Only by Blood and Suffering: Regaining Lost Freedom

by LaVoy Finicum

Tells of a family's struggle to come together and survive in the midst of national crisis. A stirring, fast-paced novel about what matters most in the face of devastating end-times chaos. Filled with gripping action and relatable characters, readers are drawn into the heart-rending dilemmas each member of the Bonham family faces. You may even find yourself stopping to ask, "What would I do?" LaVoy Finicum is a real life Northern Arizona Rancher who loves nothing more in life than God, freedom, and family. His spine tingling storytelling conveys in graphic detail just how fragile and precious freedom truly is and leaves his readers with an increased desire to stand for freedom

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2015

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apologies in advance for the tl;dr review, but I must vent.

Full disclosure: this is not anywhere near my go-to genre, but certain current events in Oregon made me curious to learn more about what kind of mindset could rationalize that behavior. I had heard that one of those involved in those current events in Oregon had written a book, and since it was offered up as free to borrow via my Kindle Unlimited subscription I thought I'd wade and in see what I'd see. I will probably get gob-smacked for *gasp* daring to read a book that I knew going in wouldn't likely be my cuppa tea, but then again, if I *gasp* criticized a book without reading it, then I'd be gob-smacked by the other camp.

*shrugs*

There's no winning that battle, so I'll just carry on.

The basic plotline is that there's been some kind of nuclear attack on the US. If it was mentioned who the attacking country was, I missed it since I don't recall any mention. Anyhow, events take place mostly in the the four corners region of the US as the children of our 'hero' are caught in the aftermath of the explosion (cars won't run) and know that if they can just get home to the ranch and Dad (with a capital D), everything will be OK.

Since there are no cars running, walking or bicycles seem to be the only way to get around. Those of you familiar with the high desert of the Four Corners region know what kind of a rugged landscape is, and it's winter and snowing to boot - but no worries, these kids are H.E.A.L.T.H.Y. and can handle it all. Plus, any dangerous peeps about and they're loaded to the hilt with firearms, just like Dad (with a capital D) taught them. Oh, and since Dad (with a capital D) was wise and believed in an old prophecy by one of the Mormon gurus, he's been stocking up on food for years and even stashing it in super-secret places all over all the back roads leading to the ranch for the kids to find it on their way through the dangerous high country. And they actually found those caches, despite the heavy snow. For realz.

Kinda spoilerish, but I don't expect my friends to read this book anyway: after the kids get to the ranch and everyone's safe (except Dad's wife who didn't believe in carrying guns, so the baddies knocked her off in the first chapter), there's all kinds of kerfuffles in the community over them having lots of food stashed away and it should be shared with everyone else who wasn't smart enough to stash away. That all leads to a big stand off and our 'hero' packs up his guns and thus ensues some big shoot-em-up. Why he would fire on his neighbors and not negotiate? Dunno, but even worse afterwards our 'hero' is judge, jury and executioner over a female government employee that he resented over the whole thing and ----------->>>>real spoiler---->>>he strung her up on his rope and hung her.

Isn't he special? Not. Now to the writing itself, I'll quote some text and make comments so you can decide for yourself. Sarcasm font is on, folks.

"...like L.A., civil unrest was starting to break out there as well. To avoid that, I had chosen to take I-40 and circle around through Flagstaff. From there I would go north staying on Highway 89 which passed through Page, crossing the Colorado River at the Glen Canyon Dam. From Page, the ranch was less than an hour and a half away.

First person narrative 101 as taught by EL James, and that's not a compliment. And there's even a footnote somewhere to tell the ignorant reader that most places in the book really exist. Like the Grand Canyon. Good to know that's a real place (sarcasm font is on folks).

Beneath my camo jacket I had on my tactical vest. The right side of the vest had six 30-round magazines for my AR. The left side had my 45 Sig Saur auto with two extra magazines above it. Along with my 45 auto, I still had my 44-40 Colt revolver strapped to my hip. I had been unable to part with it and the weight of it resting on my thigh was comforting.

TMI. Oh and did I mention that anytime any new weapon is introduced to the story there's a footnote taking to the reader for more unnecessary detail on said weapon? And there's a whole bunch of weapons in this short book. Oh, and did I mention a lot of other footnotes stating 'facts' - with no backup documentation - just the author's word that those are facts. And then there was a footnote to tell we stupid readers what loaded for bear means.

Now a sample of the oh-so-heavy-handed rhetoric that litters the pages.

What fools in Washington thought that by unilaterally disarming ourselves it would make the rest of the world like us more? There were actual fools in Washington but there were also traitors. Traitors that knew this would happen. They would not be the ones caught by surprise.

"I used to take pride in the Eagle Badge I had earned. Now I wouldn’t want anyone to know that I had been a Scout. The Boy Scout organization had violated their own Scout oath; their oath to be morally straight.

The ideal of Americanism had been twisted so as to become a mirror opposite.

I have lots more, but that's enough I think to get the point across what to expect in this book. Lastly, back to current event in Oregon, I couldn't resist highlighting a few sentences that I would call pot-meet-kettle. You be the judge.

"Living and breathing was just another way of saying, “Words mean whatever we want them to mean.”

"It was a hard and fast line in his world. If you did not earn it, if you did not pay for it, if it was not given to you, it wasn’t yours."

“We should be free to make stupid choices if we want and then be allowed to experience the full weight of those choices."

Amen to that, people who make a dumb choice should pay the consequences.

[Arianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in two days and then read it again a few months later. I cried and I laughed and I couldn't get enough. It's the kind of book you won't want to put down because you simply NEED to know what is going to happen next. Not only was it very entertaining, but it kept me thinking long after I was finished with the book. I often find myself wondering what I might do if and when disaster strikes close to home. A great book through and through!

[Thara Tenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book impresses upon the mind the consequences that are byproduct of collectivism, socialism and individualism when faced with crisis. My dad did a fantastic job in creating the frame work for the reader to become emotionally connected to the characters in the story. The book is hard to put down and is an effective teaching tool. I plan to use this book in many settings to aid in my effort to teach the principles of natural rights as well as the consequences associated with collectivism, socialism and individualism.

[La'naie Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best book I've read

For a first time writer, this book grabs you by the guts. As late bloomer ranchers, though we've always been " country", this hit closer to home than any I've read. We watch helplessly as our freedoms are taken from us daily. We plan, we prepare and we hope. It's not a matter of if,but of when. This is not just a story, but a teaching book and I sincerely hope not the authors only one. I enjoyed it immensely, THANK YOU......

[Roger C. Sellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need a lot more men like Jake in America now. We are not far from the SHTF.

SaVoy Finicum is today having his own fight with our BLM. He might be needing good men to stand beside him soon. The book is great. I wanted to read more when it ended.

[Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Stars! I didn't even know this was a novel when I decided to buy it. I am familiar with LaVoy Finicum and his story and also have lived, not exactly where it takes place, but in the west on a ranch near a small town. This is a fiction story of such a place, and an incredible writing for a first time author. His love of country, patriotism, and Christian faith come through because the Bonham (may not be spelling that right as I loaned my book to my son) family history and lifestyle are based on these ideals. It is a book about many things, but one of them is a deep commitment to family. The characters actually come alive and the reader cares about them and there are many times I questioned myself about what would I do in this situation.

This is, I suppose, an espionage story like my son likes to read and tells me about, but with one big difference. It takes place, not in a city, but on a ranch with the hero being the head of the family, Jake Bonham. Jake loves his wife but she has a career and years previously decided she could not live on the ranch so she and their oldest daughter are living over 200 miles south in a city. His son is married with a toddler and a baby and making a good living in California with computers. The youngest, twin daughters, are in college a couple of hundred of miles to the north.

Jake is a wise man and he knew some day a terrible thing was going to happen. So he spent the time he raised his children preparing them as much as he could. When it does happen, it is winter and it is going to be an incredible terrible journey for them all to make to back to the ranch and relative safety.

About the first third of the book is somewhat an adventure story. The world has stopped - nothing electronic works. No cars, no phones, no TV or radio. Nothing. There have been nuclear explosions at military installations. So the family in this story head for their home. We follow each of them all headed toward the same destination, but with totally different problems and situations. I could not put it down. There are so many realizations along the way of what one would face in a situation like that. This author really brings his characters to life so you very much care.

The book is sort of a 1984 combined with Atlas Shrugged taking place in a western setting. It's a "could this happen?" kind of story. It is post apocalypse taking place not way in the future but maybe tomorrow, maybe next month or year but definitely now. The setting is contemporary, there has been a big gun buy back by the government and evil has taken over leadership of the country. It all makes a very scary kind of sense.

