Monday, July 27, 2015

Called for Life: How Loving our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic, a review


Like so many Americans, I was watching the television when Dr. Brantly's plane landed in Atlanta.  The missionary was the first person with Ebola to be brought into the U.S. for treatment.  Those of us who had been praying for him were both happy and startled to see him walk in the hospital... albeit with the help of others.

The entire story fascinated me and I was curious as to what was going on behind the scenes.  How did he get Ebola?  Why was he and his family in Liberia?  What was their story?

So I was quite happy to read their story in Called for Life and I wasn't disappointed.  The day the book arrived I was busy so I skimmed the first couple of chapters and set it aside.  Sunday evening I picked it up again, thinking I would read a few chapters and finish it Monday.  Wrong thing to do.

For once I started the book Sunday evening, I could not put it down.  I had to continue reading it until the end.  The book is fascinating.  The story is fascinating.  Even though we know how it ends, the book keeps you on the edge of your seat as the Ebola story unfolds.

On one hand this is a story of faith and perseverance of a missionary team.  It is a story of how a drug test which begun years ago was in the right place at the right time to save a young missionary doctor.  It is the story of medical professionals who risked their own life to save others.

But it is also the story of how Ebola spread through that part of Africa like the proverbial wildfire.   The worse case scenario that medical professionals hoped would never happen.  It is a fascinating story and just a little bit frightening.

I highly recommend this book.  It reminds me again of the work missionaries do throughout the world.  As well as organizations such as Samaritan's Purse whose people risk their lives to go into dangerous situations to help others.  Exceptional story.

This book was provided by Blogging For Books for the purpose of review but the opinion is my own.

Further information can be found at Amazon.com... here.*

*Most links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

2 comments:

Vee said...

It does sound like an interesting book. Soon after Dr. Brantly's story was unfolding, we had nurse Kaci Hickox's unfolding here in my corner. I am glad that she moved on. =D I imagine that Brantly is far more altruistic on all levels. I wonder if he has any lingering effects from the disease.

Years ago, nearly thirty, I was substitute teaching at a reform school. Ebola had just come on the scene and the African people were being quarantined to their communities and still it was spreading across Africa. It was in the news every night. The students asked me why it was spreading and so I asked, "What would you do if you were well and you were living in an area where so many were getting ill?" Eyes wide all over the room and then the strangest agitation arose that spread across them all. Very unsettling. Have never forgotten it.

Will follow your link...

Heather LeFebvre said...

oh this sounds good!