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The Devil in Pew Number Seven
Rebecca never felt safe as a child. In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him--with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca's father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family's kitchen . . . And Rebecca's life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family's faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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August 20, 2015
Sometimes an author has a good story that would have worked well in <10,000 words. This is one of those stories.
Alonzo gives a personal account of a nasty man in a tiny NC town who tried to (literally) bomb her family into leaving the church where her dad was a pastor. The story itself -- in short form -- is pretty gripping. The author uses her personal experience to appeal to others to forgive those who have wronged them. I appreciate the "heart" of the book very much, but it suffers from glaring problems.
The story is so long-winded and poorly written that I found myself skipping huge swaths of text just to move on to the next point. If you've ever read an essay by a young student who's trying to stretch a too-small story to fit a long assignment, you have read this book. The writing style combines folksy metaphor with artless "foreshadowing" and burdensome repetition. The sentimentality of the story-telling got nauseating after a while. But to be fair, I did stick with the book long enough to find out what happened to the family. It's not the story that I have a problem with, it's the telling.
In short, this tale would have formed the basis of an excellent article in Christianity Today on the subject of forgiveness. As a book, it's a horrible example of nonfiction writing.
Alonzo gives a personal account of a nasty man in a tiny NC town who tried to (literally) bomb her family into leaving the church where her dad was a pastor. The story itself -- in short form -- is pretty gripping. The author uses her personal experience to appeal to others to forgive those who have wronged them. I appreciate the "heart" of the book very much, but it suffers from glaring problems.
The story is so long-winded and poorly written that I found myself skipping huge swaths of text just to move on to the next point. If you've ever read an essay by a young student who's trying to stretch a too-small story to fit a long assignment, you have read this book. The writing style combines folksy metaphor with artless "foreshadowing" and burdensome repetition. The sentimentality of the story-telling got nauseating after a while. But to be fair, I did stick with the book long enough to find out what happened to the family. It's not the story that I have a problem with, it's the telling.
In short, this tale would have formed the basis of an excellent article in Christianity Today on the subject of forgiveness. As a book, it's a horrible example of nonfiction writing.
September 24, 2012
I WANTED to like this book. The story itself is genuinely interesting: a pastor and his young family move to a church in a small town and are terrorized by a crazed community member who didn't like their brand of Jesus. A TRUE story involving bribery, harassment, tire slashings, shootings, murder attempts, and bombings, oh my!
The narrator, however, ruins the entire story. Perhaps it was ruined because I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author. For at least half the book, the author sounds on the verge of tears, which after the first several hours is just friggin irritating. The other half is spent in screechy exultation of whoever is being glorified at the moment. Told by the pastor's oldest daughter, the story is ruined by the syrupy-sweet hero worship and brain-washed Bible-thumping that invades every other sentence. The author can't add a single detail without adding a "glorious power of Jesus" or "Lord's sweet loving mercy." Her "Mama" and "Daddy" (the way they are referred to for the entirety of the book, despite the narrator being nearly 40) are described as the world's most perfect parents to a ridiculous degree.
For example, when the author is 7, she makes mud pies on the seats of the church bus. Her "Daddy" catches her and her "Mama" gives her a good scrubbing to get the mud off. Typical childhood story, right? Nope. The story is pages long, devoted to praising her parents for not loving her any less for doing it. Seriously? In what universe would it be normal for parents to love their 7 year old less because she made a mess? That doesn't make them divine, or Christ-like, or saintly. It just makes them parents of a small child. Nevertheless, the entire book is told in excruciating, glorifying detail as if every mundane event were evidence of her parents' perfection.
The whole book is filled with this suffocating sentimentalism that, halfway through the second chapter, had me wishing that the family's house would just blow up already to put an end to the whole business. Unfortunately, the family's torture lasted for more than 7 years, meaning the reader's torture will continue for many nauseating chapters. Yes, the STORY is heart-wrenching and tragic. But the BOOK is a nightmare of intolerably poor writing that should have been scrubbed by at least 38 more editors before being considered by publishers.
Furthermore, the entire book is an infuriating description of poor parenting and the stupidity that results when faith overcomes logic. Your house is blown up? What do you do? Stay because Jesus told you? That makes sense. Blown up again? Shot at? Blown up again? Again and again until you've been bombed TEN TIMES, had your child's bedroom shot at while she slept, had your tires slashed, had your dog killed, spent years sleeping with an armed guarded on your property due to constant threat... Listen, what exactly did these people THINK was going to happen? Seems to me Jesus wasn't testing their resolve; he was sending them "WARNING! GTFO NOW!" signs that they should have heeded years ago.
If you can find a Cliff Note's version of this, the plot is interesting and worth skimming. But the hysterical tone, the religiously inspired stupidity, and the narrator's incessant apotheosis will ruin the story for anyone except maybe a bored Freudian.
The narrator, however, ruins the entire story. Perhaps it was ruined because I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author. For at least half the book, the author sounds on the verge of tears, which after the first several hours is just friggin irritating. The other half is spent in screechy exultation of whoever is being glorified at the moment. Told by the pastor's oldest daughter, the story is ruined by the syrupy-sweet hero worship and brain-washed Bible-thumping that invades every other sentence. The author can't add a single detail without adding a "glorious power of Jesus" or "Lord's sweet loving mercy." Her "Mama" and "Daddy" (the way they are referred to for the entirety of the book, despite the narrator being nearly 40) are described as the world's most perfect parents to a ridiculous degree.
For example, when the author is 7, she makes mud pies on the seats of the church bus. Her "Daddy" catches her and her "Mama" gives her a good scrubbing to get the mud off. Typical childhood story, right? Nope. The story is pages long, devoted to praising her parents for not loving her any less for doing it. Seriously? In what universe would it be normal for parents to love their 7 year old less because she made a mess? That doesn't make them divine, or Christ-like, or saintly. It just makes them parents of a small child. Nevertheless, the entire book is told in excruciating, glorifying detail as if every mundane event were evidence of her parents' perfection.
The whole book is filled with this suffocating sentimentalism that, halfway through the second chapter, had me wishing that the family's house would just blow up already to put an end to the whole business. Unfortunately, the family's torture lasted for more than 7 years, meaning the reader's torture will continue for many nauseating chapters. Yes, the STORY is heart-wrenching and tragic. But the BOOK is a nightmare of intolerably poor writing that should have been scrubbed by at least 38 more editors before being considered by publishers.
Furthermore, the entire book is an infuriating description of poor parenting and the stupidity that results when faith overcomes logic. Your house is blown up? What do you do? Stay because Jesus told you? That makes sense. Blown up again? Shot at? Blown up again? Again and again until you've been bombed TEN TIMES, had your child's bedroom shot at while she slept, had your tires slashed, had your dog killed, spent years sleeping with an armed guarded on your property due to constant threat... Listen, what exactly did these people THINK was going to happen? Seems to me Jesus wasn't testing their resolve; he was sending them "WARNING! GTFO NOW!" signs that they should have heeded years ago.
If you can find a Cliff Note's version of this, the plot is interesting and worth skimming. But the hysterical tone, the religiously inspired stupidity, and the narrator's incessant apotheosis will ruin the story for anyone except maybe a bored Freudian.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2011
Few books have touched me like this one. If I had to summarize it in two words, it would be ‘Forgiveness personified.’
