Rating: 
Summary: Even the mislead can do good
Review: This book is classic example of how people motivated by poor theology and bad religion can still do some good. I know Dayna and Heather. I went to the church that Jimmy Seibert started. They not only believe all muslims goto hell, which is par for evangelicals, but they were part of the same discipling movement I was. That church stunted the lives and growth of many.But if you read this book, you do see the simplicty of Dayna's heart. She really does love the people she went to be a missionary to. I am sure more than one person was touched by god DESPITE their poor theology and the controlling discipleship style. Dayna, for all her misquidedness, is at least DOING SOMETHING. most people just live the quiet life of suburbia, and then read these books to titillate themselves. I am so glad she never sold out and stopped being a radical. But like Che Guevara, just because you are a radical, does not make your brand of christianity (or in che's case, marxism) true. I respect not her head but her heart.
Rating: 
Summary: I like it
Review: this book is the best book i had ever read in my life time. this book is about two girls that did not have a strong faith about Jesus christ. when i started reading this book every thing in my life had change about me and jesus. my mother help me know how much Jesus means to me and how he make me happy and tells me that every thing is going to be ok. i allways read the bible more because i under stand what is going on in my life. i know that God is going to be with me no matter what.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Interesting
Review: This book tends to jump around a little bit, but it is chalk full of intriguing and sad stories of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The reader is taken along with Dayna and Heather as they wander through the streets, interact with Afghan women and children and make regular visits at a hospital with woeful conditions. Years of war and oppression are evident everywhere. The Taliban had no qualms at all about beating their own people just for breathing wrong. Dayna's and Heather's compassion for these people are quite evident, although there is very little focus on what specific projects they or Shelter Now International were involved with. Instead, the focus of the book is on the Afghan people, the power of God and life in prison. The reader is also given a very detailed account of the chaotic events leading up to their dramatic helicopter rescue. Were Dayna and Heather perhaps a little careless in showing the life of Jesus on CD-rom to an Afghan family (which lead to their arrest)? Possibly, but that is a topic for another forum. Missionary/aid work is always extremely difficult and hard to do in a country where persecution runs rampant and not many are eager to do it. This is a fascinating and inspiring story - an excellent reminder of the tremendous freedom and prosperity we tend to take for granted here in America.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is a book that would inspire other Christians to meditate upon that divinely instituted responsibility of evangelization and the showing off of love, which are hallmarks of a godly driven life. Totally recommended and one that should be included in a growing library of books dealing with missionary work and faith.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling & Convicting
Review: This is a moving story - thank you Dayna & Heather.
Ultimately this is not about Afghanistan, 9/11 or events in history but about two young individuals hearing God's voice and heading the words, "Go!" A very compelling story that will lead you to ponder how you would respond to the same. Pardon the pun, but it is indeed a captivating read.
Rating:
Summary: Keep NGO aid work secular!
Review: This is a timely book to read in light of the current military campaign in Irag and yet-to-be-outlined plans for "reconstruction" by a "born again" President. While poorly written (probably quickly written in order to capitalize on publicity following their imprisonment and dramatic pickup by US special forces), Prisoners of Hope gives insight into the mentality of two evangelical NGO workers. While no one can doubt the eagerness of these young women to visit the ill, feed the hugry, and clothe the destitute, their naive decision to show a Jesus film to a curious family had serious consequences for Afghanis connected with their project, other aid workers, and the US military personel dispatched to airlift them out of a dangerous situation. The book describes the daily suffering of the Kabul citizens living under the Taliban in a shattered economy but does not give any insight into their Islamic faith or mention of the honor Muslims accorded Jesus as a prophet. ( The fact that a family was curious to see a film about Jesus does not necessarily mean that they were on the verge of conversion. The appendix with instructions on "how to bring Jesus" into one's heart suggests a rather simplistic view of spiritual development.) Although their imprisonment conditions were terrible, it would appear better than those endured by ordinary Afghanis. Curry, Mercer, and other arrested aid workers were able to order food and supplies from outside and allowed to stay together.
