Jungle Sunrise [Paperback]

Jonathan Paul Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2010

A unique and captivating novel by a member of the Xtreme Team, who risk their lives and endure unthinkable physical deprivation while assisting native people in the most remote areas of the world. This novel has been written out of the rich background of that experience. It is evident the author has been there! He unlocks the secret of how to begin life anew, as the book s central character moves from a depressing, directionless life to a rewarding and incomparable adventure, discovering the ultimate meaning in life through trials and tragedy. One warning: do not start reading until you have some time because you won t put it down. Endorsed by Paige Patterson, President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Jerry Rankin, President, International Mission Board, SBC.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Williams served as a missionary with the International Mission Board s Xtreme Team in the jungles of Peru for two years. It was there, lying under a mosquito net in a hut in the middle of the Amazon Jungle, that Williams began to write his first novel, Jungle Sunrise. Living with a previously unreached indigenous tribe, the Amarakaeri, Williams experienced first-hand the beauty and danger of native life as he had the opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hunt with bows and arrows, fish with spears, navigate the rivers, and encounter every aspect of the tribe s culture. This breathtaking scene of the Amazon serves as the backdrop for Jungle Sunrise. Williams, 30, writes and lives in North Texas with his beatuiful wife, Jessica, where he pastors Body Life church and serves as the Campus Pastor for Trinity Christian Academy as he pursues a Masters of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His passion and desire is to inspire readers with creativity and truth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Nordskog Publishing, Inc. (February 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982492987
• ISBN-13: 978-0982492987
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,614,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Williams served as a missionary with the International Mission Board s Xtreme Team in the jungles of Peru for two years. It was there, lying under a mosquito net in a hut in the middle of the Amazon Jungle, that Williams began to write his first novel, Jungle Sunrise. Living with a previously unreached indigenous tribe, the Amarakaeri, Williams experienced first-hand the beauty and danger of native life as he had the opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hunt with bows and arrows, fish with spears, navigate the rivers, and encounter every aspect of the tribe s culture.

This breathtaking scene of the Amazon serves as the backdrop for Jungle Sunrise.

Williams, 30, writes and lives in North Texas with his beautiful wife, Jessica, where he pastors Body Life church and serves as the Campus Pastor for Trinity Christian Academy as he pursues a Masters of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His passion and desire is to inspire readers with creativity and truth.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jungle Sunrise April 18, 2010

By Bruce Kirby

Format:Paperback

Jungle Sunrise is a well written book. The story emerges through the lives of the six main characters, a missionary couple, writer, linguist, anthropologist and photographer, each with their own purpose for entering the jungles of Peru.
Jungle Sunrise reveals the warm friendships with the Amarakaeri natives as well as the sometimes harsh realities of jungle life.
The years of jungle life experienced first hand by Mr. Williams give Jungle Sunrise a refreshing sense of realism and authenticity.
It was an exciting, suspense filled story with unexpected twists and turns.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jungle Sunrise.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Exotic Location, Near Death Experiences, & Heart Pounding Hunts May 7, 2010

By Melissa VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

For Memphis and Abigail Jones, life was an adventure. Their time as missionaries to the Amarakaeri tribe in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle had presented them with great opportunity but also great risk. However, it was time to leave the Amarakaeri tribe, who was now like family, and show God's love to a newly discovered people group, the Isconahua. Plunging into the unknown and having no idea how this new people group would receive them, the Jones left the comfort of the Amarakaeri people to face this new challenge.

Meanwhile, author Jonah Frost had reached the bottom. Divorced and struggling from years of writer's block, drunk and barely continuing to plod through each day, his brother, Noah, managed to convince him to join him on a trip to the Peruvian Amazon Jungle to study the language of the Isconahua people. The Frost brothers along with the Jones and three other people traveled together to meet, study, and photography the Isconahua. Though most were strangers with their own agenda when they started their journey, the seven united to survive the harsh jungle environment and through their adventures, Jonah slowly began to discover what it truly meant to live. Inspired by Williams' time as a missionary, Jungle Sunrise has a strong, intriguing plot in a majestic and captivating setting.

Moment of complete honesty here, I was surprised by this book. I'll admit I wasn't real sure how much I was going to like it. The premise sounded interesting, but I went in with a few reservations. Well, Jungle Sunrise is good. It's actually very good. It's not as polished as other books on the market and could have used a bit more editing, but I loved the story. It was engaging, had a strong plot, and you can't beat the setting.

The Peruvian Amazon Jungle and Williams' experiences there carried this book. The reader is not given a romanticized picture drawn from online research but is instead presented with an insider view of both its beauty and its terror. It is obvious the author spent some time in the jungle. Many of the adventures and brushes with death seemed amazingly realistic. I could not discern which events were drawn from experience and which were a product of Williams' imagination. Furthermore, the Jones' lives were not portrayed as missionaries often are. Gone are the naive ideas and images so easily conjured by those of us who have never been involved in treacherous missionary work. This book presented a different side to missionary life which greatly enhanced the story's thrill making the adventure feel more alive.

A couple of parts of Jungle Sunrise make for some good contemplation. For example, it puts forth the question are evangelical missionaries destroying a culture or giving to the people? Would it be better to simply observe and take away only knowledge of who these people are rather than interact and share ideas? I loved this debate. Both sides of the argument were well presented and it added an extra layer of tension. I had never given it much thought, but this question adds another perspective to how missionaries can be viewed by those outside the church.

This book does have some not so subtle evangelical messages, but they're not overpowering. It also has a few areas that needed some additional editing, especially in the opening pages. Overall, though I enjoyed the story and the setting is simply spectacular. After all, with heart pounding hunts and near death experiences in an exotic location, what's not to love?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! July 27, 2010

By Clint K.

Format:Paperback

I just finished "Jungle Sunrise" for the second time and loved it. There are few people on earth who could describe life deep in the Amazon jungle, but the reader is in capable hands as Williams draws from his experience in Peru. Personally, I think it is difficult to write Christian fiction, as they are wrought with cliches. However, Williams manages to tell a gripping story of redemption while avoiding "Christianeese." There are many surprises for the reader, and I am sure every reader can sympathize with the protagonist Jonah. I highly recommend the book and I am excited to see Williams' next offering.

Clint