Review: The Free Republic of Texas 2015
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 6, 2012
I really enjoyed this book - the characters, the setting, the interaction, the writing style..The setting is a very small town in East Texas.  One day, a "newcomer" walks into the local diner and of course, everyone stops what they are doing to see who it is and what is going on.  This happens again the next day - you know those phone lines are burning up while people are trying to figure out who he is and what he is doing there!Turns out the "stranger" is Jody.  Jody is a retired serviceman who has been looking for a place to start a "self sufficient" community in case of a US or Global meltdown.  He knows something bad is in the works and wants to make sure that there is a place that can protect not only the people through the normal survival techniques (and make sure that there is not a "loss of knowledge" that can be used to rebuild society if there is a major infrastructure meltdown) but also retain the unique spirit that is America.He recruits a local (kind of a local - after all, he has only lived there 10 yrs and if you have ever lived in a really small town, you know exactly what I mean!) named Sam.  Sam moved to Dog Trot TX after losing his wife and son in a car accident.  He received a lot of money in the settlement from the accident that killed them but has just been coasting through life, not really living it.The two of them, along with Jody's adopted children, Sing and Song, begin building their community/compound, recruiting others along the way.What I absolutely LOVED about the book: The characters.  I had great respect for both Jody and Sam that continued to grow throughout the book from their actions, their conversations, and their dreams for the future.  My favorite character though was Sing.  Sing was the daughter that Jody had adopted and came complete with tribal facial tattoos, a strong character, very high intelligence level, spirit, and an appetite that just wouldn't quit whether it was for love, life, or pie!  The rest of the "cast" is just as interesting and the conversations/interactions made you feel like you were there and actually part of their group and family. The Clans were a wonderful addition - both in terms of adding to the richness of the story and the characters.  I wonder if the author has actually had first hand experience with their culture and ceremonies?The writing style:  The story is told in a narrative style by Sam (who we didn't even learn his name until several chapters into the book).  It was so down home and personable - I literally felt that we were sitting on his front porch with a glass of ice tea and he was telling this story just like a conversation between the two of us.  Some people may not enjoy that style of writing but I thought it was wonderful.  It also came across in the sense of humor that the author added to the story.What was OKAY:  Use your imaginations here - there are not going to be survival tips for the average person in terms of what you can build and do because unless you won the lotto, you can't afford to plan like Jody and Sam did but that is okay.There are still many good ideas and I think the main point of the book is the actual people and concept of pulling together, not how many bunkers you can build.What is going to ANNOY some of you:  The writing style. As stated previously, the writing style is a narrative like you and Sam are just sitting down and talking.  I don't know if this is intentional to "enhance" the conversational style or if the author has a deep seated fear of periods, but he uses commas instead of periods thus you have some really really long sentences.  It took a little bit to get used to but I thought it actually added to the book.  There are a few typos but not enough to make you want to break out spell check and slap the author upside the head with it.All in all, a very enjoyable story that I would recommend to both preppers and those who believe in the true American spirit.