One Nation Under God by Vincent M. Wales Search Amazon for other books by or about Vincent M. Wales. Rating: Reviewed by: Marie Jones

One Nation Under God is a chilling book that reads more like something right out of today's headlines than an imaginative work of fiction. Author Vincent M. Wales, founder of the Freethought Society of Northern Utah, captures the danger of theocracy and our current government's abuse of the separation of church and state in a very unusual book that combines suspense with elements of social commentary. And he does so in a highly unique and entertaining way. I simply could not put this book down.

The book may throw some readers off at first, with its unconventional structure and style. The story, which takes place in the not-too-distant future and centers on the President's daughter, Mary, is told in a series of emails, web pages and diary entries, all from the points of view of the key players involved. Those key players include a righteous right wing President, Paul Christopher, who wants to Christianize the nation; his equally right wing wife, Sarah; Mary, the key protagonist, who is not just the Prez's daughter, but a newfound bi-sexual and Wiccan who turns away from her father's policies; Mary's Uncle Gene Sisco, who is so far to the right he makes Hitler look like Paul Wellstone; Vicki, Mary's lover; reporter and muckracker J.E. Cooper; and a mysterious entity who goes by the name Jefferson Paine (in reference to two great Thomas's???) and who runs a website called Voice of Reason, dedicated to uncovering the evildoings of the Christopher administration.

As Mary learns more about her sexual orientation, she also is challenged by her transforming religious beliefs, and finds herself becoming more and more vocal as she dares to speak out against her father's administration and his dangerous policies of creating a theocratic state. And as she becomes more and more prominent in the public eye, she becomes a bigger target for right wing Christian extremists, including her own family members, who want her taken down once and for all. Taken down, as in silenced, even if it means murdering her in the name of Jesus.

One Nation Under God doesn't just give us Mary's story and perspective, though. Its dynamic and jarring style of telling the story in email/diary/web format offers the reader glimpses into the minds and personas of all the lead characters, and does so in a way that is just as effective as including their POV's in the narrative in the usual novel style. At first, I found this format jarring, but once I got used to it, I quickly realized that I was not only hooked, but deeply effected by the rapid-fire bouncing from one person's thoughts to another, giving the whole book a breathless, critical feel.

And critical this book is, for it takes today's threats and makes them real, and though it is set about 25 years into our future, it won't take us that long to see this story become reality...for it already is. One Nation Under God reminds us of the evils of forcing one narrow set of religious beliefs down the throats of a free society, and it warns us to stop it in its tracks...before we all become the next Mary Christophers. Kudos to author Vincent M. Wales for having the courage to write about this very sensitive subject at a time when just criticizing the current administration could get you labeled a terrorist. Long live Democracy and freedom- freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Isn't that, after all, what our Founding Fathers intended?