3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gripping Story, June 15, 2005
This review is from: When the Lion Roars (Paperback)
This is a story of passion. Passion for a country and a people in pain. Passion for children in a war-torn place. Passion for a God who leads heroes into desperate, dangerous places and provides their protection.
And it is the story of one woman who is brave enough to stay in a country not her own.
When Paul Farid lands a plane packed with food and medical supplies in war-ravaged Sudan, he is surprised to learn that his contact, Dr. Larson Kerr, is a woman - a light-haired American woman.
With the dying and wounded all around her, Dr. Kerr's days are brightened only by two Sudanese children, inspiring sixteen-year-old Rachel and protective twelve-year-old Nyok, who help her in the straw-roofed medical clinic.
Dr. Kerr discovers much about herself as she attempts to fight off the God she once knew. But what secret from Dr. Kerr's past continues to torment her? And will Colonel Ben Alier of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, a man who hates Paul Farid because of his past, tell her of Paul's true identity?
Although I knew nothing about Sudan before reading this book, Mills' colorful imagery brought this African nation to life for me. I could almost smell the "cup of hot sweetened karkaday tea, made from a variety of crushed hibiscus."
DiAnn Mills has told a gripping story. One I hope will stir up support for today's heroes. For the men and women who are brave enough to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of those living in war zones. Many still fight to survive the danger which lurks in the darkness, but God's light shines when the lion roars.
I recommend this book - a very worthwhile read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable, informative read, May 18, 2005
This review is from: When the Lion Roars (Paperback)
Where the Lion Roars is a dramatic novel about a challenging topic-the civil war in southern Sudan. In her easy reading voice, DiAnn Mills presents an intense fictional tale of a young Sudanese girl's rescue from slave traders. Ms Mills has skillfully crafted three very unique and diametrically opposite characters: Dr. Larson Kerr, an American physician; Paul Farid, a Christian Arab who flies for FTW (Feed the World); and Colonel Ben Alier, a leader of the SPLA (Sudanese People's Liberation Army) guerilla forces.
Larson, Paul, and Ben also wrestle with personal spiritual wars as they search for Ben's sister, Rachel. Paul, like his Biblical namesake, is guilt-ridden by his persecution of the Sudanese Christians before he renounced his royal family. A bitter Larson is running from her childhood faith and turning a deaf ear to a God who allows bad things to happen to good people. Ben's rage at the atrocities against his people is at constant odds with his Christian faith.
Ben and Larson openly distrust all Arabs, and Paul must constantly strive to prove himself at the same time keeping his ties to the Khartoum's Islamic government from Larson. Because of their individual desire to provide hope for the people of Sudan, the three set aside their prejudices and form a most unlikely alliance to execute a daring rescue of Rachel. And, in the process, find themselves caught in a tenuous love triangle.
Simultaneously, the reader follows the struggles of Nyok, the young boy Ben has assigned as Larson's "warrior-protector." Larson and Paul believe Nyok should get an education, Ben believes he should fight with the SPLA. Nyok must determine how God wants to use him to bring peace to his beloved southern Sudan. Clearly, Ms Mills uses Nyok to represent a type of the true hope of Sudan for a peaceful future.
When the Lion Roars is not an easily categorized book. It has suspense, though it's not a suspense novel. It hints at romance, but it's not a romance and it's not a mystery. It is a well-written fictional novel based on what's happening in Sudan. The story gives clarity and a sense of understanding to a complicated part of today's world. That Ms Mills has spent many hours researching is obvious. The basic Sudanese conflict unfolds in an understandable manner without over-simplification of the complexity of the issues surrounding the conflict. She minces no words in her portrayal of the GOS's human rights abuses, and, through her three main characters' point of view, you feel the agony and frustration of the situation in Sudan.
Her skill as writer comes through in the fast-paced opening pages and well-crafted scene hooks. As a reader, you want to keep going to see how the story ends. Her commitment to her faith is apparent as her characters struggle to find the purpose for their lives and in their work. Yet, these Christian issues do not overpower the plot.
I've read many books by Ms Mills and found this one to be an incredibly enlightening read. An unexpected adventure! I think you will too, and I highly recommend its purchase. For those of you looking for a book club selection or small group study book, When the Lion Roars even has a Christian-focused discussion guide to use.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life-changing tale, May 10, 2006
This review is from: When the Lion Roars (Paperback)
I found this a riveting story, based on factual happenings in Sudan. The characters were so real they literally walked off the page into my heart. This is a book that will entertain you but also change your perspective and make you care about the plight of others. Highly recommended!
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