The book begins by Rebecca telling her story. In a short time her life went from being a daughter of a happy country preacher, to a living hell when a power hungry man realizes he can’t rule the young preacher and decides it’s time for him to go. The preacher is determined not to be driven away by the vindictive man, but to serve the congregation he loves and tough it out. The man in row seven is relentless and steps up the campaign of persecution.
I’m not going to give away many details since it would detract from the book, but I have to say that the story is compelling and impossible to put down. It begins with a ring side seat, but by the midpoint of the book, you’re no longer an observer, but part of the family. At times the story becomes almost too painful to bear. I found myself asking, “How can she write in such an upbeat tone while expressing such great loss and pain at the hands of another person?” It would be a while before I found the answer to this question.
At one point I was tempted to put the book down because of the personal pain she shared. Not many things can affect me this way, but I found myself asking, how can it get any worse? What is the point of sharing this series of tragedies? Why should any family have to endure this?
Then Rebecca turns the corner at the end of the book. When she encounters the man who caused so much harm, Rebecca is faced with the challenge of forgiveness. Having the example of her father’s forgiveness in the face of such persecution set the example, but now she had to learn to do this in her own life.
In the final pages I found myself saying that enduring the pain of reading her story was worth it. While the hand of providence didn’t erase the pain, God’s work certainly made it clear that it was all worth it and served a purpose. As the reader, I experienced a glimpse of the pain and triumph of the lifetime of struggle this family endured. Because of that glimpse, I see the confidence the believer has when they remain faithful and trust the Lord to reveal the power of life-changing forgiveness. Both in the lives of the forgiven as well as the forgiver are changed.
Though this is a tough read, I believe every person should read this book. It’s a story of living faith and forgiveness personified. It truly shows how forgiveness is possible and that there is no situation that justifies dismissing the command to forgive.
I was so moved by the joy of redemption at the end that it made the difficulties of the story worth the endurance. And this is for me as a mere reader. How much more true is that for the author who actually lived this story?
I highly recommend this book!
July 6, 2019
This story has multiple levels to it that all lead to the murder of a preacher's wife, attempted murder of the preacher, and the children who live through the aftermath of witnessing all this.
In the beginning, we're introduced to the couple who would fall in love, start a family, and who see their mission in life as helping revive people's faith in God. Unfortunately, for them this led them to a town where a man couldn't stand losing power. This man named Mr. Watts terrorized this family in order to get them to leave town. The couple, who I do respect for being true to their calling, refused to leave the town as they felt they needed them and God. It bothers me that the parents didn't move their kids away from this man who literally set multiple bombs around the church and preacher's home. If I had kids I wouldn't let this clearly mentally disturbed Mr. Watts near my family. In the end, he didn't need to be near this family to wreck havoc on their lives. It's terrifying how Mr. Watts was able to talk to a man afraid of losing his wife and telling him that all will be well if he gets rid of the preacher and his family AND the man actually does it.
This is a tragic and interesting true life story but the writing lacked some unity for me. Mrs. Nichols Alonzo shares her family's story in detail but it's not vivid enough. I'm not sure if Mr. DeMoss watered down the details or if it was too sensitive a subject for Mrs. Nichols Alonzo to fully share. That being said, I respect the tameness as I'm not sure how I'd feel about sharing the biggest tragedy of my life in a book for all to read. Still this book was just okay for me. The writing mixed with the not so great narration of Mrs. Pam Ward just made me lose some interest in the book. Mrs. Ward's voice had an accent that fit where the story takes place but it made me lose focus due to her monotone reading.
In the beginning, we're introduced to the couple who would fall in love, start a family, and who see their mission in life as helping revive people's faith in God. Unfortunately, for them this led them to a town where a man couldn't stand losing power. This man named Mr. Watts terrorized this family in order to get them to leave town. The couple, who I do respect for being true to their calling, refused to leave the town as they felt they needed them and God. It bothers me that the parents didn't move their kids away from this man who literally set multiple bombs around the church and preacher's home. If I had kids I wouldn't let this clearly mentally disturbed Mr. Watts near my family. In the end, he didn't need to be near this family to wreck havoc on their lives. It's terrifying how Mr. Watts was able to talk to a man afraid of losing his wife and telling him that all will be well if he gets rid of the preacher and his family AND the man actually does it.
This is a tragic and interesting true life story but the writing lacked some unity for me. Mrs. Nichols Alonzo shares her family's story in detail but it's not vivid enough. I'm not sure if Mr. DeMoss watered down the details or if it was too sensitive a subject for Mrs. Nichols Alonzo to fully share. That being said, I respect the tameness as I'm not sure how I'd feel about sharing the biggest tragedy of my life in a book for all to read. Still this book was just okay for me. The writing mixed with the not so great narration of Mrs. Pam Ward just made me lose some interest in the book. Mrs. Ward's voice had an accent that fit where the story takes place but it made me lose focus due to her monotone reading.
April 22, 2011
The Devil in Pew Number Seven isn’t your typical true crime story. It is a story about the power of forgiveness.
Back cover blurb:
Rebecca never felt safe as a child. In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him—with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca’s father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family’s kitchen . . . and Rebecca’s life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family’s faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness.
WOW! What a phenomenal story of faith and forgiveness. From page one I was entranced by this very real, very true story. I rejoiced in the triumphs, I sat on the edge of my seat during the chilling terror, I cried through the heartache, and I sobbed through the ending.
Rebecca Nichols Alonzo takes us deep into the lives of her family. Growing up as a pastor’s daughter, Rebecca learned from the crib God’s love and faithfulness, even during times of shear terror.
In a world where an eye for eye holds precidence, Rebecca’s father lived out the Biblical adage, ”turn the other cheek”. The Nichols instilled their love for God and their neighbor into their children, bringing about one of the most powerful testimonies I’ve ever heard.
Rebecca is truly living out Esther 4:14, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Rebecca’s testimony, just as was her father’s ministry, is for such a time as this. No matter what sort of pain you’ve expereinced, whether from a cutting remark or from child abuse and everything in between, The Devil in Pew Number Seven is a must read!
Back cover blurb:
Rebecca never felt safe as a child. In 1969, her father, Robert Nichols, moved to Sellerstown, North Carolina, to serve as a pastor. There he found a small community eager to welcome him—with one exception. Glaring at him from pew number seven was a man obsessed with controlling the church. Determined to get rid of anyone who stood in his way, he unleashed a plan of terror that was more devastating and violent than the Nichols family could have ever imagined. Refusing to be driven away by acts of intimidation, Rebecca’s father stood his ground until one night when an armed man walked into the family’s kitchen . . . and Rebecca’s life was shattered. If anyone had a reason to harbor hatred and seek personal revenge, it would be Rebecca. Yet The Devil in Pew Number Seven tells a different story. It is the amazing true saga of relentless persecution, one family’s faith and courage in the face of it, and a daughter whose parents taught her the power of forgiveness.
WOW! What a phenomenal story of faith and forgiveness. From page one I was entranced by this very real, very true story. I rejoiced in the triumphs, I sat on the edge of my seat during the chilling terror, I cried through the heartache, and I sobbed through the ending.
Rebecca Nichols Alonzo takes us deep into the lives of her family. Growing up as a pastor’s daughter, Rebecca learned from the crib God’s love and faithfulness, even during times of shear terror.
