Book Review: The Salvationist - A Short Story by Nancy Cole Silverman
To my knowledge, few short stories have been published with a focus on The Salvation Army. There are several novels that include Salvationists as something of a love interest. However, in The Salvationist, we are given a short story based on a historical person that has the female Salvationist as the physical and moral hero, and to my relief, it does not include a love story!
REVIEWED BY GARTH R. HENTZSCHEL
The author, Nancy Cole Silverman, is an American female pioneer in radio and live television. She is the founder of The Equestrian News and is now a published novelist of several mystery series, including the Carol Childs Mysteries.
The Salvationist is loosely based on the author’s great-grandmother, Cadet Fannie Johnson. The short story covers events that took place while Fannie was appointed to the town of Bisbee. The town is about 930km east of Los Angeles and situated near the USA/Mexico border in Arizona. While in Bisbee, Fannie attempts to stop animal cruelty, has several confrontations with the local press, attempts to rescue a girl from the sex-slave trade, and eventually makes the town safe for law-abiding citizens. This short story has a similar feel to those of USA Salvation Army officer Joseph Garabed, better known as ‘Joe the Turk’.
This short story is a different take on the old ‘Westerns’ and would be attractive to readers of fiction, historical novels and social justice.
The Salvationist – A Short Story is available in paperback or Kindle editions from Amazon.com.au.
Garth R. Hentzschel is a Salvationist living in Brisbane (QLD), is a freelance historian, and executive editor of the Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History.
