Reviewed by: Ronni M. Meier, professional writing major at Taylor

Introduction

Title: Farewell, Four Waters: One Aid Worker’s Sudden Escape from Afghanistan. A Novel Based on True Events

Author: Kate McCord

Publisher: River North: Fiction from Moody Publishers

Publication Date: Oct 2014

Format: Paperback

Length: 363 pages

OVERVIEW

Based on a true story, Farewell, Four Waters by Kate McCord (pseudonym) recaps the main character, Marie’s, last fourteen days of her mission work in Afghanistan. Marie has been an aid worker in Afghanistan for five years, but when another aid worker is murdered, Marie must learn to balance her love for the women she teaches against the reality that her own life is now in perilous danger. McCord lived and worked in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2010, teaching illiterate women how to read, gain workable skills, and organize their lives more productively. She uses that experience to give this book an intense and personal look into the life of an aid worker in Afghanistan.

This book successfully explores the emotional, physical, and spiritual toll that working in a foreign country places on missionaries and aid workers. McCord also does an excellent job at describing the environment and culture of Afghanistan, while providing realistic reactions through the fears, doubts, and struggles of main character Marie.

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5)

4 out of 5 stars

Suggested Audience

I strongly recommend this book for older teens and adults, especially those in a book club, as this book can spark a lot of good conversations.

Christian Impact

This book successfully explores the emotional, physical, and spiritual toll that working in a foreign country places on missionaries and aid workers.

Ronni M. Meier is a professional writing major at Taylor University and a freelance writer for WBCL radio, The Echo, Church Libraries, Advanced Christian Writer, and Christian Communicator.

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