Book Review: Fire of the Raging Dragon

It's been hard being a Republican. It's a choice I made based on financial reasons when I was 21 and an investment banking analyst. I couldn't understand why I had to pay 50% on my bonus when I felt like I had worked like a dog for that money. Most days I worked 15 hours a day and I considered it a miracle when I went home the same day I came in to work. Sometimes I worked 24, 48 hours in a row, no sleep, no showers, but still plodding through and working, working, working. So I could give half of it away to someone on welfare. Whatever your politics are, that's the reason I made my choice. And it's been hard. Because I've lived in New York, DC, LA, and now the Bay Area, all places where being a Republican will get you public ridicule (if you consider FB a public forum). There was a brief period when Stewart was recalled to Iraq when I became an Independent, but really I still believed what I believed.

Now since the election (I voted for Roseanne Barr, but that's another blog post), all I seem to hear about is the fiscal cliff and how we should all just move to Australia. What is all this leading to? Well, sometimes the only thing that will make me lift my spirits when politics gets me down is when I read a great flag-waving book. Luckily, my friends over at Zondervan must have picked up on what I needed because they sent me a review copy of Dan Brown's new book, Fire of the Raging Dragon. In this second book in bestselling author Don Brown’s Pacific Rim Series---Stephanie Surber is stationed on board a submarine tender in the South China Sea when a naval war breaks out. After a gruesome discovery escalates America’s involvement, Stephanie’s father, U.S. President Douglas Surber, must choose to take a stand against evil … or save the life of his daughter.

It's scary to think how the book is spot on about how much America owes China. I don't think most Americans know how many trillions of Treasuries China owns and how our country would be completely bankrupt if China started a sell-off. But in the world created by Don Brown, we are still a nation of morals and a belief that some crimes are too horrific for us to countenance. By the end of the book I was proud (again) to be an American. I really believe that we would act the same way the characters did in the book if we were presented with such a situation. I can't say more than that without giving away spoilers. If you are looking for something to read on the plane to wherever you are going for the holidays or when you get there or a book to gift, you may want to include Fire of the Raging Dragon on your short list.

USA! USA! America-home of the brave and land of the free!!!!!

I did not receive compensation for this post. I did receive a copy to facilitate my review.