Book review: Odyssey of a Soul in Bondage

Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

by Jon E. Quick

★★★

I was convicted of first degree pre-meditated murder thirty-four years, one month, and eighteen days after I was born.

This is a very disturbing autobiographical account of a man growing up in an obscure Christian sect with an abusive father. Sometimes known as the “friends and workers” or the “2x2s,” this is the same sect I grew up in. My own experience was radically different from Jon’s; I’m personally very happy to have been raised in what was, for me, a wholesome atmosphere. But the opinions of members and ex-members of this belief system are so extreme, some going so far as to call it a cult, that I must let you decide for yourself after reading the book. Because of my closeness to the topic, I feel uncomfortable rating it, so I’ll just review the book without a rating.

The state of mind of this persecuted man shows through clearly, the more so because we are reading his account from his own hand. Sometimes conflicted, sometimes accusatory, sometimes broken, sometimes resentful, sometimes repentant, it’s like a different Jon on each page. One person in his life is described as “evil” on one page and “sweet and loving” on another. The book ends with a plea to his ex-wife for forgiveness.

Before this final plea could be possible, however, Jon finds himself undergoing a Christian transformation in prison. While still behind iron bars, he is set free from his emotional bondage. “Having attained such freedom through the Grace of God, I can safely attest that I will never again be in bondage to the corruption, deceit, and lies of men, regardless of where I may be physically.”

Note to readers: If you’re not familiar with this Christian sect, a lot of the terminology won’t make sense. Start the book by reading the “terms used” in the appendix.