The Call: Faithful Endeavors - Book Review

The Call Faithful Endeavors by JMA Ziegler is a contemporary novel written as the memoir of the protagonist, Ken Scrivener. Nine-year-old Ken is bullied into a prank which results in long-term repercussions. Ken is a loner who is sensitive and introspective, self -effacing; an outsider wanting to belong. His desire to belong makes him vulnerable to being used by others. A nine-year-old boy named Jackson Glascoe, who was an extrovert and Alpha male coerced Ken into making a prank phone call to a girl he did not know. The results of this one phone call will haunt Ken the rest of his life and send him on an odyssey of self-discovery and a long, complicated journey, with genuine love as the ultimate goal.

Jenni was very attractive, but was cursed with a weak ego. She wanted to belong to the in-group, the desire was so strong that it precipitated in her becoming the schoolyard tart even if it was only for the privilege of belonging to the “bad” boys. Ken’s fear of being known as a weirdo, crazy or a wimp turns into anger as he witnesses Jenni’s true introverted personality being taken advantage of and instinctively protects her.

The Call deftly explores sexual activity between adolescence girls and their near same-age partners that today could result in the boy being classified as a sex offender. Ken is just a few months older than Jenni; their relationship illustrates the vexing legal and social issues related to the intersection of youth and adolescent sexuality.  The story raises the question does an adolescent girl, 14 or 15, in love with a boy, barely her senior have the competence to consent to sex and is his acceptance of her offer of sex truly statutory rape? Ziegler’s novel attempts to shed light on this controversial but important issue that affects so many families.

The author seems to be well acquainted with borderline personality disorders and the fear of abandonment or rejection as he dwells on the unusual acquaintance that led these two quiet, shy introspective loners to become friends who understand each other. Throughout their school years, puppy love develops as their need to connect deepens. Several childhood encounters deepen their attachment to one another. Ken and Jenni develop co-dependent affection as childhood conflicts are resolved and intensify their love.

The book is a romantic love story about a painful relationship that is subjected to many obstacles. Jenni's mother feels all teenage boys are not to be trusted and all they want is sex. She becomes very distrustful of Ken and his apparent interest in her daughter and works hard to prevent them from seeing each other. Ken stays persistent and hopes that someday they will be together. Throughout his lifelong quest for Jenni, whom he has promised to love and protect, Ken recalls the prank when “your spirit settled in my heart and gave me strength….. In that simple act, we became one.”

JMA Ziegler’s bittersweet novel, The Call Faithful Endeavors, bring two teenagers, Ken and Jenni together one fateful day who find they share the same world and fall in love. This is a book that is not only a great romance story but also a study of how the youth of today are cast into a confusing world created by adults that sexualize teenagers, promotes promiscuity in songs, books and in movies but maintain laws that contradict the world that they created for their children.

JMA Ziegler, an engineer, is an unusual author of women’s fiction. He openly states that his goal is to improve the quality of life. In this novel, he is inspiring understanding of dysfunctional loners who don’t fit society’s norms but need to connect deeply with other people.