In a world where an eye for eye holds precidence, Rebecca’s father lived out the Biblical adage, ”turn the other cheek”. The Nichols instilled their love for God and their neighbor into their children, bringing about one of the most powerful testimonies I’ve ever heard.
Rebecca is truly living out Esther 4:14, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
Rebecca’s testimony, just as was her father’s ministry, is for such a time as this. No matter what sort of pain you’ve expereinced, whether from a cutting remark or from child abuse and everything in between, The Devil in Pew Number Seven is a must read!
July 6, 2019
This story has multiple levels to it that all lead to the murder of a preacher's wife, attempted murder of the preacher, and the children who live through the aftermath of witnessing all this.
In the beginning, we're introduced to the couple who would fall in love, start a family, and who see their mission in life as helping revive people's faith in God. Unfortunately, for them this led them to a town where a man couldn't stand losing power. This man named Mr. Watts terrorized this family in order to get them to leave town. The couple, who I do respect for being true to their calling, refused to leave the town as they felt they needed them and God. It bothers me that the parents didn't move their kids away from this man who literally set multiple bombs around the church and preacher's home. If I had kids I wouldn't let this clearly mentally disturbed Mr. Watts near my family. In the end, he didn't need to be near this family to wreck havoc on their lives. It's terrifying how Mr. Watts was able to talk to a man afraid of losing his wife and telling him that all will be well if he gets rid of the preacher and his family AND the man actually does it.
This is a tragic and interesting true life story but the writing lacked some unity for me. Mrs. Nichols Alonzo shares her family's story in detail but it's not vivid enough. I'm not sure if Mr. DeMoss watered down the details or if it was too sensitive a subject for Mrs. Nichols Alonzo to fully share. I respect the tameness as I'm not sure how I'd feel about sharing the biggest tragedy of my life in a book for all to read. Still this book was just okay for me. The writing mixed with the not so great narration of Pam Ward just made me lose some interest in the book. Mrs. Ward's voice had an accent that fit where the story takes place but it made me lose focus due to her monotone reading.
In the beginning, we're introduced to the couple who would fall in love, start a family, and who see their mission in life as helping revive people's faith in God. Unfortunately, for them this led them to a town where a man couldn't stand losing power. This man named Mr. Watts terrorized this family in order to get them to leave town. The couple, who I do respect for being true to their calling, refused to leave the town as they felt they needed them and God. It bothers me that the parents didn't move their kids away from this man who literally set multiple bombs around the church and preacher's home. If I had kids I wouldn't let this clearly mentally disturbed Mr. Watts near my family. In the end, he didn't need to be near this family to wreck havoc on their lives. It's terrifying how Mr. Watts was able to talk to a man afraid of losing his wife and telling him that all will be well if he gets rid of the preacher and his family AND the man actually does it.
This is a tragic and interesting true life story but the writing lacked some unity for me. Mrs. Nichols Alonzo shares her family's story in detail but it's not vivid enough. I'm not sure if Mr. DeMoss watered down the details or if it was too sensitive a subject for Mrs. Nichols Alonzo to fully share. I respect the tameness as I'm not sure how I'd feel about sharing the biggest tragedy of my life in a book for all to read. Still this book was just okay for me. The writing mixed with the not so great narration of Pam Ward just made me lose some interest in the book. Mrs. Ward's voice had an accent that fit where the story takes place but it made me lose focus due to her monotone reading.
May 1, 2016
Here is my hard lesson of forgiveness: The book that is wrong, wrong, wrong for me might be right for someone else. I will try to forgive this author her tortured similes if it helps one man in my book group find solace. But I will have to practice this forgiveness anew every day.
And I will not concede on this: When your neighbor shoots through your bedroom window the FIRST time, God wants you to move.
And I will not concede on this: When your neighbor shoots through your bedroom window the FIRST time, God wants you to move.
December 20, 2011
I have really struggled about how to review this book. Although the story was fascinating and deserves to be told, I didn't enjoy the way in which it was put into print.
First of all, the title, "The Devil In Pew Number Seven", is focused mainly on the man who terrorized them while their dad was the pastor of a small town church but the climax of the story had nothing to do with him at all. I kept reading thinking there would be a connection between the two but there was none. They were two totally unrelated although equally as horrifying stories that occured in her childhood. I feel the book should have been titled with something more general about her childhood rather than an inference to a specific person in this case.
Second, there were details in the book that were confusing and/or unrelated to the story. For example, the story of the gas station attendant who shot a customer in the beginning of the book. It was included so I thought this man would reappear in the story somewhere but again, it never happened. Also, the author explains at one point why they decided to move back to their home from the safe, secluded trailer that they were staying in. There had been no attacks while they were there and everyone began to feel safe. She explains that they decided to move back to their home because their mom wanted to entertain during the Christmas season. What?!? If I knew there were bombs blowing up at my house which endangered my children, I would certainly not move them back there so I could do some entertaining! There had to be more to it than that but it was not explained unless I totally missed it.
Also, a few details were left out at the end of the story which would have been nice. Did Mr. Watts ever follow through with the promise of a car for her and Daniel? It stated that she never heard from him again so I assumed they didn't receive the cars but it would have been nice to know.
Would I recommend this book to a friend...yes but with the disclaimer that it was not written as well as it could have been. The way Rebecca went on to forgive Mr. Watts and move on to a life that was still honoring to God is very inspiring and makes the book worth the read.
First of all, the title, "The Devil In Pew Number Seven", is focused mainly on the man who terrorized them while their dad was the pastor of a small town church but the climax of the story had nothing to do with him at all. I kept reading thinking there would be a connection between the two but there was none. They were two totally unrelated although equally as horrifying stories that occured in her childhood. I feel the book should have been titled with something more general about her childhood rather than an inference to a specific person in this case.
Second, there were details in the book that were confusing and/or unrelated to the story. For example, the story of the gas station attendant who shot a customer in the beginning of the book. It was included so I thought this man would reappear in the story somewhere but again, it never happened. Also, the author explains at one point why they decided to move back to their home from the safe, secluded trailer that they were staying in. There had been no attacks while they were there and everyone began to feel safe. She explains that they decided to move back to their home because their mom wanted to entertain during the Christmas season. What?!? If I knew there were bombs blowing up at my house which endangered my children, I would certainly not move them back there so I could do some entertaining! There had to be more to it than that but it was not explained unless I totally missed it.
Also, a few details were left out at the end of the story which would have been nice. Did Mr. Watts ever follow through with the promise of a car for her and Daniel? It stated that she never heard from him again so I assumed they didn't receive the cars but it would have been nice to know.
Would I recommend this book to a friend...yes but with the disclaimer that it was not written as well as it could have been. The way Rebecca went on to forgive Mr. Watts and move on to a life that was still honoring to God is very inspiring and makes the book worth the read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2012
I read this book exactly one week after the terrible tragedy in Newtown, CT, and it served to remind me evil has been targeting children throughout time.
As a parent, I don't agree with the author's parents' decision to continue living in such a mentally and physically threatening environment, but as a reader, I couldn't put this book down.
Rebecca (Becky) shares an unflinching tale I found depressing, frightening, and ultimately inspiring. I applaud the author for giving us an insight into the terrors she endured for years at the hands of a virtual stranger. I also sympathized and could relate to her deep need for her mother and father, and how devastating these losses were for her.
