. The only sign of life on the streets is a relentless army of scorpions with a sting that kills. But when the government finally moves in, it’s not to protect; it’s for a reason far more deadly and absolute than anyone can imagine. Now, Earth’s survivors face something even more frightful than the evil of men.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Classics

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner.

Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)

In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.

Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.

In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.

Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.

She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.

Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.

In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.

Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.

She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, just rather dated. It was first published in 1955, so that right there can tell you it's not going to have the internet, computers, cell phones or more modern thinking re: women and the disabled. I mention those two groups specifically, because those are the specific groups that were treated as less than when shown in the book. There was a rather nice speech about equality among all further on in the book, but it didn't quite ring true when a blind man and the ladies of the house were discussed.

This book is HEAVY on Christianity, in a positive way and HEAVY on Communism being evil/stupid/wrong, so if you don't agree with either of the above POVs, you are probably going to not like this book very much. It is a product of the times, and I do agree with the thesis behind how mankind is really, really good at killing one another for greedy/stupid reasons and that it needs to stop. I wasn't bothered by the pro-Christian, anti-Communist stance, so was able to read past it and see the basic idea that we need peace. We need to stop killing one another. It's a very positive message and I appreciated it.

I also enjoyed the farmer POV, as I am not a farmer, have a brown thumb and live in a suburban community. I really enjoyed seeing how the farmers all banded together to help each other out. The book was rather negative towards city-dwellers, but considering the government wasn't telling the truth so the city people didn't have all of the information (shocker) and the book was from a farmer POV, it made sense.

One thing that DID bug me, how the pestilence was finally made to go away. The troubles went on for a good YEAR before anybody thought to pray in that specific way? And the pacifist communities, those who were anti-fighting and war, were they affected too? I just read a book about a Mennonite community where it was driven home that they didn't fight, not even in self-defense. So what about them?

Also, I can't believe that religious communities didn't have at least ONE person who prayed in that specific way before a year was up. Maybe religion was less of a thing in the 1950s, or the author was commenting on the "phoned-in" Christian, who went to church, but didn't feel it or act on it outside of that one hour on Sunday. I just couldn't see that being the case today, with it taking so long to understand what was needed and why it was all happening in the first place. So a huge plot issue for me. One star deducted for that.

The second star was deducted because the book was so dated, I was brought out of the book multiple times. It's a great time capsule for that time and place and it has some important things to say that don't fade with time, but I can't see any government in a free country controlling the spread of news so that no regular citizen really knew that the noxious weeds were ALL over the world and that nothing would grow and people were dying like flies. Not with the internet, smart phones, etc. It would be ALL over the internet in moments. It would be interesting to see this book written with instant communication in mind. How would the response of the city people be different, if at all? Would North Korea take the place of Russia in this book? Would it have still been written from a farmer's POV and how would that POV have changed in 60 years time? I would LOVE to see this book re-visited for the modern time!

All in all, not a bad book, but it leaves this particular reader wanting more. It might offend those not of the Christian faith and those who are PC, but it has a strong message at it's backbone of peace and stop fighting and killing each other. I can stand by that. Three, not perfect, but entertaining and made this reader think, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1955, but still of relevance today, this dystopian novel packs quite a punch. Climate change, strange astronomical manifestations, crop failures, a plague of thistles and scorpion-like insects - all lead to wide-spread famine and sickness. The only solution, according to the author's beliefs, is to repent and turn back to God. Only once everyone asks for forgiveness will the world be safe again. Of course this simplistic message sits uncomfortably for many readers today, as does the Cold War attitude to the evils of Communism (this was, after all the era of McCarthyism) but if you can ignore the heavy moral message it’s still a good entertaining read. Caldwell is a great story-teller, and if, as an atheist I can’t relate to her Christian message, I can nevertheless relate to her message of peace and her warnings about our current moral bankruptcy. It may not be our lack of faith that is causing the world’s ills, but our greed, selfishness and lack of empathy are indeed major factors. A thought-provoking read.

[Dani (The Pluviophile Writer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember when my mom gave me this book to read, I looked at the cover and the title and I thought to myself "This looks terrible, why would my mom recommend this to me?". I judged a book by it's cover and I shouldn't have. I surprisingly really enjoyed this book. It was nothing like what I expected. I thought it was going to be some cheesy romance story but rather it was the struggle of one family and the town they inhabited in almost post-apocalyptic times on their farm. Facing scorpion-type creatures that infected the entire town that could kill with a single blow the family and the town struggle to survive but stick together through these strange and tough times. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in need of something different. It's an old book and I know it can be hard to find so search your librarys', second-hand bookstores and friend's shelves for this book. It's short and sweet!

