The Hollywood Liberal

A Book Review:
Rebels In Hell by Michael O’ McCarthy

A Guide to Revolution
By: Jennifer Lynne Ziemann

From the beginning Rebels in Hell by Michael O’ McCarthy was a book I could not put down. It was that riveting, that exciting. It invoked a rebellious nature in me that I had believed was long dead.

The story begins in 2008 where we meet an assassin named Miguel who has been hired to kill a political writer that has shamed a man of power connected to the government of the United States of America. It becomes the story of a boy dealing with the tragic murder of his father and mother who meets and falls in love with a girl that was abused and then eventually raped by her stepfather. After years of living assumed identities apart the two find each other again. The boy, who is now known as Coilean, a rock and roll guitarist, realizes it is time to avenge the death of his parents after witnessing on national television the horrible death of a friend at the hands of the security police at a protest. Shortly after this decision he reunites with the girl now known as Petra. Together, they decide to bring justice down upon the nation that is making so many suffer through its quest for world domination.

This nation is the United States of America, which has entered the Third Petroleum War as the wars in the Middle East have become to be known. The events in the story are eerily similar to present day events in real life. In the story the government has now become a dictatorship just like it is on its way to becoming now. People are not allowed to protest, martial law has been declared, and rendition has become a way of life. The United States foreign policy is you’re with me or you’re dead.

As the book unfolds we get to see the plans laid for a strike that will send a loud and defiant message to the dictatorship of the United States of America. It lays the foundation for how a revolution can be built. The thing I found most thoughtful about this story was that after the strike was through, others around the United States and the world rose up to strike back at the heart of imperialism. After I finished reading the book, it is this message that I took with me: It only takes one to stand up against the face of tyranny, one defiant act to lead a revolution. If your cause is just others will follow.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 7:02 am and is filed under Jennifer Ziemann's Blog, Main Blog (All Posts). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.