Agenda 21: Into the Shadows by Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke

314 pages

"I knew those men were our enemies, but they, like everyone else in the Republic, were nothing more than servants. Rule followers. They had no choice. But I did. I had a choice and I made it. I knew then and there that, no matter what happened, I would never go back. Never.

It was once named America, but now it is just 'the Republic.' Following the worldwide implementation of a UN-led program called Agenda 21, the once-proud people of America have become obedient residents who live in barren, brutal Compounds and serve the autocratic, merciless Authorities.

Citizens mainly keep their heads down and their mouths shut--but Emmeline is different. When the Authorities took her mother away, she started questioning the world around her. What happened to her mom? Why is everyone confined to grim living spaces and made to eat the same food cubes every day? Why was her own baby taken from her to be raised in the Children's Village? And are the rumors that somewhere out beyond the fence live those who got away during the Relocations--the so-called shadow people--really true?

When Emmeline's questions lead to the realization that she will never see her child again, she decides to escape the Compound with her partner, David, and their baby, Elsa. Fleeing the armed enforcers of the Earth Protection Agency, and facing the unknown for the first time in their lives, Emmeline and David run into the shadows in the desperate hope of finding something they'd only heard stories about from those who'd lived before the Relocations: freedom." -Dust Jacket

This is the sequel to Agenda 21 and I think it was better than the first book. It was at least good enough to be one of those books where I'd think "I'll finish this chapter and then put it down" and then I wouldn't be able to put it down. Because Agenda 21 is a real idea, and because you see elements of it being implemented in the world now--protecting wildlife above people, encouraging people to move into large apartment complexes--this book becomes even more relevant, although Agenda 21 is taken to the extreme in this novel. The thing I liked about it is that Emmeline values freedom above all else once she learns what it is. She's willing to risk her life, and the lives of her husband and Micah and Elsa, to find it.

This book takes them out of the Compound and into the unknown where they meet some of the shadow people. They also run into a familiar face from the last book. They're hunted by a ruthless Earth Protection Agent named Steven and his team. You also get to see a little bit more of the Authorities, who live in a white mansion outside of the Compound. They eat fresh food and the children play outside. This is obviously a middle book as the ending left you hanging, so I'll look forward to the next one.

{SPOILER ALERT}
Emmy and David start a fire at the Social Update Square in order to get away through the hole in the fence. They take Elsa and Micah with them. They head downstream, walking at night and hiding during the day. David's parents, John & Joan, decide to leave as well and hopefully provide an escape for their son by going upstream and leaving obvious clues as to their direction. The Authorities get Earth Protection Agents, led by Steven, a ruthless and comfort-hungry man, to hunt them down. They want Steven to bring them back so they can make an example out of them. Steven's team consists of his cronies Adam and Nigel as well as a weak Guy, Winston, and a woman named Julia, who's new to the Earth Protection Agency and has no training.

David falls in the first day of their travels and hurts his arm which continues to get worse as the days go by. Their thin shoes also fall apart. Eventually they wind up under a bridge where they're spotted by two shadow people, Paul and Ingrid, who have lived in a cave for 18 years, having escaped the Relocation by preparing in advance. The cave is near the farm commune where food is produced for the nourishment cubes the people in the Compound eat twice a day. Paul raids the commune at night, collecting food. It's during one of these raids that Emmy is confronted by George, her first husband in the compound and a kind man who tried to save her. Emmy was told that George and her father had been killed in a bus box accident. Emmy's father died protecting George who was then taken to the commune and wears a ball and chain around his ankle. Emmy tells him that they have a daughter and George feels a renewed sense of purpose and life.

Steven tries to have his way with Julia night after night but Julia repels him with ammonia spray and some of the weapons in her backpack. Eventually she sprains her ankle and Steven tells everyone to leave her behind. Winston doesn't want to, but he has to follow orders. Once John & Joan decide to turn around and try to catch up to David, they come across Julia and decide to help her. Julia thinks that John is an Enforcer because of the uniform he took off the man he killed while escaping the Compound. John also has a gun. They are caught in a storm and find refuge in an old school bus. Steven and his team also wind up at the school bus during the storm. John pretends to be an Enforcer, who Steven despises, and keeps them in the bus for a few days, hopefully giving David a few more days. Adam is bitten by a rattlesnake and ends up dying. Steven finally attacks John and throws him into the river. John hits his head on a rock and floats away face down. Steven leaves a few guys behind to guard Joan and Julia while he goes off to find David, taking Winston and Guy with him because he doesn't trust them.

Joan and Julia get away by using Joan's hidden gun. Steven handcuffs Winston to a tree every night but eventually Winston saws through a rotted birch tree and gets away. He goes back to find Julia. Meanwhile, Paul & Ingrid have been teaching David & Emmy how to survive and healing David's arm. Paul was a history teacher so he teaches them about history and what's truly important. Emmy struggles with the decision of whether or not to let George see Elsa before they leave and finally they decide to help free George and let him see his daughter. Paul goes back to the commune and cuts off his ball & chain and brings him back to the cave. Paul tries to convince Emmy to stay there with them where they have food and shelter, but Emmy is determined to walk thousands of miles to Kansas where she was born and where she hopes to be free. She has a map that was her mother's so they make a plan. Since Paul & Ingrid aren't healthy enough to make the trip, George agrees to stay with them to take care of them. He says goodbye to Elsa. A day before, Emmy had discovered an Enforcer's body floating down the river, which made her decide to leave soon. It was bloated and unrecognizable and this is perhaps the most gruesome and shocking part of the book because you knows it's John but Emmy and David don't recognize him. I'd been hoping that he'd survived and Joan would find him.

The book ends with David & Emmy finding a zoo where they have a picnic and scavenge for supplies and food. Steven catches them there and holds them at gunpoint. Joan, Julia and Winston show up just in time to save them. They shoot Guy but leave Steven behind in a cage, saying that that's what he deserves. I hope that doesn't backfire on them, since I have a feeling a cage won't hold Steven for long. Winston and Julia decide that their new mission is protecting this family and helping them get to freedom.