There is definitely portrayal of the difference in how people with different political philosophies handle disaster. The writing had me in tears a few times and so tense I could not have put it down at others. I was disgusted with and shocked at the evil of some people who seek power. I was saddened at what deprivation did to some people who are weak and cheered by the ones who rose up and did the right things.

I read the first part in a day and then put it down for two. When I picked it up again it was even more tense and I did not put it down until I finished. My son started it the evening I loaned it to him and finished it that night. Well worth the read. It was the author's first and last book which is very sad, but if you read it you will not forget the story he wrote.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book didn't deserve any stars.

I have to admit I “read” (by read I mean skimmed after the first few chapters)"Only by Blood and Suffering" because of Lavoy Finicum’s involvement with the militia group that recently occupied a wildlife refuge in Oregon. Now I don’t want to speak poorly of the dead—by all measures Finicum was in desperate need of psychiatric intervention—but this book is terrible, on every level. It is full of bad ideas and bad writing—it’s interesting how the two go together—and for a book that claims to be a page turner, it’s downright boring. As an editor I consider it my duty to give a piece of writing the benefit of the doubt, and I’m more than happy to expose myself to politics and ideas that are loathsome; however "Only by Blood" doesn’t give the sophisticated reader anything to cling to except a prose style that is equally heavy-handed, superficial, sentimental, stiff, and cliché-ridden—perhaps pointing to the author’s, and to that of his brothers in arms, aggrieved sense of entitlement and threatened male white privilege.

Without giving too much away, plotwise, "Only by Blood" follows a pretty standard post-apocalyptic survival narrative. Here, guns and violence are fetishized in the service of a white Christian patriarchal world-view. You know what I mean: government bad/rugged (preferably white and male) individualist good; Christians good/Muslims bad; capitalism good/socialism bad—ad nauseam. Indeed, "Only by Blood" reads like the wish fulfillment of a quasi-literate right-wing lunatic—with footnotes at the end of each chapter, so we get the get the sense that Mr. Finicum means business! Save yourself the seven bucks. As fiction, it’s total shite—I was hoping it would become one of those “so bad it’s good” type books, a guilty pleasure, but no.

At the same time, however, I think it’s unwise to characterize books like "Only by Blood" as merely laughable and amateurish attempts at writing by bitter old white men. Indeed these books (what’s the sub-genre here—post apocalyptic Christian fiction?) provide valuable insight into the psychology of Finicum and his fellow militiamen—and it ain’t pretty. These people are primarily ignorant racists with a predilection for violence who do not give a damn about the commons—hence their contempt for federal oversight of public land. Their understanding of the U.S. constitution is both shallow and selective—they must have forgotten to read the bit about federal control of public land. Indeed their fetishistic take on the constitution—apparently all militiamen carry around a pocket-sized version of the constitution so they can point out how, exactly, they’re being oppressed—bears a strong resemblance to radical Islam’s reverence for the Koran, an equally bastardized and willfully misinterpreted document.

I would never deny Mr. Finicum and his kind the right to express themselves creatively—everybody needs a hobby, right? But how anyone could take this “novel” seriously escapes my understanding. The characters are one-dimensional, the narrative arc is facile, the values expressed are those of angry white men "clinging to their guns and their religion.”If anything, post-apocalyptic fiction is supposed to be fun. "Only by Blood" just comes across as trying to make a point--an overwrought, paranoid, and ham-fisted point. In a book shot through with cliches and not having anything to work with other than the typical grievances of the "oppressed white male"--surely the most oppressed group the world has ever known (put on your irony detectors folks)--Finicum just comes across as a bitter right-wing crank with a huge axe to grind, the biggest cliche going. Where’s the fun in that?

You have been warned.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not familiar with this book, but it was given to me as a gift. Post-apocalyptic is one of my favorite genres and this really gripped me in the beginning. As the story progressed though there were aspects of it that bugged me.

First off it's one of those books that have to mention the name brands of gear and guns. I'm not into what kind of scope the main character has on his or her weapon or how many rounds in the magazine or chamber of said weapon. Some of the paragraphs did provide good laughter though as I shared them with my family. :)

The so called "perfection" of the main character and his family also really got on my nerves. Not only were they strong and beautiful, but they were ultra prepared for any emergency and well trained in any skill that they may need. Then when the daughters had to kill someone it was like they were professional soldiers. I'm not buying that a 19 year old girl who shoots someone for the first time is not going to have any mental repercussions because of it, unless she was raised to be totally non-feeling.

I understand what the author was trying to get across and I agree with some of what he was saying, but his lack of writing skills made his ideas come across as preachy. I don't know a lot about the situation surrounding the author's death, though I remember hearing about it. I guess I should read up on it more. The author did have passion about what he believed whether he went about it the wrong way or not.

[Donald Scoby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best I have read in a long time.

Mr. Minimum is spot on with what is happening in our country, it's only a matter of time until the wheels come of the bus. Be prepared for what's coming.

[Carroll Kingry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story Line

Such a refreshing change from the other post apocalypse books. Love the subtitle Bible references, and the morals that this family practiced. Thank You.

[Sundance Seay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rest in peace LaVoy.

A helluva good story written by a real cowboy and real believer in freedom. A life taken from us too soon . Rest in peace Sir.

[Vicki Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved it.

My husband and I read this book together and really enjoyed it. It is a fast read, mainly because we couldn't put it down for long. It tells the story of a man who had been raised with the belief that freedom was something everyone had a right to and nobody had the right to take it away.
It is unfortunate that so many people in this country now believe that, as Jake points out in his story, what's theirs is theirs and what's yours is also theirs.
The premise Mr. Finicum puts forth here is right on the horizon... most are either too blind to see or too afraid to accept it. Either way, they aren't prepared or willing to prepare.
We read some of the one-star reviews... a lot of angry, vicious comments there. These are some of the very people who will be out there doing the stealing, raping, and killing of their neighbors when the proverbial offal hits the spinning blades.
May God have mercy on both the prepared and unprepared at that day. It will be a time such as the world has never seen, a war between the gods... the god of Hell and the God of Heaven. Now might be a good time to choose sides, before that day comes.
We recommend this book to all freedom-loving people... buy some and distribute them to your family and friends... we truly believe this is a pretty accurate description of the future...

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

An end of times (as you know it) tale which included a lot of blood and suffering. Might shift your paradigm. As a tale of what could happen in the future, I had difficulty swallowing some of the characters' choices, but it did make me wonder what I would do in the same circumstance. One thing is for sure, I wouldn't have lasted as long as the "Old Cowboy", and I'm not prepared to face what their family did. What will you do in the defense of liberty and family?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it and it kept my interest. Since I moved to Kanab 10 years ago from Houston, Texas I now keep food storage and have a go bag. I don't have guns but might have to rethink after reading about laws that have passed regarding being forced to give up your food for the greater good. Everyone needs to prepare and stop counting on the government to save them. I didn't agree with one shooting in the book but thought the rest was pretty darn interesting,

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great prepper/disaster novel, in some ways better than many others I've read. It was both entertaining and thought-provoking. There were great footnotes explaining various terms and issues. It was very realistic and humane in describing what happened. Highly recommended for those who enjoy this type of book.

[Jana]

Reading this is my way of showing I respect the authors intentions if not his methods in his final days. Really enjoyed this what if type book and the general reminders of preparedness, the importance of freedom, and value of family.

[Kathy Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to have your eyes opened as to what could possibly happen to this country and our potentialloss of freedom and civil liberties, read this book. It resonates well with those that live in Utah and Arizona as that is where the story is located.

[Alan Rennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring book

The story was well told, and enjoyed reading it. It was a book that held your interest from the time you picked it up.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book, it was hard to put down. It gives the reader a lot to think about with the things to come in the near future of our country.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ayn Rand meets Louis L'Amour, they take acid and... This is a deep look into a disturbed mind. The bad news is there are a lot of people that align with this paranoid delusional view of the world, and consider this a book that has some attachment to reality. Some of them are my neighbors.

But, I have to admit, the writing and story is much, MUCH better than I expected. More Louis L'Amour, less Ayn Rand. Yes, pretty much all the side characters are caricatures. The only characters that are filled out as actual human beings are the hero and the hero's family, but this makes sense, as the hero is a thinly disguised fantasy of the author. Anyone with a different political view is either evil, clueless or both in the book; but is that not also a characteristic of this "movement" in the real world? Oh, and of course, that means me. I'm evil and clueless.

There is, of course, a lot of preaching, although I think Finicum keeps this pretty much under control until the end. The story does a good job of Show not Tell, until the end. Surely Finicum meant this as a portrait of how the world actually is, and many of the five-star reviews appreciate that Finicum "tells it like it is". Certainly people who perceive the world as portrayed here are making the rational decision that buying a bunch of guns and a pile of ammo, building bunkers and fighting the government and libtards at every turn is the right thing to do. I am glad I do not live in that world.

The story sprawls across northern Arizona and southern Utah, areas I am intimately familiar with. It was cool to have the story cross my back yard, and most of the 'local color' was accurate. When reading, I was a bit put out by the numerous inaccuracies that locals like me can see, but on reflection, yeah, this is a work of fiction and some alterations to the landscape to get the story line to work are part of how fiction works.

Worth reading? Well, yeah. I'm glad I read it. It *IS* disturbing, looking into this paranoid delusional view of our modern world. I've read a lot of Science Fiction, dystopian fiction, but usually these books are written to exaggerate and explore aspects of our society, understanding that these are an exaggeration. I don't think Finicum considers this an exaggeration, much. And even crazy, there are lots of people who don't think it is much of an exaggeration. THAT is disturbing.

[Ryviera Shayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't know LaVoy's story you need to know. And when you read his book, you will have a much greater appreciation for this book because of his story (which is included at the end). If you want to know just the basics of what could happen in your small town in the event of an EMP - or anything -
this is a very real life possibility and EVERYONE would be wise to read this book just to get a hint of what this world could become in a major catastrophe. Sweetly and lovingly written but with all the important details included, you will love or hate it. But either way, you'd be wise to understand what it's trying to tell you. Because the day will come...

[Ian Denner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is definitely one of the best SHTF stories I've read this year. During a time when I became worried that there was no new original stories out there, this one is like a fresh breeze. I can definitely recommend this book to all lovers of the genre.

[Sequoyah Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness this is an eye opening book!! If you are concerned for America and where the country is heading you need to read this book.

Written in novel form the author shares his view of where America is headed. Follow the story and think about the reality of it compared to where we are now.

[Deseret Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book, i love how it talks about freedom, and tells what will happen in the future. I believe this book will wake up lots of people to the truth.

[Caroline Gerardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book earlier and couldn't get through it. News of release of the Bundys in the bird sanctuary case pushed me to finish it. There's a haunting quality about a story written as fiction to highlight a cause, but we all write from a place where our time and our lives do become our writing. An apocalyptic story not far from what could happen.
I myself owned cattle land in Wyoming and live off the grid on a ranch in California, my perspective is jaded. I'm familiar with the Hammonds. I want to get to the center of the acorn of this story. They leased land from BLM as well as owned land. Ranchers use fire to control noxious invasive weeds, as ways to rejuvenate healthy soil, as back fires to stop imminent danger and burn waste. Permission is required. Federal employees take it upon themselves to act in what I mildly describe as taunting machismo towards ranchers. Its a long history of ours and their's. I didn't mention that the west is suffering devastating drought, and if you read news reports wildfires are a year round threat. Firefighters are injured and die protecting houses and those of us who live in rural or adjacent to open landscape. Firefighters become silent sacrificial heroes The Hammonds didn't ask nor are part of the Bundy protest, the Bundys saw their prison terms as a symbol to rally upon. Uncover layers of the story... Federal agents stayed back, not wanting a newsworthy massacre; but with Bundy massive fire power and as time went on neighbors called for an end to the stand off. Finicum was likely "murdered" in the capture - information is clouded; the FBI has video of the action which is not available. Other peel away is the site of the protest is a Bird sanctuary - where species depend to survive Bundys want the Federal Government to give possession back to the state, but I'm not sure the State of Oregon is better suited to conserving the natural aspects for avian survival, maybe Audubon society is but that's another issue. Okay long winded not back the book, more about back story. The book has been lightly re-edited and publisher claims to send proceeds to Finicum's family, I hope this is true but I wonder. I gave the book 3 stars not because it is a great piece of literature, it is not well written, but the allegory is timely, the message is from his heart. I'm a sucker for a love story.

[Toni L. Lorenzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an Excellent book!

I've read several of these types of books, but this is by far the best. Very well written. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to prevail when times get tough.
I LOVED this book! Great Christian story. I hope this author writes more!

[Dianne Doggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific yarn

I do love a cowboy! A combination of EMP and a great western blending into a gripping tale of family love and bravery.

[Lisa Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storyline!

Wow!! Amazing story and what a finish! Enjoyed the footnotes too. You'll enjoy this excellent story with realistic true characters.

[Jessica Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freedom is not free Life is not fair

Great read all should think about what they truly Love
Mr Fiinnicum has paid the price and showed us Love

[Charity Wight · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye opening book. Very well written! could not put the book down.