Synopses & Reviews
In our defense, I can say only that nothing seemed so terribly strange in the beginning...
When, in 1903, the fiery preacher Joshua arrives in sleepy Corvallis, Oregon, Eva Mae -- and the whole town -- is never the same again.
Joshua is wonderful. He's charismatic. Insisting on simplicity, he commands his converts to burn their possessions. Demanding devotion to Christ, he tells them to abandon their personal ties.
But there's a surge of violence rising, and before it's over, families will be ripped apart and lives will be destroyed. Eva Mae's gripping true story is a stranger-than-fiction tale of a turn-of-the-century apocalyptic cult.
Review
"Crew's novel credibly and engagingly describes the degrees by which common sense and sincere religious belief gradually can be subverted to fanaticism....[M]ost readers will find it dramatic, sobering, and sadly all too real." School Library Journal
Review
"[T]his is a fascinating effort on many levels. Crew deftly explores religious fanaticism, group thought, and the psychology of victimization, at the same time weaving a strong tale." Booklist
Review
"Crew's recounting is both fascinating and spirited as she tries to explain the curious mass hysteria that overtakes her characters." Children's Literature
About the Author
As a native of Corvallis, Oregon, Linda Crew has long been aware of the story of Joshua and the "Holy Roller" cult, a part of the town's lore which is often reprinted in the local papers when some new cult tragedy makes headlines elsewhere in the world.
A graduate of the University of Oregon, Crew is the author of Fire on the Wind, Long Time Passing, and the award-winning Children of the River. She lives at Wake Robin Farm, in Corvallis With her husband and children.
Kids Q&A
Read the Kids' Q&A with Linda Crew