Words On Fire Book Review

Book by Jennifer A. Nielsen 

Review by Daisy Torres

Brief Story Synopsis -- 

A girl during the Lithuanian-Russian Revolt discovers secrets about her family. She joins an undercover ring of book smugglers in an attempt to keep Lithuania alive in the minds of the people until Russia is out of their country.

The good:

This is a story about staying strong when you don't feel like it; A story about freedom and liberty. Jennifer Nielsen did a fantastic job of weaving themes of not only patriotism, but also loyalty, strength, and bravery.

The bad:

While the story was masterfully crafted, I did notice one scene where I struggled to see what was happening action-wise. It wasn’t a big detail, but the description there was a bit muddy. Otherwise, I don’t know that I really can point anything out.

Discussion:

Writing Style -- The author's style was very clear and clean, yet vivid. There were many moments where I found myself in awe of the simplicity and vividness of her descriptions. Everything flowed very well.

Author's Goal -- She told a story--which she did amazing at--but with the story, she displayed strength when Audrey felt she had none. She showed loyalty when it was tempting to be disloyal (even I, the reader, was sympathetic towards that).

She crafted a fantastic character arc. I believe Jennifer Nielsen set out to show young girls that, like unread books, there are some thoughts you stuff down, saying they're not important, that need to be heard. When we stamp our thoughts down and chalk them off as unimportant, it's the same as never reading a book--as never hearing its ideas.

How the book affected me -- The book gave me lots of new info on Lithuania and Russia that I did not previously have. It showed how important it is to hold fast to what we know is important--because if we don't, it can very well be taken from us.

 Also, I wrote my very first full book review because of it, so that should say something about how it affected me 😂

Theme and Message -- I found many positive themes and messages in this book. The main one I particularly liked was the main character's growth from not caring about books at all, to realising exactly how much power the written word holds.

 I thoroughly enjoyed how the author accomplished Audrey's character development from the beginning of the book to the end. She started out afraid and cowering, and although she still scared easily in the end (With the stuff she faced, who could blame her!), she was no longer cowering.

Characters: I found it riveting--full of flawed characters and classic Russian pathos. (If you catch that VeggieTales reference, I love you 😂). For real though, the characters were amazing. I even found myself caring for the villain!

Every character was well-crafted and richly designed with their own fears and secrets to work through. Even characters I started out not thinking I needed became close to me.

Structure: This book was fairly short and to the point, which I loved. It was very obvious when I came to a key point in the story, and I often caught myself thinking, "Ah, the Character Arc starts here," or "Ooo, this is the big self-lie Audrie must face before the end of the book." I noticed each point clearly and distinctly.

Something stood out to me that I'd like to add:

While reading this, I kept noticing fantastic themes that made me think back to our walk as Christians. 

History repeats itself--and if you look around, you'll find that it's already begun. 

The best way to keep a person caged is to never let them know they're in a cage. Keep them blind, keep them brainwashed to believe only the thoughts they're fed, but never, under any circumstances, let them think for themselves. When you do that, it's only a small amount of time before the person realises the truth. 

Words have power--books have power. They furnish the ability to think thoughts we never would have, were it not for them.

In 'Words on Fire' we see two kinds of books: We see books that the Russian Cossacks want the people to read, and we see books they want to destroy so people can't read them. So the people can't think. But you know what? Words aren't just in books. They're in movies, music, and yes, even our closest friends. 

As Audrie discovers, words have a powerful impact; one so powerful, people are willing to die for them. But they can also bring life and freedom. Lithuania is a make-believe idea--or so the Russians say. They banned the language, they banned their books, they banned their freedom.

 But what about us? Is Christianity a make-believe idea? Is our language--the ability to share the gospel--banned? Our books? Has the enemy tried to burn them? 

Think about it. Satan put us in cages, and only Christ has the key. Music can be a cage. Movies can be a cage. Books can be a cage. Audrie and her friends saw that the Russians kept people caged by taking their rights, but when we become captured by the lies that we can't share the Good News, we become just like them: Trapped. And so many times, we don't see it. 

We become desensitised to the movies that say Jesus isn't real. We grow accustomed to the idea that people don't want to know God. These are the lies the enemy has laced through words to keep us from spreading the Gospel. And you know what? It worked.

When was the last time we, as the Church, went out into the streets--or maybe just your local Walmart--and told people that Jesus loves them? Or have we listened to the lies for so long that we've grown too afraid to do that? What about your writing? When was the last time you decided to use your words to witness to people? Jennifer Nielsen was right--Words can make or break a country, but this applies spiritually as well. 

Our Bibles have the ultimate truth in them, waiting to be shared with eager listeners who want to know more. Are you willing to break free and pass on God's Truth? 

Do I recommend it: Yes, completely! It was clean and safe, while still being incredibly enjoyable and thought-provoking.