In later chapters, her reasons for forgiveness rang true. We all have people in our lives who hurt us, who wrong us, who we can't help but feel bitter toward. But by forgiving them, we release ourselves. The author makes it clear forgiveness does not always mean letting someone back into our lives. It's a mental state and it's freeing.
As a parent, I don't agree with the author's parents' decision to continue living in such a mentally and physically threatening environment, but as a reader, I couldn't put this book down.
Rebecca (Becky) shares an unflinching tale I found depressing, frightening, and ultimately inspiring. I applaud the author for giving us an insight into the terrors she endured for years at the hands of a virtual stranger. I also sympathized and could relate to her deep need for her mother and father, and how devastating these losses were for her.
In later chapters, her reasons for forgiveness rang true. We all have people in our lives who hurt us, who wrong us, who we can't help but feel bitter toward. But by forgiving them, we release ourselves. The author makes it clear forgiveness does not always mean letting someone back into our lives. It's a mental state and it's freeing.
October 17, 2022
There are always people who want to control the church. And what better way to do it than force the pastor to leave, so that a weaker man might come along next. If it takes threats and violence to do it, some will gladly go the distance to accomplish what they want.
This is the story of how one man terrorized a small-town Southern pastor and his family with guns, bombs, and eventually murder, all while on Sunday the terrorist sits on the back pew disrupting the sermon!
Can such a man be forgiven by the ones he has sinned so vilely against? Read this book and understand the hatred some have for Christ’s church, but also the power of forgiveness.
This is the story of how one man terrorized a small-town Southern pastor and his family with guns, bombs, and eventually murder, all while on Sunday the terrorist sits on the back pew disrupting the sermon!
Can such a man be forgiven by the ones he has sinned so vilely against? Read this book and understand the hatred some have for Christ’s church, but also the power of forgiveness.
January 7, 2011
This book is the true story of a pastor and his family who endured horrific persecution at the hands of one member of their congregation who was determined to control the church. As the author indicates in the foreword, the story often beggars belief. Perhaps more incredible than the events to which the family were subject, is the fact that the author/narrator is able to give the perpetrator of those events.
However, the book is not very well written. One review on Good Reads refers to the "times of poetic, picturesque writing." The problem is that the author (really, Bob DeMoss) seemed to be trying too hard. He liberally sprinkles his prose with metaphors, many of them clumsy, such as this one, "I cannot pretend to imagine the feelings soaring through [my mother's] heart like an eagle caught in an updraft as she cradled all 8 pounds 9 1/2 ounces of me for the first time."
The story also suffers from poor pacing and a tendency to ramble. The thread of the narrative is lost in digressions that are not well-integrated into the story. And though the story is about "the devil in pew number 7," who wages a campaign of terror against the family, setting off dynamite near their house on numerous occasions, he is not the perpetrator of the most traumatic event in the story. In this case, the shooting (which is alluded to in the compelling opening chapter) was perpetrated by a drunk man, angry that this wife had left him and was living with the pastor's family. Perhaps the book needed a new title?
The ending felt a bit rushed and details were omitted. Eventually the "devil," (again, not her mother's murderer) calls to beg forgiveness for the harm he caused the author's family. Amazingly, the author, raised in a home of Christian principles, frankly forgives him. And the devil promises to help the author and her brother through college and to provide cars for them. Yet the author never follows up on whether any of this happened. Though this may not have been important to her in her decision to forgive this man, knowing whether he came through would have given the reader a better sense of whether the "devil" had truly changed. After the phone call, very little is written of this man and the end of his life (he was in his 80s when he asked forgiveness).
The message of the book, however, is inspiring--though it's a shame the author resorted to preaching at the end. I prefer more subtle stories rather than overt preaching (even if I agree with the message).
This is a good story, but you'd do better to read the "Cliffs Notes" version.
However, the book is not very well written. One review on Good Reads refers to the "times of poetic, picturesque writing." The problem is that the author (really, Bob DeMoss) seemed to be trying too hard. He liberally sprinkles his prose with metaphors, many of them clumsy, such as this one, "I cannot pretend to imagine the feelings soaring through [my mother's] heart like an eagle caught in an updraft as she cradled all 8 pounds 9 1/2 ounces of me for the first time."
The story also suffers from poor pacing and a tendency to ramble. The thread of the narrative is lost in digressions that are not well-integrated into the story. And though the story is about "the devil in pew number 7," who wages a campaign of terror against the family, setting off dynamite near their house on numerous occasions, he is not the perpetrator of the most traumatic event in the story. In this case, the shooting (which is alluded to in the compelling opening chapter) was perpetrated by a drunk man, angry that this wife had left him and was living with the pastor's family. Perhaps the book needed a new title?
The ending felt a bit rushed and details were omitted. Eventually the "devil," (again, not her mother's murderer) calls to beg forgiveness for the harm he caused the author's family. Amazingly, the author, raised in a home of Christian principles, frankly forgives him. And the devil promises to help the author and her brother through college and to provide cars for them. Yet the author never follows up on whether any of this happened. Though this may not have been important to her in her decision to forgive this man, knowing whether he came through would have given the reader a better sense of whether the "devil" had truly changed. After the phone call, very little is written of this man and the end of his life (he was in his 80s when he asked forgiveness).
The message of the book, however, is inspiring--though it's a shame the author resorted to preaching at the end. I prefer more subtle stories rather than overt preaching (even if I agree with the message).
This is a good story, but you'd do better to read the "Cliffs Notes" version.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2012
This was a page turner from the get-go! Because I'm a pastor's wife and we've served several churches, the subject matter got my attention immediately, though we never encountered evil personified as Robert Nichols and his family did.
When Mr. Watts, a "pillar of the church," disagrees with the pastor and decides that he's going to run the preacher out, the conflict escalates dramatically with random harassing phone calls, anonymous letters filled with threats, dynamite explosions, gun shots into the car and the house, mockery and more! All the while, Robert Nichols stands firm: he will not leave the church unless God gives him that word. Three years of such behavior ensues. The physical, psychological and emotional strain wears at each family member, with Rebecca (the author) living in constant fear. She sees her parents both verbalize and live out their faith, refusing to harbor hatred or seek revenge, choosing to obey the commands of Christ to "love their enemies."
Victory comes in spite of death, depression, discouragement, anguish, and great loss. This is a true story of a family under incredible persecution who remain faithful and courageous. Rebecca follows in the footsteps of her parents to live out the power of forgiveness.
This was spellbinding!
When Mr. Watts, a "pillar of the church," disagrees with the pastor and decides that he's going to run the preacher out, the conflict escalates dramatically with random harassing phone calls, anonymous letters filled with threats, dynamite explosions, gun shots into the car and the house, mockery and more! All the while, Robert Nichols stands firm: he will not leave the church unless God gives him that word. Three years of such behavior ensues. The physical, psychological and emotional strain wears at each family member, with Rebecca (the author) living in constant fear. She sees her parents both verbalize and live out their faith, refusing to harbor hatred or seek revenge, choosing to obey the commands of Christ to "love their enemies."
Victory comes in spite of death, depression, discouragement, anguish, and great loss. This is a true story of a family under incredible persecution who remain faithful and courageous. Rebecca follows in the footsteps of her parents to live out the power of forgiveness.
This was spellbinding!
