In this historical novel by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, a young French girl becomes a secret courier. Suzanne is training to become an opera singer during World War II, but as the war progresses, she finds a way to secretly fight the occupying Nazis. Her story is one of courage and integrity. The most memorable moment of this book for me was the ending, which coincides with the Allied landing at Normandy. The readers know that the war will end soon, but Suzanne wrestles with the pain and fear even as the Allies are breaking down the door.For Freedom, like many other novels that take place in World War II, inspires hope and provides models of morality under stress. I love stories like this for the very reason that Samwise Gamgee liked the old tales:
"Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?... Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going."
Suzanne David kept going. Despite all the evil and danger, she fought. She fought for her neighbors, for her family, for France, and in doing so, she fought for freedom.
It sounds very inspirational. We'll need courage and integrity like that in the days ahead. We are, after all, living in the last days just prior to the Lord's second coming. As President Hinckley has said "There is a portent of stormy weather ahead, to which we had better give heed." Still, with God's help, we can make it through the trials ahead, facing our future and destiny with faith and courage. It will be a glorious day when Christ reigns personally on the earth!
ReplyDelete