Very moving and well-written, but some violence and slightly inappropriate pictures.
Plot
Five missionaries and their families set out to bring the Gospel of Christ to the Auca tribe in South America. Told from the alternating points of view of the missionaries themselves and a fictional Auca boy, this is a story of God's transforming power working through seemingly tragic events.
Morality
Excellent. Good is shown as good and bad as bad, and at the same time the reader can relate to the motives of both. The missionaries are great role models of people overflowing with the love of God.
Spiritual Content
God, Jesus, the Gospel, and the Bible (or "God's Carving") are mentioned many times. Singing "warrior spirits" are seen at one point. There are two brief mentions of tribal religion. The main theme of the book is God's unconditional, sacrificial love.
Violence
Killing is mentioned and characters are threatened many times. Some characters are wounded and they recover. Some main characters die, and the finding of their bodies is described, though not in any detail. None of the violence is at all graphic.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
None of the Aucas wear any clothes, and there are several pictures of them, though the pictures are carefully arranged so that little shows. One man and woman try to elope, but are prevented. Polygamy seems to be an accepted thing in the Auca tribe.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
One man calls another a greedy pig. A man talks about women as if they were no more valuable than clay pots.
Conclusion
This is an amazing true story (based on the life of Nate Saint) of God's work in the hearts of a morally bankrupt people clearly headed for destruction, through the Christ-like love of five missionary families. The fictional character who provides the main Auca point of view seems to be morally better than everyone else in his tribe, which annoyed me slightly, but that is the only thing I did not like about this book. The lifestyle of both the Aucas and the missionaries are very well portrayed, especially the Aucas.
This review is brought to you by Lorewen.
