Note: I received this book for free from the Voice of the Martyrs, no review necessary, because I am part of the CrossCards.com mailing list. (perhaps I’ll share someday how I get free books like this often) I’m just reviewing this book because 1) I appreciate the generosity of the Voice of the Martyrs, and 2) I want to write a review for y’all!
Introduction
Hearts of Fire by The Voice of the Martyrs chronicles the lives of eight Christian women from eight different countries, all of which have been or still are persecuted for their faith. These women are from vastly different cultures, religious backgrounds, and governments, but have experienced similar atrocities and the same fire of God burning in their hearts to tell others about Christ.
Photo credit: Voice of the Martyrs
The Things I Liked
- These women are portrayed as human. As I’ve mentioned before, this means a lot to me whenever I read books about those who minister for Christ.
- This book doesn’t come across as feminist, which I very much appreciate. I was considering buying this book before it was offered to me for free through CrossCards.com, but the reason I didn’t buy it was that I was unsure as to whether it would be from a feminist or woman-glorifying point of view. If that’s what’s holding you back, don’t let it.
- The writing style was captivating and readable for all ages, without ever being “too” readable.
- The stories are fairly contemporary, being at earliest from the 1980s. As far as I know, all the women are still alive, which is really cool because it allows you to pray for them and be informed for prayer about their country.
The Things I Didn’t Like
- Some of the stories portray women being in leadership positions over men, which contradicts my interpretation of Scripture. Likewise, some were evangelists or preachers, and if you have a doctrinal issue with those things, you should be aware of that before buying it. Most of the stories didn’t go glorifying women preaching and things–rather, they were simply persecution stories that happened to be about Christian women that were persecuted for their beliefs or Christian work–but there were a couple that preached and things.
- There were a couple torture scenes that I could almost feel, but they weren’t terrible, and they helped me understand what it might be like to be in those women’s shoes.
Note to Parents
I wouldn’t recommend this book for a kid younger than 11. (Of course, depending on your kid!) While there isn’t too much gore in the book, they do describe a torture technique or two in relative detail (cringe-worthy for me), they discuss a forced marriage of a woman (who has a baby by that man) who was already married and she deals with guilt over that, there is a scene in which some missionaries are burned to death, and other such instances. If in doubt, I would recommend pre-reading it, but it’s quite all right for teens.
Summary
For me, this book is a “to read”! It encouraged me in my faith, and opened my eyes to what females around the world are going through for their faith and their obedience. An eye-opener for sure! I would definitely recommend this book to women and girls (men too!) that are interested in knowing what their sisters from around the world endure. Get ready to be challenged!
How to Purchase
To purchase this book, head to The Voice of the Martyrs’ Bookstore. For a better deal, check out thrift sites online such as ThriftBooks. There’s almost always some free deal to get this book, so check into that as well!
Feedback!
Do you have any particular questions about this book before you buy it? If you’ve read this book, what did you think of it? Do you have any suggestions for other books I should review? If so, please let me know in the comments (or in my contact form, if you would prefer that). I look forward to hearing from you!
Elle's Everyday 