Valerie Jean Routhieaux

Freedom's Cry Valerie Jean Routhieaux

Curiosity tore ten-year-old Judith MacDonald from the arms of her family into an adventure that would take her to the far reaches of the world, and span ten years of her life. Judith, under the protection of Benny Harrison and Jabari, who rescue her from the middle of a pirate fight in Amsterdam, finds herself captured by Barbary pirates and the property of Sultan Ismail Hassan. Armed with a faith in God, instilled in her by her parents and grandparents, she faces the ultimate test of her faith, as she finds herself forced to renounce her faith and take up the teachings of Islam, which she refuses to do. Judith's journey home takes her from Amsterdam to the South China Sea. Everywhere she sets foot, a battle for survival takes place as she is hunted down by the Hassan family from which Benny and Jabari rescue her many times to find her one last time in the hands of Sultan Mehmed Hassan, son of Sultan Ismail Hassan, as he keeps her out of reach of her family. Looming on the horizon is war with Great Britain, as the British American Colonies face a war for their independence. Not only does Judith's family need to find her and bring her home, they need to do so before war breaks out and they find themselves in even greater danger from British ships. Freedom's Cry is a story of freedom, not only for Judith MacDonald, but for the British American Colonies who hope to gain their independence from Great Britain. Valerie Routhieaux, author of Scarred, Manifest Destiny, and Stowaway, lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Freedom's Cry is the last in the four-book Colonial America series. She has three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Valerie belongs to the Green Bay Writer's Guild. Her hobbies are reading, writing, and swimming as she enjoys the leisure life of the recently retired.