Set on India’s Malabar Coast and later in Los Angeles, Broken Chains follows Sam, a Syrian Christian man, and Devi, a Dalit woman labeled “untouchable.” Childhood companions who become lovers as adults, their bond defies rigid caste and religious boundaries. Denied a church wedding, they marry in a civil ceremony and face ostracism and retribution as they strive to build a life together.
In Cochin and then California, their resilience propels Devi into a career in physical therapy, while Sam’s postdoctoral research in evolutionary genomics challenges both Hindu casteism and Western creationist ideology. His groundbreaking findings—that humans are 99.9% genetically identical—ignite fierce backlash even as his scholarship earns global acclaim and ultimately the Pulitzer Prize for his nonfiction work.
Triumph and tragedy converge when Sam is brutally attacked on the night of his Pulitzer Prize ceremony, forcing Devi to risk everything to save him. Through Devi’s existential struggles and her redemption through Sam’s unconditional love, the novel delves into existentialist philosophy—particularly the belief that “existence precedes essence” and that human beings create meaning and purpose through their own choices, not through any predetermined caste, religion, or fate.
Blending romance, social justice, and scientific revelation, Broken Chains illuminates the enduring struggle against prejudice and celebrates the triumph of love and truth over oppressive traditions and society’s moral blindness toward caste discrimination.
| Title | Broken Chains |
| Author | Matthew K. Isaac |
| Publisher | Veritas Vincit Press |
| Publication Date | November 10, 2025 |
| Formats | Paperback · Hardcover · eBook |
| Primary Link | https://books2read.com/BrokenChains |
Author Bio
Matthew K. Isaac is a scholar, speaker, writer, and former Associate Vice Chancellor of Economic Development and Corporate Training in San Bernardino, California. He is the author of the novel, Touched by Redeeming Love (2018).
Dr. Isaac holds a Ph.D., M.A. in English, and M.A.E. in Education from the University of Toledo (Ohio), and a B.S. in Biology from Kerala University. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Bina Susan Isaac.
Extraordinary Acclaim for Matthew Isaac’s Broken Chains
- “This book is a deeply moving narrative that critiques casteism, religious bigotry, and societal oppression while celebrating the transformative power of love, resilience, and truth. I would love to see this turn into a major Hollywood film.” — Brenda Pickleman, Hollywood Actress and Artist, Chicago.
- “Not merely a love story but a moral investigation into freedom, religion, caste, and power… it deserves to be read widely.” — Dr. Henry D’Souza, Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Nebraska.
- Broken Chains is an impressive, gripping, and epic tale of forbidden love, an eloquent fusion of age-old injustices such as untouchability and religious bigotry, woven into a powerful exploration of the tensions between bigotry, faith, and science, and the deeper truths of the human condition that resonate with a universal audience.” — Dr. A. K. B. Pillai, Former Professor of Comparative Literature, New York.
- “Though set in a particular cultural context, this challenging and provocative work raises questions of universal importance such as class discrimination, religious arrogance and bigotry and the relationship between religion and morality as well as the intellectual and academic collision between religion and science.” – Dr. Dale Lanigan, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Lourdes University, Ohio.
- “One of the most artfully empathetic and inspiring forbidden love stories of our time, Broken Chains confronts the bigotry of untouchability, the existential struggles of Dalits, and their physical and emotional oppression as it exposes these injustices through the lens of evolutionary biology…” – Mr. Bala Sriraghavan, CEO, Datanetiix Solutions, Inc., a global software company based in Irvine, California.
For Review Copies, Interviews, and Media Inquiries
Media Contact: Veritas Vincit Press
Website: https://veritasvincitpress.com/
Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/BrokenChains