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book interesting, but hard to read. I was confused about where it was going, yet was happy how it ended. It is full of regret, hate, love and forgiveness. I don't recommend this book to those looking for a fun read. Instead, it is for people who want to read something heavy and spiritual, but not a scripture book.

[Msjodi777 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bit as good as I remembered

This is my all-time favorite book. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve read it, but it still moves me. Some parts can get a bit “preachy,” but the story moves steadily on, to come to a great end. Still is one of my favorite books, even though I first read it well over 40 years ago. <><

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

an absolutely outstanding eco-horror novel about man's hatred bringing on the apocalypse. A family of farmers in rural Kansas find themselves starving & struggling to survive as the waters evaporate and their farm is surrounded by poisonous, man-eating weeds which also unleash flesh-eating, venomous scorpion-like creatures.

as always, Caldwell's writing is utterly gorgeous, but I'll give credit where it's due: The first half of this one genuinely scared me; however, it does finish with a religious moral that I find to be relevant, and I'm not at all a religious person.

for those hating on this novel because of the religious aspect, keep in mind, you must judge "The Stand" by Stephen King equally: "Mother abigails voice echoing from the hand of God" and all that ludicrous nonsense.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: My father was no different from other men; he had the wisdom of hindsight. He was also a countryman, and had never been far from the place where he was born, and had always lived close to the earth. So when he told us later of what he had seen in early January—a few months before the strange and awful things had come to pass—we discounted it as superstition, for he was what used to be called a “fundamentalist.”

Premise/plot: Love science fiction? Love apocalyptic fiction? Love dystopias? Ready to read about the end of the world…if the end of the world had happened in the 1950s? Taylor Caldwell's Your Sins and Mine is a must read in my opinion.

Set in a farming community, readers meet Pete and his family. George has two grown sons--both veterans. Edward fought in World War II and came home blind. Pete fought in Korea. Both "boys" are married now with children of their own. They all live on the farmstead. One January evening, George is out late stargazing and notices something eery and ominous in the sky. He doesn't instantly know that the end has come. But. It makes him uncomfortable--increasingly uncomfortable as the drought lengthens month by month. By spring, he fears the worst: no crops. Lest you think he's panicking much too much, you should know: this drought is world-wide effecting every country, every nation. And starvation may be the least of their problems...

My thoughts: I loved this one. I absolutely loved it. This one would pair really well with Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon. It has a lot to say about war, about nuclear weapons, about society, about governments, about the environment.

Favorite quotes:

And the sun shone, cloudless, in the sky, and the rivers dropped and the seas shrank and the creeks and brooks dried up and the mountains were sear and the valleys yellowed—all over the world. The land hated us, the violated land, the faithful land, the exploited and gentle land. The land had decided that we must die, and all innocent living things with us. The land had cursed us. Our wars and our hatred—these had finally sickened the wise earth. We did not know then that we stood indicted as the enemy of life.…

“We’ve got just one court of appeals now,” my father said, “and I don’t suppose most of you have given it any thought. Oh, I suppose you’ve prayed for rain, in church. But have you ever prayed: ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner,’ like the publican in the Bible? I guess you haven’t; your faces are the answer. I wonder how many of you even know your Bible? I wonder how many of you know we’re all being punished, and that we’ve had a sentence of death handed to us?” “Yes, a sentence of death,” he said, with authority. “Because every man in the world is a sinner against every other man, and against God. It isn’t only all the wars we’ve had in this century. We’ve forgotten God.” My father tightened his belt and ran his hand over the stubble on his chin. His blue eyes were vivid—vivid and condemning—as they traveled slowly over every face in the room. “I’m no politician. I’m a farmer, just as you are. When we were little fellows we took it seriously when the parsons told us we owed a duty to our fellow man, and that the things, of the spirit are more important than the things of the body. Every church told its people that; every church still does, though mostly the parsons speak to empty rows. We don’t hear these things with our ears any more. Why? Because every one of us has come to believe that the things of the body are the only valuable things, and we’ve scrambled for them over the rights of all other men. We’ve become too materialistic, too atheistic. Look, I’m no orator. You know what I’m talking about.

My father spoke louder, moving in his chair indignantly. “I’ve heard you talk about the Sermon on the Mount as if it was just another Declaration of Independence. When you pray, you speak to God politely, and remind Him that we’d like to have a little peace on this earth. You mentioned once that the parables of Jesus are excellent examples of profound human psychology. That was the Sunday when you devoted your whole lecture to the ‘science of psychiatry,’ and what it can do for disturbed minds.” His voice became even louder and was touched with anger. “You mentioned God in passing, but there was a hell of a lot more of Freud in your lecture! Disturbed minds! You’re damned right we’ve got disturbed minds. And why? Because our parsons think it primitive to talk about an ever-present God in the affairs of men. It never occurs to them that a human soul is thirsting for the living God, and hungering to know He is there for the asking.” His voice softened and deepened. “They come to you in grief and bewilderment and pain and you quote textbooks at them, and deny them the bread of life.” “George,” said my mother gently.

“There is still something a man can say to God that He wants to hear. And when He hears it, perhaps He will spare us—but He wants the whole world to say it.”

[Fernanda Martins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taylor Caldwell express in this book the disturbed thoughts of a period. The Earth and its inhabitants are being punished by the evil they make and the disbelief in God. It's an open speech against the communism. Nothing to be admired of considering the book was writen in 1955 during the McCarthyism and the Cold War.
Interesting because of the aspect but exactly the subject is too heavy and engulfs the plot so much that is difficult to enjoy the good writing.

[Anne Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth be told

Always moved by Taylor Caldwell's writing.Her words are very relevant to our planet and present political conditions. Highly recommend this read.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caldwell was a prolific writer from the 1940s up to the 70s. Even though her stories are usually very morally and Christian-centered, I enjoy reading her work. That pious mind-set is actually interesting in itself. I enjoy her historical novels the most, always fascinating. Such rich detail -it is like she was there.

This story was about the earth taking revenge upon humans and how only confessions of one’s sins to God would free them of the apocalypse – i.e. very specifically saying the “Jesus Prayer”: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Written in 1955, the story speaks about climate change and all the evils that that involves. I found that interesting as it reflects a premonition of what seems to be happening today, though, in her story it is noxious, indestructible plants that take over the world - not the Covid 19 virus - same idea though. Even though it is dated, it is a timely read and good for encouraging some reflection of our lives.

[Michelle Akers-dicken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Caldwell blows me away again! Your Sins and Mine is such a small book and I should have finished it in 3 hours ... max. It took me half a year because every page took me down a more terrifying path. I HAD to close the book after every page or so. Why? The story sort of mirrors what us happening in America right now with the "pandemic" and now this crazy election. The story was written shortly after WWII and was likely inspired by the "cold war". History repeats. The very GOOD news is that GOOD (GOD) ALWAYS wins. So maybe this should be a spoiler alert? Your Sins and Mine ends with the whole world coming together... LOVE wins! But the journey into love winning can be terrifying. It's usually the only way a human being will learn. I'm guilty!

[Mariana Antunez · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first book by Caldwell and I must say it was very heavy to read. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who was looking to have a fun reading experience, as it is really far from being fun. The preachy religious theme in this 1955 dystopian novel is mind-numbingly boring and repetitive. Furthermore, terms such as "ration stamps", "hoarding" and "food shortage" brought me so close to our current Venezuelan reality that the rejection to the whole plot was almost immediate. I would have loved for it to have had a more twisted ending or a more interesting plot twist.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something about sci-fi (I have just learned this qualifies as more christian fiction than actual sci-fi so that explains the religion thing...) that really gets me going. Like I'd get sucked in, I was in bad y'all. Everytime I'd pause my reading I'd have to remind myself the Earth is not killing us... yet! Too patriotic and religious but still v good.

[Omid Milanifard · Rating 3 out of 5]

مختصرترین تعریف من از این کتاب: یک رمان آخرالزمانی با زمینه مذهبی..
«در همه جای دنیا زمین از باروری باز مانده بود.. زمین از آدمیان  نفرت داشت. زمینِ خشونت دیده، زمینِ وفادار، زمینِ نجیبی که مورد استثمار بشر قرار گرفته بود، اکنون تصمیم گرفته بود که انسانها باید بمیرند و به همراه آنان هر موجود زنده و بیگناهی هم باید بمیرند.. زمین ما را نفرین کرده بود..»

