Unshakeable: A Story of Unwavering Faith and Conviction is a novel that explores what might happen if a government passed legislation that made homeschooling unlawful. Author Elizabeth Wiens has long served in the home education community and sees the need to defend parental authority and freedom to homeschool. Although this is a fictional story, there is a challenge to Christian parents in its pages - the challenge to live with God’s Word as the ultimate authority and foundation and to be prepared to defend that foundation. 

The novel opens in the gallery of the Alberta Legislature, where Garrett Radke and his family are stunned to hear the results of the vote on legislation that forces parents to enroll their children in public schools. The Radkes and two other homeschooling families eventually decide that they must obey God’s law rather than man’s; they accept the risk of not complying with the school enrollment law. Together they seek out some former homeschoolers and sympathetic friends to help, and then they begin making plans for getting to safety if they are challenged or harassed by government officials.

Their elaborate plans include alarm systems, safe places, evacuation plans, and disposable cellphones, and when Garrett and another family face an unsympathetic child welfare caseworker, they must put those plans to the test. A police officer assigned to the case was a childhood friend of Garrett’s, and his involvement in the case becomes personal. Garrett’s family escapes to the safe house, but Garrett is arrested.  During all their careful planning, did they do enough to avoid giving away the location if their homes and communications are under scrutiny? Was anyone followed? Was any detail forgotten that could put them at risk? Another family faces lengthy or even permanent separation from their children unless they give in to the intense pressure and enroll the children in public school. The homeschool community must stand together in support of these two families as the cases are brought to trial.

The conflict and tension of this story are very real and are a concern for most home educators. How easily could the government infringe upon our right and privilege to homeschool? Will we stand firm on our convictions when that time comes? The dedication of the fathers in the story is inspirational, and the sense that the government has overstepped and caused great injustice keeps the reader turning pages and rooting for the homeschool families.

Two of the three main families in the story are very large, and with so many characters to manage, they tend to blend together in the descriptions and are not always distinct in their actions and descriptions. The only character with obvious change and growth from the beginning of the story to the end is Donovan, the police officer. While there are references to the maturing faith of some of the other characters, those character arcs are not prominent. 

As a result, the conflict that drives the story is found in the tension between obeying laws and staying faithful to personal conviction on following Biblical principles. The three families take significant risks to follow their convictions, and face hardships including jail time and being separated from their children.

I enjoyed the book once I got through the first few chapters and had sorted out the characters. The premise of government making it impossible - or at least extremely difficult - to home educate legally is not far-fetched, and many homeschooling parents have wondered what they might do if their ability to do so is threatened. Through the fictional account of families put to that test, this story highlights the importance of a strong faith foundation and encourages Christian parents to remain vigilant in protecting our freedoms.

The 317-page book is available for purchase at the publisher’s website and other online retailers.

-Product review by Kym Thorpe, The Old SchoolhouseⓇ Magazine, LLC, August 2019