Tough

by Emily Steiner

At church, mistrust and poor communication have created suspicion and resentment, reducing brotherhood to an exhausted, uneasy coexistence. As both schoolteacher and deacon's daughter, Kaylene finds herself caught in the middle - disillusioned by church life, wounded by friendships grown cold, and wary of being hurt again. Now political strife threatens to explode into full-blown war, stressing her fractured church in ways they are ill prepared for. Will frayed relationships disintegrate under the strain, or is brotherly love tough enough to survive the unthinkable?

Though it is set in a fictional future, Tough is both timely and practical, a sober reminder that the peace we as American Mennonites take for granted may not last forever, and a gripping tale of turmoil, resilience, and redemption.

334 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturbingly realistic, scarily prophetic. The kind of book that hits way too close to home and normally I don't read because it makes me think too hard about stuff I try not to think about because it scares me but should think about...I read this entire book in one sitting and sacrificed some precious sleep time for it and gave it 5 stars...so...
This book is a fictional account of a young adult woman and her family who live during a day and age just like now. They were having major church challenges already and then a war started between the US and Canada. This book is how their church and family handled that, fleeing/scattering from the state and then eventually regrouping and starting a volunteer based food relief project. Obviously fictional but meant as a realistic example of how it may be for us someday. Very challenging and inspiring and so well written...I may have felt like crying multiple times while reading this book.

[Crysti Is A Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy that this book is written in a fictional future, that part made me a little fearful. But, the faith in this book!!!! That was so well written, the way that Emily Steiner points the reader to Jesus, and that we can turn to Him and trust Him no matter what is happening was truly beautiful!!

[Rebecca Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought I wasn't going to like this book. Too full of things that made me feel like being afraid. But by the end of it, I had cried with the characters and discovered, with them, that there is a love stronger than war, and that with God, there is always a way forward.

I have often feared war, but somehow this book, set in a world like mine, helped me to see how it doesn't work to be afraid, and that only in the moment of the crisis will God give the courage and wisdom for such circumstances.