Rachel J. (rd374) reviewed on 11/8/2010

This book will make you cry, but it is a very good book. The events, the way it is written, and the fact it is true makes it hard to put down. You're drawn into his story of what he experienced. It's outrageous and painful and you find yourself dumbfounded as to how and why this could have happened.

It has been years since I read this book, but I'm glad that I did. It opened my eyes to things happening to kids around the world that I couldn't even imagine. Though it is sad, good eventually came out of it. I highly recommend reading the next two books that continue the rest of the story.

At the time I heard about his story and read this book was around the same time my two oldest children were in the early teen years - you know, the time they start to complain about everything and become unthankful and feel that everything is 'unfair' (because they have to do a chore or can't have something they want). If you have teenagers, you know that you can't reason with them to make them understand or see rationally. As I was starting to hit that exasperated point of what to do to help them see that they really did have a good life, I had the idea to have them read this book. They are loving and compassionate and I knew that reading the true story of the hardships David went through would help them see the good life they had. It also helped them to see and understand what some other kids go through that they may never know about: thus teaching them compassion and not to be judgemental towards those who may stand out in a negative way.

Both of my kids were very moved (and cried much) by the book, and it did indeed help them be thankful and have a heart of compassion with opened eyes of what could be happening in the lives of their peers that they'd never know about.

I highly recommend this book - but warn that you'll probably need a box of tissues when you do.

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