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came to this book as a non-religious fan of apocalypse scenarios, so I knew I was going to have to muscle through some stuff if I was going to enjoy it. And for the most part I did - there's some good stuff here. And there's some bad stuff. Would've been three stars had the final chapter and epilogue not been so wall-to-wall Yikes.

[Rebecca Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

Of all the end of the earth books being written today, a excellent work of literature written years ago excels and lifts the spirits. Truly a good read.

[Sharon Zink · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible book. Full of improbabilities, cliches, and stereotypes. A novel about the US after a terrifying weed springs up all over the country.

[Judy Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson for 2020, from 1955.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An apocalyptic novel with serious religious undertones. Fairly well done and works just for the storytelling.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the premise and storytelling were over simplistic.

[Marsha Ronquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite author

She was a favorite author in high school when I read MELISSA. I have read many of her books and never read one I did not enjoy.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always enjoy her interpretation of the world.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking. Feels like it's written for today.

[Eleyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not finishing

[Susan Suggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taylor Caldwell is my favorite author. This book does not disappoint. I felt that she was writing about today's world 2017! May God bless us all.

Great book from a great Author. I loved the entire book. There was not nothing to dislike. I would recommend everyone to read this especially Christians.

[Kelsey Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of her before: Taylor Caldwell, an extremely popular bestselling author of mid-20th century America. And what’s more, she often wrote on Christian themes. Where have I been?

I had the opportunity to be introduced to her work when I read Your Sins and Mine, recently re-published as an e-book by Open Road Media (which I received from them in exchange for my honest review). Although the apocalyptic genre is far from my favorite, I was impressed with how “the end of the world” was portrayed in this short novel. It was different from anything else I’ve read or seen.

“The land hated us, the violated land, the faithful land, the exploited and gentle land. The land had decided that we must die, and all innocent living things with us. The land had cursed us. Our wars and our hatred—these had finally sickened the wise earth.”

The narrator, Pete, who farms with his father, George, describes the earth’s gradual, terrifying betrayal of mankind. Various phenomena occur that match the end-times prophecy of Matthew 24 – drought, disease, disasters – punishing man for his evil. Other horrors either resemble Revelation’s prophecies or spring from Caldwell’s imagination. The weeds were particularly interesting . . . but I won’t say anything else, because the uncertainty of what will strike next keeps you turning pages.

Since this book was published in 1955, it is replete with Cold War and Communist concerns. I also wonder if readers of the time saw similarities between the book’s murderous drought and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The Cold War references date the book but are interesting because they provide insight into the fears of 1950s Americans. The rest of what happens on the destructive earth, however, felt close to home to me since I believe in a coming tribulation and judgment caused by mankind’s sin. I really appreciated the message of the book: repentance.

The characters aren’t developed with any great depth, but we know them enough to sympathize and identify with them. Pete, George, and their family and friends go through heart-wrenching times; I hated some of what happened but that did make the book reach deep. They use a lot of mild expletives, so if you’re sensitive to that, be aware. I liked George the best, the sturdy, masterful man of the earth who encouraged people and never lost his faith in God.

In short, Your Sins and Mine can get depressing, but it’s a fast and thought-provoking read.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 5 chapters of this book were almost unbearably scary. I then read some reviews to remind me why I was reading the book and carried on as the book started to get a little lighter.
It is the story of a noxious weed and 'scorpions' that have taken over the world. This has been caused by God as there are no people of faith. The local pastor is more likely to give a lecture on philosophy than a Christian sermon.
After the first few chapters it does get a little easier to read!
I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

[Barbara Tsipouras · Rating 3 out of 5]

A depressing tale about the loss of faith, against the hatred and wars in our world and about the need of repentance.
Although there's hope in the end the feeling after reading this book isn't hopeful. This book shows only God's wrath, not his love.
The sudden repentance of all nations (with Russia as the last of course) is not believable and the communists as those who (of course) start the riots is too stereotypical even if we consider the era the book was first published.

[Sherry Schwabacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very much a book of its time. Originally published in 1955, it identifies wars and godless communism as the reason God is punishing the entire world with drought and heat and infertility. All that is necessary to alleviate the dire situation is for people to confess their unworthiness. "O God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Magic!

[Esteban Martos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro leído hace tiempo en español! Es un buen libro pero Taylor Caldwell relaciona un posible fin del mundo con valores religiosos y en español le pusieron "Por Tus Pecados Y Los mios" cuando me parece que el posible final creo que va más allá de lo que quiere decir Caldwell.