Together Is All We Need

Michael Phillips is a good author. It's nice to read a book where people care about each other and work together in tough times.

In the conclusion of this four book series, it looks like everything that Katie and Mayme have fought for is now going to be taken away from them. Uncle Templeton, who revealed that he is father to Mayme, has been welcomed to stay at Rosewood Plantation with Katie and Mayme and learns the trade of planting, raising and picking cotton. But he has some unfinished business so must leave for a time. Then Katie's Uncle Burchard Clairborn, who has always wanted the Rosewood Plantation, coming storming in and joined by the banker try to claim the plantation because the girls could not find the original deed. He is ready to throw them all off the plantation. The drama is intense and the suspense is unbearable to know what will happen next. Just in time Uncle Ward, brother to Templeton, arrives and the showdown begins between Katie's mother's brothers and her father's brother over the rightful ownship of Rosewood. The mystery surrounding the true owner of Rosewood is revealed and the rightful owners can look to the future at Rosewood. This is a marvelous and heart warming ending to this family tale following the Civil War.

TOGETHER IS ALL WE NEED, by Michael Phillips, would be a great read for young, teenaged girls. The story line is very simple and straightforward and obviously written for the less than mature audience. It is the fourth book in THE SHENANDOAH SISTERS series and should be read as the fourth book. When read out of sequence, it is sorely lacking in character development. Within the first chapter, I realized that I had definitely missed something and then discovered that, as I suspected, it was one of a series. I could tell though, that the story line was a continuation of a very interesting scenerio, an uncommon tale of tragedy, heroism, and redemption. Katie and Mayme have discovered that they are unlikely cousins. They are both teenagers and are forced, for the sake of their own survival, and with the help of a few friends, to take on the responsibility and hard work of adults; maintaining and running a productive cotton farm. Their current situation must be kept a secret and those in the community must be led to believe that everything is as it should be on their farm. Eventually, their secret is discovered by the brother of Katie's father, her Uncle Burchard. When he learns the truth, he sets out to take the farm from them. But God is faithful and provides for their needs by another unexpected turn of events. TOGETHER IS ALL WE NEED successfully demonstrates that love knows no boundaries and is not affected by the prejudices of man. The girl's faith in God and love for each other pays off in the end in a big way. If you have a young teenage girl, or know one, you would do well to recommend this series to them or give as a gift. -- reviewed by Ginny Sutton for Christian Bookshelf

The Shenandoah Sisters Series continues with TOGETHER IS ALL WE NEED. In this collection of books two young girls, Katie and Mayme, have found themselves alone and left to run Katie's family plantation. Along the way, the two forge an unlikely friendship that transcends racial lines and defies the social mores of the time. The story opens when a new uncle, Burchard Clairborne, comes to town. Uncle Burchard is Katie's father's brother, and he feels he is next in line to inherit the family plantation. Initially, Katie and Mayme continue their attempts to maintain the secret they share, the fact that they live alone. But Uncle Burchard's persistence and overall lack of sensitivity, eventually leads to the uncovering of the very thing they have worked so hard to hide. He begins an aggressive mission to take over the plantation and make it profitable for him and along the way he decides that everyone living there with the exception of his niece must find a new home. The girls become the talk of the town and experience first hand the disdain of the neighbors for both their deception and their unconventional inter-racial friendship. Things look bleak until yet another uncle, Ward Daniels, appears with some shocking news, just in the nick of time. From there, the unlikely "family" works to reunite with Katie's Uncle Templeton and build a new life together.TOGETHER IS ALL WE NEED continues to meet expectations for fans of the Shenandoah Girls Series. There is drama, controversy, and difficulties but ultimately the love shared among the primary characters helps them survive. Michael Phillips does a great job capturing the spirit of the time period by providing well rounded characters that are much more complex than the archetypal post-civil war personas quite often presented in literature. In this book the characters, particularly the former slaves, overtly struggle to reconcile their previous notions of their societal role with the racial equality they share on this "color blind" plantation. The dynamic characters, subtle spiritual messages and well-paced plot make this a fulfilling and enjoyable page turner.Reviewed by Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers