Product Details
Title: Praying With The Enemy: Based on a True Story
Author: Steven T. Collis
Genre: Historical Fiction
- Publisher : Shadow Mountain (June 16, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1629729949
***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own***
Book Summary
"Mesmerizing story. Collis instantly establishes himself as a literary force in historical fiction. A remarkably fresh voice to wartime inspiration." ―Booklist, starred review
Based on the true story of an American POW during the Korean War and a North Korean soldier who become unlikely allies united in their shared faith in God during a daring escape to freedom.
When pilot Captain Ward Millar is forced to eject over enemy territory in North Korea, the ejection explosion snaps both of his ankles. Unable to walk, he is easily captured by North Korean and Chinese soldiers who interrogate, threaten, and starve him for strategic wartime information. He feeds the enemy false information while plotting his escape. But it's only a matter of time before they discover his lies. He knows it will take a miracle to gain his freedom, but his previous self-reliance on his own capabilities has never included appealing to a higher power. If only he had faith like his wife, Barbara, whose firm belief in God can move mountains.
North Korean soldier Kim Jae Pil was raised to believe in the power of prayer, but, knowing the Communist Party's views on religious groups, Kim and his family must keep their Christian faith secret. He is desperate to escape the army, return to his family, and then flee to South Korea.
With Millar imprisoned and unable to walk, and the North Korean army increasingly suspicious of Kim's actions, it seems impossible that either man will find the freedom they so desperately desire. But when these wartime foes cross paths, they find in each other an unlikely ally. Despite speaking different languages, Millar and Kim find common ground in their fragile faith and must rely on each other to undertake a daring escape.
Praying with the Enemy is a story of courage, determination, unlikely friendship, and enduring faith.
My Review
Praying With the Enemy is a Historical Fiction novel based on the true story of an American POW during the Korean War. I was especially interested in this time period because my dad served in the army during the Korean War. Author Steven Collis has written an engrossing story that pulls readers in from the start. It's hard to think of the pain and agony pilot Captain Ward Millar went through as he ejected from his plane snapping both of his ankles in the process. Ward was a man of very little faith at the beginning of this experience. Near the end, though he came to rely on the faith of his beloved wife Barbara and his new reliance on God. Readers also get some chapters from Barbara's perspective and how she never gave up on believing that her husband was still alive.
We also meet North Korean soldier Kim Jae Pil who wants nothing more than to worship God and live peacefully with his family. Kim was forced into becoming a soldier for the Communist North Korean army. The novel shifts between the perspective of Ward, Barbara, and Kim displaying their trials and how eventually their paths cross. Divine intervention brought these two men together, who by this time shared the same belief in a higher power. The courage and the fortitude of both men were extraordinary. Reading about war and the fallout can oftentimes be hard for most people. It brings to light how hard war is on soldiers and the common people, and how we should be more appreciative of the freedoms we enjoy, and need to show gratitude for those who fought for that freedom.
This well-written novel will keep you in suspense hoping and waiting for Captain Millar to be rescued and Kim Jae Pil to gain his freedom. I also enjoyed reading the afterword of Ward and Kim's life and the pictures provided of the men and their families. Historical Fiction readers will immerse themselves in this incredible story of bravery, faith, and ingenuity.
***Meet Author Steven T. Collis***
Steven T. Collis is the author of the nonfiction books Deep Conviction and The Immortals, as well as the novel Praying with the Enemy. He is a storyteller at heart, but in his other life, he is also a law professor at the University of Texas School of Law, where he is the faculty director of the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center and Texas's Law & Religion Clinic.
Prior to joining the faculty at Texas, he was the Olin-Darling Research Fellow in the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School and was an equity partner at Holland & Hart LLP, where he chaired the firm's nationwide religious institutions and First Amendment practice group.
Before embarking on his legal and writing career, Steven graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor on the Michigan Law Review and the Michigan Journal of Race and Law. Steven also holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he served as the associate editor of the literary journal Blackbird. He completed his undergraduate studies, with university honors, at Brigham Young University.
Originally from New Mexico, Steven lives in Austin with his wife and children. He is on the web at www.steventcollis.com. Praying With The Enemy
HERE:
Praise for "Praying With The Enemy"
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Other Works by the AuthorThe Immortals: The World War II Story of Five Fearless Heroes, the Sinking of the Dorchester, and an Awe-Inspiring Rescue(2021)Deep Conviction:True Stories of Ordinary Americans Fight for the Freedom to Live Their Beliefs (2019)Other Works by the AuthorThe Immortals: The World War II Story of Five Fearless Heroes, the Sinking of the Dorchester, and an Awe-Inspiring Rescue(2021)Deep Conviction:True Stories of Ordinary Americans Fight for the Freedom to Live Their Beliefs (2019)
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