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

[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.