A Brief Review of
Scared: A novel.
Tom Davis.
Paperback: David C. Cook, 2009.
Buy now: [ ChristianBook.com ]
Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee.
Africa is all the rage, it seems, in the media and public eye. A dismal line from the movie, Hotel Rwanda, references an apathetic audience that misunderstands Africa. Not so for the troubled but award-winning photo-journalist, Stuart Daniels, the main character in Tom Davis’s novel, Scared. Though fictional, Stuart Daniels joins Bono and other celebrity Africa activists echoing the cries for a continent in plight.
A compelling read, Davis is a punchy writer, willing to let his biases fly in a sometimes preachy way. His compassion for Africa is much more than artistic exploitation by a Westerner. The deep concern he shows for Africa is matched equally with his deep sensory knowledge, describing the terrain in ways that only a person who has spilled sweat, tears and possibly blood on the soil could do. Reading of how Africa arrests the heart of Stuart Daniels must be like reading the diaries of Davis himself and the African romance that captured him.
One of the more powerful aspects of this novel is that Davis is unashamed in his confused petitions of God’s purpose. He asks why it seems that God turns a blind eye to the continent. But Davis’s God is a God who suffers with the suffering. While at times a little hokey, Davis’s God is not silent, nor at rest. God loves Africa and Davis is obviously resolute in this hope.
This book is the book to read to understand missionaries and aid-workers serving in Africa today. And though Davis won’t likely win the prestige that his character Stuart Daniels wins, a few hours with Scared is far more informative and impacting than an award-winning photo with a spot on front-page of the New York Times.
C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
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