"Behind the Veils of Yemen,"

My first book review of this month,  "Behind the Veils of Yemen," by Audra Grace Shelby.

Women began to arrive in the entry hall, peeling away their black outer coverings. I watched in amazement as shimmering bodies emerged from the black shrouds. One woman sparkled in a purple silk caftan, her arms gleaming with gold jewelry. I smiled to myself. If people only knew what was under those veils. I looked at their faces, artfully painted with makeup, not at all how they appeared in public: dark eyes in narrow black slits. They were like the beauties of Arab folklore. I was awed by the transformation.


With only prayer and a faith that always seemed too small, Audra Grace Shelby departed with her husband and children on a one-way flight to Yemen...deep into the heart of conservative Islam.


With honesty and passion, she shares her harrowing journey as a Christian woman thrust into a culture dangerously different from her own. From the friendships she forged, to her gnawing doubt and fear, to her offers of hope when her new friends' religion failed them, she gives us glimpses of a world most have never seen: behind the veils of real Muslim women--and how the grace of God touches lives in the midst of an Islamic stronghold.

As soon as I saw this book, I knew it would be an interesting read, and it was.  The family involved in this book are certainly one in a million.  It takes a special family to take on this task.

I personally don't fully understand the "job" of being a missionary.  I also don't share the ultimate faith that the family in this book share.  I think if you're not overly religious you may find this book trying, as what ever the author does or think, she talks to God about.  However the trials and tribulations this family go through would test even the most ardent Christians.

This book did make me want to read more about the work of missionaries throughout the world and learn more about the people of Yemen.

Stars out of 5: a very solid 4.  It was an interesting read, but it made me realize how much I don't know about religion


"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group".