Doorkeeper

Dalit children

If you purchase the book I’m reviewing in this post, you’ll better the quality of life for one of the most oppressed groups in our world today: the Untouchables of India, now called the Dalits.

Thanks to author Randy Singer, who is donating every penny from the sale of his novel False Witness to the Dalit Freedom Network. “Singer was moved by the plight of the Dalit children, struggling to throw off the yoke of oppression and replace it with real freedom and dignity, so he committed to do his part. He believes that ‘no child should be untouchable.‘” Here’s what Singer’s press release shares about the Dalits . . .

“India is a land of civil rights, in theory, but of brutal oppression, in fact—especially for the 165 million members of the Dalits, India’s lowest caste. During Randy Singer’s first trip to India a few years ago, he saw firsthand the systemic oppression of the Dalits (formerly known as untouchables) through the Hindu caste system. Singer was astonished by the fact that the world’s largest democracy was also a breeding ground for the world’s largest human-trafficking operations, that it would allow the exploitation of 15 million children in bonded labor, that it would tolerate temple prostitution and other forms of sexual slavery, and that it would foster economic and social systems that oppress nearly 25 percent of its people.”

“But there is a silver lining. A bond was formed between the Dalits and Christians.

Dalit girl

The Dalits began asking the church to help educate their children. Hundreds of schools sprang up, providing thousands of Dalit children with an English-based education (critical to landing good jobs) and newfound self-respect. The Dalits responded with another invitation: ‘If this is the Christian faith, come start a church in our village.’ The result is that millions of Dalits and other Indians are coming to Christ, drawn by a religion that believes the ground is equal at the foot of the cross.”

How can you help? You can visit the Dalit Freedom Network site to read about donating and other types of involvement. Or you can follow this link to purchase Randy’s book, False Witness.

Is the book worth it? My answer is a resounding, yes! In their review of False Witness, Publisher’s Weekly called Randy Singer the Christian John Grisham, and this novel earned a starred review from Booklist.

The tagline for the book hints at the secrets in this fascinating story: “The government can change an identity, but it cannot change a life.”

The action centers around bail bondsman Clark Shealy, his wife Jessica, and law student Jamie Brock. These characters are brought together by Clark’s association with a brilliant Indian Christian man, who created a powerful equation called the Abacus Algorithm. Federal agents and the Chinese Mafia also have a strong interest in the equation. The novel is part thriller and part courtroom drama with the deeper issues of faith, such as, Christian ethics, true justice, and mercy, thrown into the mix.

As a reader, I really appreciated how Randy Singer took a Grisham-esque plot and invested it with Christian characters whose choices reflect eternal values. And I loved seeing people of faith face down realistic contemporary villains with strength of purpose and hope for the future. False Witness and Randy Singer are high on my list of favorites!

Keep in mind that by purchasing False Witness, you’ll be treating yourself to an exciting story and helping folks who sorely need it at the same time. Two for the price of one!