November 17, 2012
In the 60s, Robt Nichols moved his family to Sellerstown NC to serve as pastor at a local church. Thins went well for a time and then a wealthy and powerful church member, used to controlling the church and its pastors, began to harass, threaten, and initiate violent attacks on Nichols and his family.
This is a true story by one of the now-grown children ... with a closing moral than because this man finally got saved later in his life in prison that what the family went through was worth it. .... I'm sorry but I could not understand why a husband and wife would allow their children to stay in a place where threats and fear and dynamite bombs and other atrocities became their way of life. ... No one in the church or in the town did anything to stop this man. All our book group agreed we would have all moved our family and children out of this unhealthy environment. Instead they stayed ... the children were traumatized, the mother ended up being murdered, the pastor himself eventually lost his mind. The kids had to be raised by an aunt. ... This was just a book that made me angry. It felt like letting the devil beat up on you and win.
This is a true story by one of the now-grown children ... with a closing moral than because this man finally got saved later in his life in prison that what the family went through was worth it. .... I'm sorry but I could not understand why a husband and wife would allow their children to stay in a place where threats and fear and dynamite bombs and other atrocities became their way of life. ... No one in the church or in the town did anything to stop this man. All our book group agreed we would have all moved our family and children out of this unhealthy environment. Instead they stayed ... the children were traumatized, the mother ended up being murdered, the pastor himself eventually lost his mind. The kids had to be raised by an aunt. ... This was just a book that made me angry. It felt like letting the devil beat up on you and win.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2011
It is difficult to believe this is an actual TRUE story, it reads so much like a thriller, a novel. What this family went through is such a horrible tale, and yet a story of their faith as they continued to trust that they were where God wanted them to be. I was brought to tears several times and Rebecca's story unfolded. It is a story of courage and forgiveness that I could not put down. This was recommended to me by my daughter, Terri. Thank you!
January 6, 2017
I am actually speechless.
Not necessarily because of the writing was phenomenal or anything that I would normally be in awe of regarding a book; but because of this woman's absolutely heartbreaking and incredible testimony and how it shows the true depths of God given forgiveness.
Not necessarily because of the writing was phenomenal or anything that I would normally be in awe of regarding a book; but because of this woman's absolutely heartbreaking and incredible testimony and how it shows the true depths of God given forgiveness.
October 13, 2011
How good is this book? Let me put it this way: I am a slow reader and will usually take a month or more to plow through a book of 263 pages a few pages at time. I received this book in the mail on Tuesday afternoon, and here it is Thursday morning, and I've finished it.
While there were moments when I had to set the book aside, unable to press on because of the horrid nature of what was happening to the author's family and the anger I was feeling toward the perpetrator, for the most part I could not put it down. This is a well-told, fascinating, true story of a pastor and his family who were terrorized (and I can't emphasize enough how strongly that word needs to be understood) by an angry control freak who would go to any lengths to have his way. The author, who was a little girl when the events took place, is the pastor's now-grown-up daughter, Rebecca Nichols Alonzo.
The only thing keeping me from giving this book a 5-star rating is that the writing is sometimes cumbersome. One particular device used is that of telling what something was by over-stressing what it was not. For instance, the family's mid-seventies telephone: "Unlike modern phones, this one didn't have a selection of personalized ringer tones to customize the sound of an incoming call. No playful rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, or Fur Elise. Not even a few bars of a favorite pop tune. The black rotary-dial telephone had a single, raspy voice delivered in one of two volumes: dull loud or loud." This style is used on a number of occasions throughout the book, enough so that it becomes noticeable. In most (if not all) such usages, its usage is entirely unnecessary and comes off looking like an attempt just to fill up space. Another very noticeable flaw in the telling of the story is in something that the reader waits to see a conclusion to, but that conclusion never comes. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say that it involves something Rebecca was to receive after graduating college. We are never told if she did receive it. Whether such flaws are the fault of Rebecca herself, her co-author Bob DeMoss, or an editor at Tyndale, one cannot say, but they do not loom large in the reading of the book. The book remains excellent in spite of the flaws, which only pop up here and there.
This is a story not only of terror, but of the power of God's grace and of the victory that is found in forgiving others. It is a story that captured me and ultimately forced me to examine my own life's scars and hidden-away roots of bitterness. I not only recommend that you read this book; I urge you to do so.
While there were moments when I had to set the book aside, unable to press on because of the horrid nature of what was happening to the author's family and the anger I was feeling toward the perpetrator, for the most part I could not put it down. This is a well-told, fascinating, true story of a pastor and his family who were terrorized (and I can't emphasize enough how strongly that word needs to be understood) by an angry control freak who would go to any lengths to have his way. The author, who was a little girl when the events took place, is the pastor's now-grown-up daughter, Rebecca Nichols Alonzo.
The only thing keeping me from giving this book a 5-star rating is that the writing is sometimes cumbersome. One particular device used is that of telling what something was by over-stressing what it was not. For instance, the family's mid-seventies telephone: "Unlike modern phones, this one didn't have a selection of personalized ringer tones to customize the sound of an incoming call. No playful rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, or Fur Elise. Not even a few bars of a favorite pop tune. The black rotary-dial telephone had a single, raspy voice delivered in one of two volumes: dull loud or loud." This style is used on a number of occasions throughout the book, enough so that it becomes noticeable. In most (if not all) such usages, its usage is entirely unnecessary and comes off looking like an attempt just to fill up space. Another very noticeable flaw in the telling of the story is in something that the reader waits to see a conclusion to, but that conclusion never comes. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say that it involves something Rebecca was to receive after graduating college. We are never told if she did receive it. Whether such flaws are the fault of Rebecca herself, her co-author Bob DeMoss, or an editor at Tyndale, one cannot say, but they do not loom large in the reading of the book. The book remains excellent in spite of the flaws, which only pop up here and there.
This is a story not only of terror, but of the power of God's grace and of the victory that is found in forgiving others. It is a story that captured me and ultimately forced me to examine my own life's scars and hidden-away roots of bitterness. I not only recommend that you read this book; I urge you to do so.
February 5, 2012
If you don't like the preacher at your church, you would switch churches, right? Well, that's not what happened in the case of Mr. Watts. Every Sunday he sat in pew number seven, loudly making noises and disrupting services. When his threats to the Nichols family went ignored, he stepped up his game to get them to leave. He had made phone calls and written letters saying they would leave, dead or alive. When that didn't work, he started setting off bombs of dynamite around the parsonage. There were gunshots, and the author's little brother even was lying in a crib of shattered glass after one attack. Thankfully no one was hurt through these attacks, at least physically. It took a toll on the entire family mentally.
As if living in a war zone of bombs going off wasn't enough, one fateful day a man entered their house with a gun, shot her parents and she had to run to a neighbor's house for help. Her mother was dead. Her father never recovered mentally. I expected the murder of her mother to be connected to Mr. Watts since so much of the book focused on him, but he was not the one who killed her mother.
This is an amazing book, and the author even tells about her appearance on the Dr. Phil show to see her mother's murderer. I felt compassion for the author when she said that flying to the Dr. Phil show, she and her husband requested flights on different planes. That way if one crashed, the other parent would still be alive and their children would not be orphans. As she states in the book, this is a story she lives daily, and for the rest of us, we can set the book on the shelf and that be the end of it for us.
She talks about forgiveness and how if forgiveness is not granted, the bitter person is the one held in a prison of their own making.
Had I not been sick while reading it, I wouldn't have put it down and would have read it straight through. Few books have captured my attention like this one, and I would recommend it to anyone.
FTC disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.
As if living in a war zone of bombs going off wasn't enough, one fateful day a man entered their house with a gun, shot her parents and she had to run to a neighbor's house for help. Her mother was dead. Her father never recovered mentally. I expected the murder of her mother to be connected to Mr. Watts since so much of the book focused on him, but he was not the one who killed her mother.
This is an amazing book, and the author even tells about her appearance on the Dr. Phil show to see her mother's murderer. I felt compassion for the author when she said that flying to the Dr. Phil show, she and her husband requested flights on different planes. That way if one crashed, the other parent would still be alive and their children would not be orphans. As she states in the book, this is a story she lives daily, and for the rest of us, we can set the book on the shelf and that be the end of it for us.
She talks about forgiveness and how if forgiveness is not granted, the bitter person is the one held in a prison of their own making.
Had I not been sick while reading it, I wouldn't have put it down and would have read it straight through. Few books have captured my attention like this one, and I would recommend it to anyone.
FTC disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2012
While the book was a quick paced thriller, the true potential and weight of this story never materialized. While the narrator gave you insight, the book screamed for an objective and omniscient narrator. While you see a rationalization of motive from the victims, you never see the motives of the Devil. While the basic development of plot was well done, especially the twist, it was the motives behind that twist that ruined the entire plot. While the point of the tale is received, the author didn't have to beat the reader over the head with it.
I hope a future Capote, a future Mailer, or even a future Raymond Chandler is inspired by this book to make this tale realize its potential. The story and the power of the story can be fill 1000 pages or a nice novella.
So concrete problems:
1. One will never obtain the truth from this book. I can't tell if what the narrator is telling me the memories of a two or four year old or the synergy of experience and memory. I never see into the world of any one else.
2. Her parents are made into saints. They fought a pure fight. Her mother never lied nor told a lie; yet she spiked people's drinks. Her parents aren't real people. You have a hard time feeling bad for them. In fact, one could argue if this was a piece of fiction that you knew they had to die to teach the protagonist a lesson. Her father was so strong; yet had a nervous breakdown. Her parents didn't seem human. The author seemed afraid to let the narrator come to my own conclusion on her parents.
3. Too much of the author's voice and often not enough of the narrator's voice. A recurrent theme through all of my problems. I get it they are all the same person. Yet, a good author won't clutter up the narrative with him or herself.
More to come if I have time.
I hope a future Capote, a future Mailer, or even a future Raymond Chandler is inspired by this book to make this tale realize its potential. The story and the power of the story can be fill 1000 pages or a nice novella.
So concrete problems:
1. One will never obtain the truth from this book. I can't tell if what the narrator is telling me the memories of a two or four year old or the synergy of experience and memory. I never see into the world of any one else.
2. Her parents are made into saints. They fought a pure fight. Her mother never lied nor told a lie; yet she spiked people's drinks. Her parents aren't real people. You have a hard time feeling bad for them. In fact, one could argue if this was a piece of fiction that you knew they had to die to teach the protagonist a lesson. Her father was so strong; yet had a nervous breakdown. Her parents didn't seem human. The author seemed afraid to let the narrator come to my own conclusion on her parents.
3. Too much of the author's voice and often not enough of the narrator's voice. A recurrent theme through all of my problems. I get it they are all the same person. Yet, a good author won't clutter up the narrative with him or herself.
More to come if I have time.
September 20, 2019
I read this one as it is my local book club selection for this month. I was very unsure when I started, but was quickly sucked into the story. It is a story of local targeted terrorism - terrorism directed solely at the minister and his family - but terrorism nonetheless. At the heart of all of that violence is wealth, power and self-entitlement. The other story from the other side is one of love and forgiveness and that forgiveness is seemingly never ending as it is ongoing for years. This man and his family live to the very core of their being their Christian faith and daily abide by a strict Christian ethic which calls for turning the other cheek.
Oh and most surprising of all, it is a true story written years later by the daughter who lived through all of it to survive such brutality and came out of it with the love and forgiveness so evident in her mother and father. It is a true crime story perpetrated by a true "devil" who just happened to sit each Sunday in pew number 7.
Oh and most surprising of all, it is a true story written years later by the daughter who lived through all of it to survive such brutality and came out of it with the love and forgiveness so evident in her mother and father. It is a true crime story perpetrated by a true "devil" who just happened to sit each Sunday in pew number 7.
April 30, 2013
I'll admit that I don't read to many inspirational/Christain books but this one is wonderful.
It's the true story of a Preacher and his family being tormented by a person in the community who does not want him there and how they use the strength of their beliefs to make it through.
This book not only is amazing in the story but in the message it sends to the reader. To be as strong as Becky and her brother Daniel are is something to strive for.
This book is the true meaning of a Christian.
It's the true story of a Preacher and his family being tormented by a person in the community who does not want him there and how they use the strength of their beliefs to make it through.
This book not only is amazing in the story but in the message it sends to the reader. To be as strong as Becky and her brother Daniel are is something to strive for.
This book is the true meaning of a Christian.
April 20, 2025
After several chapters, I read several reviews of this book, and realised that I was right to do so. DNF
May 28, 2014
I had quite a few problems with this book, but these four have stayed with me since I finished reading it a few days ago.
(Spoilers ahead)
One, the author's use of simile. It's bad. Really, really, really bad. So bad that it distracts from the author's story.
Two, the author' slack of critical distance from her parents. The common assumption is that we spend our youth viewing our parents as infallible or god-like; the beginning of our independence and adulthood happens when we recognize that our parents are mere human mortals like we are. The author lacks that second step: she finds no fault in either her mother or father's decisions to ignore the advice of loved ones or authority figures. Indeed, throughout her life, her parents made decisions that put the physical and psychological well-being of both their children at risk: the author is unable to see that or admits to it. I understand that her parents are dead and it is difficult to find faults in the dead, but it seems the author would have much to explore (and teach her readers as that seems to be a goal) if she were to consider that her parents made deadly mistakes with their lives and the lives of those they loved.
(In the author's mind, there were only two camps here: good and evil. Mom, Dad, and virtuous church folk were on the good side. And Watts and friends were on the evil side. Because she began with these assumptions, she didn't need to explore motivations on either side: goodness and badness are a forgone conclusion. Given that momma found humor in putting laxatives in her husband's and friends' drinks before a hunting trip and given that daddy was clever enough to change church voting rules and kick Watts' wife out of a long standing position in the church, I'm curious if momma and daddy were so good and sweet.)
Three, I don't subscribe to the author's brand of Christianity. She writes frequently of people choosing to take a God into their hearts. One cannot chose faith: faith is a Divine gift we humbly accept. In her formation, we are on equal level with God with the option to refuse divine gifts. I found this annoying.
Four, this is a continuation of #3 on some level. Throughout her story of woe and heartbreak, it seemed as though mom and dad used "forgiveness" as an excuse not to act. She would often point to God's forgiveness of our sins as an example to follow. This is indeed a laudable goal; indeed, we should all strive to be Christ-like. But, to forgive and put your family and children in real, violent, murderous danger? I don't think I could or would have made the same decisions he family did.
