Return of the White Book: True Stories of God at Work in Southeast Asia (Hidden Heroes) Paperback – March 20, 2014

Hidden Heroes

by Rebecca Davis

The story of how the Gospel came to the Karen tribes in Southeast Asia. The people lived in the mountains and were persecuted by the Burmans. Their stories and songs spoke of the creation of the world by "Yuwah" and the first humans' disobedience and capture and slavery to an enemy and evil spirits called "nats." "Yuwah" left them and they had to constantly appease these "nats." However, there was a ray of hope because it was predicted that one day there would be a pale brother who would come to the nation with a White Book. Thabew from the Karen people met Adoniram Judson, the first American missionary and was the first of many of his people to come to faith in Christ as they had been anticipating the Gospel message for generations.

Genres: Christian, Childrens, History, Biography, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published March 3, 2014

About the author

Librarian Note: There are several authors by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stories of how God worked in the lives of the Karen people in the 1800’s. Definitely recommend!

[Stephanie Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite missionary book. A really good opportunity to teach kids demonology in a non-scary way. Also helped me think through questions like, "What about unreached people who have never heard the gospel? How can they be saved and is that fair?" The story of the Karen people is an example of how God ensures the salvation of those He plans to save, sometimes in really amazing ways!

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book with my 6-yr-old son for school. A little more difficult for him to follow some bits because they didn't say "God" or "Jesus" or "Satan" but used the tribal words, and that was sometimes confusing for him. We definitely enjoyed learning about other cultures and people who had never heard about Jesus.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tribe in the mountains of Burma (now Myanmar) orally passed down a sacred legend over generations: a shockingly accurate rendition of Genesis 3, along with a prophecy given to them that one day a pale foreigner would come with a white book and teach them the way back to God.

WHAT?

It's not fiction. It happened, and it was these people that George Boardman, a branch off Adoniram Judson's tree, found supernaturally ready and willing to hear every word he had to teach them from his white-paged Bible. The experiences of the missionaries who reached the Karen tribes, then the Karen missionaries who took the message to other tribes, are cataloged in diaries, mission reports, and other documents from the people who were really there. But had I ever heard of this? No. Nor had anyone ever collected it and compiled it into a presentation to children... until Rebecca Davis included it in her Hidden Heroes books.

The Hidden Heroes series is quickly becoming one of my favorite things we've ever done for homeschool Morning Time.

[Jamey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these hidden heroes books. This particular book was about the Karen people in Asia. One of the things I found most fascinating was how the Karen’s legends so closely resembled the creation story- so when missionaries arrived with the Gospel, they were already thirsty and ready to accept Jesus Christ. The entire book had amazing story after amazing story, and I was often reading with a lump in my throat. I highly recommend it.

[Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolutely incredible book in this fantastic series. Inspiring, moving, compelling and awesome stories of God at work. My 8year old and I have both adored reading these. Wow! 100% recommend for all Christian families and Christian readers of any age.

[Justine Trokey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great example of Ecclesiastes 3:11 - "He has put eternity into man’s heart . . ." The Karen people were ready to receive the gospel and showed great faith and trust as they endured persecution from their pagan neighbors. And the dedication of George Boardman was commendable.

[Becca Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the books in this series are so great! Written by a homeschool mom of 4, these books are great to read aloud & discuss as a family. I can't recommend them enough!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in a good series of missionary books. A little difficult subject matter for a 1st grader but a good stretch for mine to think about. Discussed how the gospel changes people.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing stories of transformation in the Karen people group

[Sydney Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as well-written as #2 in the series (the only other one I’ve read—and loved), but good story to hear.

[Adam Balshan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars [Anthology]
(W: 2.65, U: 2.75, T: 2.69)
Exact rating: 2.70

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it with the kids but I'd recommend it to adults! It's the story of the Kerens in Burma and how God prepped them to hear the gospel and how they spread it to their neighbors they were scared of.

[Lisa C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stories of how the Bible was spread throughout Southeast Asia in 1800s.

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number of pages: 144

Genre: Missionary Biography (Burma – now known as Myanmar)

Series: Hidden Heroes #4 (Don’t need to be read in order)

Age recommendation: 8-12 ish. (Younger and older kids might enjoy it too, but that’s more the intended audience)

Summary: In the mountains of Burma (Myanmar) the Karen people were waiting for the pale brother to come back with the white book – the word of God. When George Boardman came as a missionary to Burma, he had no idea these people existed, let alone that he was the fulfilment of their prophecy. The “White Book” was returned to the Karen people.

My thoughts: I really liked this book. I believe it is the first book in this series that I ever read, and I got to learn about a new group of people I never knew existed: the Karen people of Myanmar (referred to as Burma in the book). I had previously read things about Ann and Adoniram Judson, so to see what their effort and the effort of their fellow missionaries went on to do was really cool.
Like all the other books in this series, it does go a little into the people’s’ religious beliefs and rituals. The Karen people offer sacrifices to appease the nats (evil spirits). Again, like the other books in this series, I think the author writes in an appropriate way for kids.

My personal rating: 5/5 stars.

Link to blog: https://karinaschristianreads.wordpre...

[Megan]

History