BURNED ALIVE: A SURVIVOR OF AN "'HONOR KILLING" SPEAKS OUT (SOUAD)

This was a harrowing book to read!! To think that in this day and age people can act so barbaric and commit unspeakable crimes against loved ones is truly horrendous. I am so stunned at Souad's story that I don't feel I could do her justice by writing my own review. What this woman has been through is atrocious, frightful, appalling, and extremely sad. I wouldn't want, in any way, to shame Souad or make her feel I said something in my review to hurt her feelings so I will leave you with the synopsis taken from the back cover of the book.

"When Souad was seventeen she fell in love. In her West Bank village, as in so many others, sex before marriage is considered a grave dishonor to one's family and is punishable by death. This was her crime. Her brother-in-law was given the task of meting out her punishment. One morning while Souad was washing the family's clothes, he poured gasoline over her and set her on fire.

Miracuously, she survived, rescued by the women of her village, who put out the flames and took her to a local hospital. Horribly burned to over seventy per cent of her body and still denounced by her family, Souad was able to receive the care she needed only after the intervention of a European aid worker. Now in permanent exile from her homeland, she has decided to tell her story and reveal the barbarity of a practice that continues to this day.

BURNED ALIVE is the first true account ever published by a victim of an "honor crime". Souad's inspiring testimony is a shocking, moving, and harrowing story of cruelty and incomparable courage...and an inspiring call to action to end a heinous tradition."

I personally, give Souad a standing ovation for having the strength and courage to tell her story. To stand up and be counted both as a woman and as a human being and to be immensely proud of who she is and what she has accomplished...my heart and my prayers will be with you always, Souad!!!

February 9, 2011

SAVING LEVI LEFT TO DIE...DESTINED TO LIVE (LISA MISRAJE BENTLEY)

Imagine finding a baby with 3rd and 4th degree burns to over 70 percent of it's body left laying in a field to die? That is exactly what the villagers of a poor farming community just outside Langfang City in China found. With approximately 40 villagers seeking the sound of the horrendous shrieking cries scouring the field for the source, only one kind-hearted gentleman was willing to pick up the baby and thus begin the "Saving [of] Levi".

Only when this one lone man found it in his heart to pick up Levi did he really begin a chain of events that would not only save the child's life, but spark an amazing chain of events that would bring people from various countries and faiths together in a successful battle against time to save Levi's life.

This is a compelling and true story, a story of immense love, kindness, caring, faith and God and the power He has to invoke healing where He sees fit. My hat goes off to the many, many people spoken about in this book who aided in Levi's journey, but more so to the Bentley family for their daring, their deep faith and their unconditional love for an abandoned child who needed someone to care!

This story will touch your heart at its deepest level and will remind you that with faith and a solid belief in your God, that all things are possible. Good luck little Levi!

February 8, 2011