This is a fast read. A sad read. And I can't imagine the pain this woman and her family suffered. My heart and prayers for them and theirs.
(Spoilers ahead)
One, the author's use of simile. It's bad. Really, really, really bad. So bad that it distracts from the author's story.
Two, the author' slack of critical distance from her parents. The common assumption is that we spend our youth viewing our parents as infallible or god-like; the beginning of our independence and adulthood happens when we recognize that our parents are mere human mortals like we are. The author lacks that second step: she finds no fault in either her mother or father's decisions to ignore the advice of loved ones or authority figures. Indeed, throughout her life, her parents made decisions that put the physical and psychological well-being of both their children at risk: the author is unable to see that or admits to it. I understand that her parents are dead and it is difficult to find faults in the dead, but it seems the author would have much to explore (and teach her readers as that seems to be a goal) if she were to consider that her parents made deadly mistakes with their lives and the lives of those they loved.
(In the author's mind, there were only two camps here: good and evil. Mom, Dad, and virtuous church folk were on the good side. And Watts and friends were on the evil side. Because she began with these assumptions, she didn't need to explore motivations on either side: goodness and badness are a forgone conclusion. Given that momma found humor in putting laxatives in her husband's and friends' drinks before a hunting trip and given that daddy was clever enough to change church voting rules and kick Watts' wife out of a long standing position in the church, I'm curious if momma and daddy were so good and sweet.)
Three, I don't subscribe to the author's brand of Christianity. She writes frequently of people choosing to take a God into their hearts. One cannot chose faith: faith is a Divine gift we humbly accept. In her formation, we are on equal level with God with the option to refuse divine gifts. I found this annoying.
Four, this is a continuation of #3 on some level. Throughout her story of woe and heartbreak, it seemed as though mom and dad used "forgiveness" as an excuse not to act. She would often point to God's forgiveness of our sins as an example to follow. This is indeed a laudable goal; indeed, we should all strive to be Christ-like. But, to forgive and put your family and children in real, violent, murderous danger? I don't think I could or would have made the same decisions he family did.
This is a fast read. A sad read. And I can't imagine the pain this woman and her family suffered. My heart and prayers for them and theirs.
May 22, 2015
This book is a perfect example for the saying 'Don't judge a book by its cover.' I downloaded this book from the library simply because the cover looked interesting, not knowing what it was about or that it was a true story. I've leaned my lesson. This book was so poorly written I barely made it through it. In fact I skimmed over large portions that had no bearing on the story.
April 28, 2015
A young minister and his family are terrorized by Mr. Watts, the upstanding citizen in pew #7. Threatening letters and phone calls escalate into gunshots and bombs, keeping the family on edge and in fear. Justice is served too late and too little.
Rebecca Nichols Alonzo is the minister's daughter, looking back as an adult on those hellish experiences that dominated her childhood. God's grace has kept her from bitterness and enabled her to forgive the ones who shattered her family and normalcy. She speaks informally and from the heart and ties the ribbon of forgiveness around the entire package.
I found this true testimony engaging, but the writing was a little amateurish. There were some "clunky" metaphors, and too many verbal embellishments for my taste. However, the warmth of the author's personality does shine through and she definitely has a worthwhile story to tell. I admire her resilience, her faith, and her willingness to share the message of forgiveness. This would be a great book to put in the hands of one who is wounded by life's unfairness, providing a picture of hope that prevails over destruction.
Rebecca Nichols Alonzo is the minister's daughter, looking back as an adult on those hellish experiences that dominated her childhood. God's grace has kept her from bitterness and enabled her to forgive the ones who shattered her family and normalcy. She speaks informally and from the heart and ties the ribbon of forgiveness around the entire package.
I found this true testimony engaging, but the writing was a little amateurish. There were some "clunky" metaphors, and too many verbal embellishments for my taste. However, the warmth of the author's personality does shine through and she definitely has a worthwhile story to tell. I admire her resilience, her faith, and her willingness to share the message of forgiveness. This would be a great book to put in the hands of one who is wounded by life's unfairness, providing a picture of hope that prevails over destruction.
January 12, 2018
This was a very crazy stalker crime that took place in the 1970's. I've never heard anything about this event so I found it fascinating that this "Devil in Pew Seven" got away with so much harassment. It is very heavy handed on the religious scripture as the author is a born-again, evangelical and she writes like one so expect a lot of fluff. If you are into true crime stories though this is a good read to have under your belt.
April 28, 2022
Although the writing style is not the best I have ever read, I did find this book captivating. It is hard to believe the events really happened. I kept reading because I wanted to know the outcome. I see the pastor's struggle in not wanting evil to win but yet wanting to keep his family safe. Forgiveness is the main theme of the book. There is much sadness in the story but it is good to see the positive things that come to pass at the end of the story.
August 27, 2014
Great material for the telling, but poor technique and frankly unbelievable assessments of people, their motivations and their actions. I was tempted to give one star only, but did feel that there was some merit in the the final chapter (prior to the afterword), which attempted a discussion of the theology of forgiveness. The writer had some talent in explaining this theology, perhaps; but as storyteller there are serious flaws.
Firstly, as many people have noted, she has no real understanding of her parents and their responsibility for what happened. Wasn't her father's spiritual pride in some way to blame? Wasn't he irresponsible and careless with the lives of his family? Shouldn't her mother have left with the children if he would not listen to reason after the first bombing? Apparently not. Daddy and Momma have remained for her as they were in her childhood: perfect beings with idealized heavenly attributes, not the human beings that they inevitably must have been in real life.
Not all forms of Christianity demand the masochistic self-sacrifice so questionably admired and venerated in this story. In fact, you could make a case that only Biblical literalism uninformed by reason and nourished by a sentimental and dangerous view of human nature could have caused these events to happen. This is the basis of the rest of my criticism because just as the world view is naive, so is the way in which the story is told. The difficult aspect of this is that there is a certain type of Christian who glories in naïveté and sees in the acceptance of frankly stupid ideas a worthiness that others do not possess.
I had a problem with the clichéd writing style, Unfortunately the story's trauma and emotion are seriously undercut by the sentimental and trite expression used to tell it. The representation of people and events was frankly incredible: they were either constructed as saintly (her parents, family and friends) and antiseptically boring or as fiendish and cartoonish stock characters of evil. Mr Watts shaking his fist and stalking the darkened roadside with a brown hat pulled down over his eyes is a bizarre figure. Was he grinding his teeth and baying at the moon, too? I ask this because he is a character with no credible motivation to stalk the roads at night and mutter threats or twitch his face and glare at the pastor from his pew except perhaps that he is possessed by the Devil. In that case, though, the poor fellow can't help it as he is controlled by evil and not by his own will.
Occasionally we see people doing things that hint that there is more to them than the stereotyped good or bad figures that we are meant to see. Momma's obsession with cleanliness (putting the family salad and vegetables through the spin cycle in the washing machine before serving them up!) and her quite cruel trick of putting laxatives in the hunting party's drink are actually rather disturbing indications of mental disturbance: obsessive compulsive disorder in the first instance; and - at the very least - inappropriate behavior for anyone past the age of ten in the second.
Sadly, there is lots of sanitizing and omission in the case of "good" people and no effort to explain motivation in the case of "bad" people who simply do the things that they do because, literally perhaps, they are Satanic (thus Mr Watts is the "Devil" of the title, until for no particularly explicable reason he repents and makes amends of sorts when he is in his eighties).
