The author's plotline is riveting and driven.  She consistently builds a sense of dread and foreboding as the reason for the experiments and the fate of each subject is revealed.  Her writing is clearly bold and unabashed, and her ending does not disappoint.  "Purgatory One's' characters are anything but stereotypical. They are easy to identify with, endearing in their own way, and each has a unique skill set for dealing with the countless amounts of pain and tragedy Scidmore-Sievers sends their way.  For those with a social conscience and a strong stomach, these characters mirror our own human condition, with each of us being a victim of our own society and culture.  Readers will recognize that only those few who are willing to sacrifice themselves and stand up for any real sort of change will survive "Purgatory One"'s trial, while political and social activists will heed this novel's true message...that even in these times when apathy and indifference toward others runs rampant, this book stands as a warning to take heed of what's going on around us or suffer the consequences.  This story may be too bloody for some, but it stands as a warning for what can happen when people become apathetic, unsympathetic and unwilling to stand up for what's right.  The entire point of this novel is that change is not the onus of our children...it is a responsibility we must set into motion ourselves in order to save our progeny.