Summary from goodreads:
Jamil renounced a life of jihad when he encountered the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, but villagers and authorities in the hills of Afghanistan respond with skepticism . . . and even violence.
Relief worker Amy Mallory is shocked by the changes in her organization—changes with dire implications for the women and children under her care. And concern for her former assistant, Jamil, weighs heavily on her heart.
Former Special Forces veteran Steve Wilson faces off against the riots and corruption of Kabul’s upcoming election. He’s looking for something that will give his life purpose but is confident that he won’t find it in Afghanistan.
All three are searching for love and freedom in a country where political and religious injustice runs rampant. But when religious freedom becomes a matter of life and death, they discover that the cost of following Jesus may require the ultimate sacrifice.
Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.
Freedom’s Stand by Jeanette Windle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Okay, I’ll be honest. I was not excited at all about reading this book at first. Modern novels like this don’t usually grab my attention. Well, I will say the author did a fantastic job of drawing me in from the very beginning. I wanted to read the book and find out what happened to the girl at the start of the story.
Unfortunately, the author lost me again as the next chapters came about. It became a chore to wade through all the characters and the story and try to fill in the missing pieces. I planned on giving it a 3-star rating for this reason.
As I continued to read, I realized that the author was merely giving me background pieces to the story, and I found myself emotionally attached to the characters. I struggled to put it down as I read through the halfway point and beyond. All the stories seemed to weave together in a wonderful way. I decided that a 4-star rating would be highly appropriate.
That is until I read the last 100 pages or so. I thought I had the book figured out, but the author added in some unique twists and turns that I was not expecting. I had found myself telling my mom all about the book. In fact, she was almost getting a play-by-play summary of it.
When it came to the end, my questions were answered, and it ended the way I wanted it to. It ended the way it had to. I so appreciated the fact that the author wrote a book that portrayed the truth of Afghanistan and its people. I honestly knew very little about this country, and it is clear the author held a special place in her heart for the people there–especially the women. I also loved the easy way that the gospel was presented in the book. It strengthened my faith and made me realize how blessed I am as an American woman.
So why did I rate it 5 stars? Because it was clear that what I thought was weakness towards the beginning grew and caused me to connect with the book in a unique way. Any book that is able to accomplish this goal certainly deserves my highest admiration.
A daughter of American missionaries, Jeanette Windle grew up in the jungles and small towns of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. In 1981, Jeanette graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Biblical Studies and Theology from Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta. In 1985, Jeanette and her husband Martin moved to Bolivia to work with a nondenominational Christian ministry organization. While her husband served as director, Jeanette worked with women and children at risk in varied regions of Bolivia.
Jeanette began her publishing/writing career producing Spanish-language educational and inspirational material for women and children at risk as well as writing articles for a variety of international publications. This was followed over the next years by eight children’s books, including the six books of the Parker Twins Adventure Series, a young adult mystery/suspense series set in a multi-cultural background, and a teen novel, Jana’s Journal. Her first major adult political/suspense novel, CrossFire, set against background the counter-narcotics war in Bolivia she was witnessing firsthand, was released in 2000. This was followed by The DMZ, set in the guerrilla zones of Colombia where she grew up, and FireStorm, all published by Kregel Publications. Betrayed, set in the background of Guatemala’s fifty year civil conflict, was released by Tyndale House Publishers in 2008, followed by Afghanistan titles Veiled Freedom, a 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist and Christy Award finalist and its sequel, Freedom’s Stand, 2012 ECPA Christian Book Award finalist and Carol Award finalist and Golden Scroll 2013 Novel of the Year Congo Dawn. She is also author of several non-fiction titles including 2016 ECPA Christian Book Award and Christian Retailing Best Awards finalist Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting, a Mother’s Love and a Story of Remarkable Grace and All Saints, also a Sony Affirm movie.
Jeanette and her husband Marty moved to Miami in June, 2000, when her husband assumed the position of Vice-President of General Services for Latin America Mission, a nondenominational Christian ministry organization working throughout Latin America. In January, 2006, they moved again to Lancaster, PA, when Marty accepted the position of President of BCM International, another nondenominational ministry organization serving in 50 countries on five continents.
Jeanette is editor of BCM World magazine, speaks and travels extensively both in the U.S. and internationally, and serves as consulting editor and mentor in developing writers from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Spain, Croatia, Philippines and more. She is recipient of the 2012 AWSA (Advanced Writer Speaker Association) Beyond Me Award (Exemplifying a “You First” Life in a “Me First” World, as well as Focus on Fiction’s 2005 Deserted Island Book Award (i.e. the reading material of choice if one were headed to a deserted island). Jeanette is also recipient of the South Florida Writers Association 2004 Celebrity Author’s Award and 2002 Mabel Meadows Staats Award. She served for three years as VP of Publication for the South Florida Writers Association and president of Miami-Dade Christian Writers and is currently president of Lancaster Christian Writers. Marty and Jeanette have four children.
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