The disappointing feature of this book, then, is that it is powered solely by the reader's desire to see how events unfold, but unless you uncritically accept the author's perspective there is no sense to those events. Her idealism about Christianity is understandable as it has been paid for by truly awful events inflicted upon her at a very early age. Also, her ideas about forgiveness and Christian charity are worthy of admiration. However, some self-awareness would be a useful attribute as well; and though I have no wish to inflict pain or to criticize her for making the best sense that she can out of what has happened, surely God expects people to use the faculties that He gave them. She might then be critical of parents who left their children in harm's way once they had figured out that there was a dangerous sociopath attacking them.
Firstly, as many people have noted, she has no real understanding of her parents and their responsibility for what happened. Wasn't her father's spiritual pride in some way to blame? Wasn't he irresponsible and careless with the lives of his family? Shouldn't her mother have left with the children if he would not listen to reason after the first bombing? Apparently not. Daddy and Momma have remained for her as they were in her childhood: perfect beings with idealized heavenly attributes, not the human beings that they inevitably must have been in real life.
Not all forms of Christianity demand the masochistic self-sacrifice so questionably admired and venerated in this story. In fact, you could make a case that only Biblical literalism uninformed by reason and nourished by a sentimental and dangerous view of human nature could have caused these events to happen. This is the basis of the rest of my criticism because just as the world view is naive, so is the way in which the story is told. The difficult aspect of this is that there is a certain type of Christian who glories in naïveté and sees in the acceptance of frankly stupid ideas a worthiness that others do not possess.
I had a problem with the clichéd writing style, Unfortunately the story's trauma and emotion are seriously undercut by the sentimental and trite expression used to tell it. The representation of people and events was frankly incredible: they were either constructed as saintly (her parents, family and friends) and antiseptically boring or as fiendish and cartoonish stock characters of evil. Mr Watts shaking his fist and stalking the darkened roadside with a brown hat pulled down over his eyes is a bizarre figure. Was he grinding his teeth and baying at the moon, too? I ask this because he is a character with no credible motivation to stalk the roads at night and mutter threats or twitch his face and glare at the pastor from his pew except perhaps that he is possessed by the Devil. In that case, though, the poor fellow can't help it as he is controlled by evil and not by his own will.
Occasionally we see people doing things that hint that there is more to them than the stereotyped good or bad figures that we are meant to see. Momma's obsession with cleanliness (putting the family salad and vegetables through the spin cycle in the washing machine before serving them up!) and her quite cruel trick of putting laxatives in the hunting party's drink are actually rather disturbing indications of mental disturbance: obsessive compulsive disorder in the first instance; and - at the very least - inappropriate behavior for anyone past the age of ten in the second.
Sadly, there is lots of sanitizing and omission in the case of "good" people and no effort to explain motivation in the case of "bad" people who simply do the things that they do because, literally perhaps, they are Satanic (thus Mr Watts is the "Devil" of the title, until for no particularly explicable reason he repents and makes amends of sorts when he is in his eighties).
The disappointing feature of this book, then, is that it is powered solely by the reader's desire to see how events unfold, but unless you uncritically accept the author's perspective there is no sense to those events. Her idealism about Christianity is understandable as it has been paid for by truly awful events inflicted upon her at a very early age. Also, her ideas about forgiveness and Christian charity are worthy of admiration. However, some self-awareness would be a useful attribute as well; and though I have no wish to inflict pain or to criticize her for making the best sense that she can out of what has happened, surely God expects people to use the faculties that He gave them. She might then be critical of parents who left their children in harm's way once they had figured out that there was a dangerous sociopath attacking them.
February 2, 2023
I enjoyed reading this true story. It was sad to read about how cruel unbelievers can be, but is also amazing to see the peacefulness and forgiveness of those in Christ.
The author isn’t the greatest writer but this can be overlooked because of the fact the she was able to record her story relatively well.
The author isn’t the greatest writer but this can be overlooked because of the fact the she was able to record her story relatively well.
August 12, 2025
It’s an incredible and terror filled story, but has awful shortcomings. When it actually talks about happened to the Nichols family, it’s exciting and fast paced. But in between each event, it’s filled with lengthy asides and unneeded context that doesn’t do anything to advance the plot. It feels like she is just treading water to meet a word count. It dilutes the impact of the rest of the story and makes it incredibly boring.
Also, the fact that the Klan offered to help them out, makes me question the teachings of Pastor Nichols.
Also, the fact that the Klan offered to help them out, makes me question the teachings of Pastor Nichols.
July 30, 2012
I saw that one of my "edgy" friends had just finished this book and she said it was a must read. I downloaded it to my Kindle and started it. The first chapter (actually the first page) had me hooked! I was excited to read more about how this Christian family was terrorized in their own community by one man who seemed to have more power than God himself. Unheard of things happening to this young family who moved to the community so the father could be the new pastor. And the new pastor was anything but a reagular, small, wimpy sounthern Christian preacher. He was former Navy, large, and had a past. The "devil" that hated the newcomers told them out right, "you will leave this place. Walking, crawling . . . alive or dead." Pretty creepy right? Well, I found myself wondering why the heck the family didn't leave after the 2nd bombing on their property. (there were 10 in 3 years, one of them almost killing their 4 month old son). And the narrator, the daughter of the pastor and was terrified of her evil neighbor, answered my question. She said it was because God had sent them there for a purpose. And until He told them their mission was done, they were staying put.
I expected gore, in depth terror, some goosebump-hair-raising experiences, and anger. But that's not what I got. I got a lot of chat about finding Jesus and forgiveness. Which, don't get me wrong, is a wonderful thing to read about and to work into your life. It just wasn't what I was expecting when I picked this book up.
I am in awe that this family put up with so much, and that their hearts stayed focused on their purpose in their church. That they had such faith in their God to protect them and keep them safe from whatever horrible thing that came their way. I'm not as strong. I would have high-tailed it out of there! Their forgiveness to the people who wronged them; to the point of murder, is so, oh I don't know the word, pure? Almost too good to be true. But maybe because that opinion is coming from someone who needs to work on her faith and forgiveness more.
It's an okay book. I would suggest reading it if you need some uplifting, Dr. Phil, feel good, root for the underdog type book. But if you're looking for mystery, suspense, and action, this isn't the book for you.
I won't read it again.
I expected gore, in depth terror, some goosebump-hair-raising experiences, and anger. But that's not what I got. I got a lot of chat about finding Jesus and forgiveness. Which, don't get me wrong, is a wonderful thing to read about and to work into your life. It just wasn't what I was expecting when I picked this book up.
I am in awe that this family put up with so much, and that their hearts stayed focused on their purpose in their church. That they had such faith in their God to protect them and keep them safe from whatever horrible thing that came their way. I'm not as strong. I would have high-tailed it out of there! Their forgiveness to the people who wronged them; to the point of murder, is so, oh I don't know the word, pure? Almost too good to be true. But maybe because that opinion is coming from someone who needs to work on her faith and forgiveness more.
It's an okay book. I would suggest reading it if you need some uplifting, Dr. Phil, feel good, root for the underdog type book. But if you're looking for mystery, suspense, and action, this isn't the book for you.
I won't read it again.
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