Fortunately, I got this book from the library instead of purchasing it - it's too disorganized to merit a re-read. Still, I'm glad that I resisted urges to put down the book. It makes one understand why aid workers should not proselytize.
Rating:
Summary: A fresh perspective on the lives of missionaries
Review: This is the story of Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer, the two American Christian aid workers who were arrested by the Taliban prior to 9-11 for witnessing to families in Afghanistan. The book begins with a little background about the pair and how they eventually came to know Christ. They relate how God began to put the people of Afghanistan on their hearts, leading them to become aid workers. From their arrest, captivity, and harrowing escape, the descriptive writing style of Stacy Mattingly, while sometimes too detailed, will make you feel as if you are with them throughout their ordeal. I could not put this book down. It was written in the form of a journal from each perspective, which allowed you to see the separate struggles each faced. The stories of the suffering they encountered prior to arrest broke my heart. To face the penalty of death while witnessing must have taken great courage. They constantly had favor with their captors, and it is a miracle they escaped alive. Reading this book will put a face to the people of Afghanistan, unlike the media. It will also instill a healthy perspective on what we truly have as Americans.
Rating:
Summary: A Moving Story of Compassion and Courage
Review: This story is our story, the story of the privileged people of the United States who followed the unfolding news events surrounding these two captives with prayer mingled with confusion. Why were they in Afghanistan to begin with? What had they done to warrant imprisonment? This book reveals the answers through Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer's heartfelt sincerity and honest story of fear and faith--and it challenges Americans to examine what they truly believe about freedom, including the freedom to worship. Though every reader will of course know the ending of this story before they begin, I can't imagine anyone not being moved by the compassion of these two women who simply wanted to demonstrate Christ's love in tangible ways to people who've been ignored by most of the world. Their desire to serve, to create opportunities, to care for the neglected people of Afghanistan reveals a selflessness to which we should all aspire. This is not a story of missionaries bent on converting the masses; it's a tale of two who longed to give their lives in meaningful service to meet the needs of others--and along the way share a glimpse of the faith that has given them hearts full of love.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Grace
Review: This story of Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer's imprisonment in Afghanistan is one that opens the eyes of the reader to the horrible conditions of their captivity as well as the lives of the Afghan people. This was two young women who went to Afghanistan not as Christian missionaries but as aid workers for Shelter Now International who just happened to be Christians. Their ordeal was very frightening and miserable for them both. Their rescue in the end was truly an answer to prayers from around the world. I must say that the book is not well written and at times it is boring. It is written in a fashion that is, at times, difficult to read. It gets a bit mundane at times with the description of their daily lives with the reader finding out every little detail of life in prision, right down to, practically, which sock they put on first. I also disagree with those who say that "poor theology, bad religion and their naivety" is causing trouble for other people. Neither were they spy's for President Bush. Heather and Dayna, again, went as aid workers. Not missionaries. If someone wanted to know about Jesus, they would tell them. They never once offered to tell people about Jesus. They even warned those who asked about Jesus what might happen if they engaged in discussion about Jesus. I am very thankful to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they touched the lives of so many and were brought back home by a loving God!
Rating:
Summary: Dumb and dumber.
Review: This story would make a hilarious movie starring Adam Sandler and Will Farrell as two muddle-headed evangelists who bumble their way through a foreign country, obliviously offending and endangering everyone they come into contact with. Of course, the funniest part of the story (in the "Being There" tradition of elevating simpletons to great heights) is when the hapless duo return to the US to be treated as heroic royalty by incredibly gullible segments of the population who mistake their primitive naivete to be a sign of courage or nobility. If you love reading books about totally clueless Americans who embarrass themselves and their country in ill-concieved attempts at religious conversion, you're gonna love 'Prisoners of Hope'. Soon to play at a theatre near you under the title of "Dumb and Dumber Go to Afghanistan". 2 stars for unintended humor and absurdity.
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