Rating: 
Summary: Obnoxious little twits...
Review: Here's the story of two zealots who went into Afghanistan to spread their loopy theories. Their writing is insipid and self-righteous and I have no more sympathy for them than I do for John Walker Lindh.
Rating:
Summary: Prisoners of Hope
Review: I bought this book after seeing the pictures of Afganistan, thinking it would be interesting to read. I found it skipped around alot, didnt go into details about much. I have lost interest in it and dont know if I will even finish reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: What a book!
Review: I can't say enough about these two women--They are a tremendous examples of people who are willing to stand up for what they believe. And I found it beautiful the way they talked about the people in Afghanistand and how much they grew to love them. When people worry about the convictions of the younger generations I think they should just be reminded of what Ms. Curry and Ms. Mercer put on the line, giving of themselves, trying to spread God's love by serving the poor and (yes) at times sharing about the faith that motivated to go to Afghanistan in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Dayna and Heather!
Review: I could not put this book down - what an experience these girls had!! I also can not believe all the negative feedback these girls have received here. ??? Spys for President Bush? Dumb & Dumber? Twits? Give me a break! Either these commenters are jealous, intimidated, or non-christian - some say they are christian but I've learned that all who claim to be are not necessarily walking in the spirit. I know many who claim to be Christian and have never read the bible! Dayna & Heather the bible says that you will be persecuted..... 2 Timothy 3:12, Matt 24:9, John 15:20, Matt 5:10-12... "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven... "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake... "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
You did a lot of good for many women and families - do not let anyone tell you different. You know different. You are not stupid, or naive. I commend you for all you went through to help these people - for doing good and for sharing your faith in Jesus. You picked up your cross and followed the great commission... Matt 28:12-20 Bless you! This book was great and I thank you for taking the time to write it - it is an inspiration to all and encouragement for many. I pray that my own children would follow in your example of faith. Your parents have been truly blessed. The proceeds from this book and your CD will help so many in Afghanistan - so much good has come from your imprisonment and trials.
Rating:
Summary: A truely inspirational story.
Review: I just finished reading this book and I must say that I greatly admire Miss Curry & Miss Mercer for their faith in God. The book is easy to read and understand and gives a very good description of their lives in Afganistan during the months they were there.
The first part of the book describes their daily lives before they were captured by the Taliban, the people they knew, the type of work they did, etc. I opened the book expecting to be bored, but to my suprise I was very inspired by this gripping story. Highly recommended!!! Five Stars * * * * *
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: I see the reviews of this book are quite varied, from the obvious non-Christians to the staunch Christian supporters. On one hand, from a Christian perspective, here are two women who gave up their worldly lives to move to Afghanistan. How can most of us comprehand that? I can't, and I have traveled on mission trips all over E. Europe. On top of that, they were imprisoned by a known terrorist group, and became a nationwide story. They most definitely have an amazing story to tell, although I doubt they could ever truly convey their true thoughts and feelings. Given the subject, I think this is a very good read and inspirational. However, there is a down side. This is by no means a literary work of art. It is poorly edited, rushed, and in many places includes just plain uninteresting (relatively speaking) "day in the life" tales of what they ate, etc. It was written in diary form and definitely had a lot of fluff. As much as I hate to say it, and without going into detail, I am also not quite sure that the book accurately reflected the personalities of these two people who sacraficed so much. The bottom line is that what they were doing was Biblical, a great sacrafice, and made the world a better place. This is a great book to read simply because of what they experienced, hence the 4 stars. However, don't expect great writing, or editing.
Rating: 
Summary: Keep NGO aid work secular!
Review: I thought this book was extremely interesting. Although not the best written in the world, it makes up for it by the insight you gain about the Afgahni people and the hearts of these brave women. I enjoyed it and would read it again and recommend it to others.
Rating:
Summary: Prisoners of Hope
Review: I thought this book was extremely interesting. Although not the best written in the world, it makes up for it by the insight you gain about the Afgahni people and the hearts of these brave women. I enjoyed it and would read it again and recommend it to others.
Rating:
Summary: Criminals legally making money in America
Review: I was appalled to read that these two "Prisoners of Hope" were actually missionaries in Afghanistan under the disguise of aid workers. They lied about who they were and what they were doing, not something that you would expect from "god fearin' folks". Their actions jeopardized actual aid work, and their presence in Afghanistan did more harm then good, and what is even more appalling is that they are now making money of their crimes. If you are really bored and what to see how xtians break the law in gods name then read this book, if not, just use it for an extra leg on that old chair.
Rating:
Summary: Sincere but Naive
Review: I'll try to avoid my own views about missionary work and try to review the actual content of this book. I think these two women are sincerely religious and have a true love for the Afghani people but in their blind religious zeal, they didn't see the harm they were actually doing. I was relieved to see that they did visit hospitals and did do some charity work but they were really breaking the law and drawing local people into potiential danger. I would have liked to know what happened to that little girl with cerebal palsy...I was glad to read their side of the story after seeing coverage of their adventure in the press. I was relieved that they were not grossly mistreated. While their captivity wasn't a luxurious vacation, I think their difficulties were more psychological than physical. One small point bothered me throughout; I felt there was a certain tension between the two of them. Heather seems to have weathered worse than Dayna. She mentions, at one point when the British journalist was confined with them, something about being able to express herself freely and doesn't explain more. I feel like there is something big they're not revealing. I would have liked to have read more about what happened once they were released. I felt kind of let go at the end without a nice tie-up. I found that, while this is not a great work of literature, it's very readable and interesting. Since I'm not a Christian, I wont comment on the religious slant to the book but it was good insight on the outlook their brand of Christianity gives on the world. It obviously was a great comfort to them so I wont judge that. Dayna seems to have good command of the language and I hope she is able to put this skill to use in the future to help this culture she appreciates. Heather maybe should stay closer to home, especially after the tragic death of her sister right before this experience. Her parents have been through enough I think. This book would be a good discussion point for future missionaries. After their imprisonment, other foreigners were evacuated out of Afghanistan, many of whom were doing far more to help the local people and their work was cut short too. If only they had respected the local laws... They know that they were very, very lucky to have made it through it all intact!
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