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Stuart Daniels has hit bottom. Once a celebrated and award-winning photojournalist, he is reeling from debt, a broken marriage, and crippling depression. The source of Stuart's grief is his most famous photo, a snapshot of brutality in the dangerous Congo. A haunting image that indicts him as a passive witness to gross injustice.Stuart is given a one last chance to redeem his A make-or-break assignment covering the AIDS crisis in a small African country. It is here that Stuart meets Adanna, a young orphan fighting for survival in a community ravaged by tragedy and disease. But in the face of overwhelming odds, Adanna finds hope in a special dream, where she is visited by an illuminated man and given a precious gift.Now, in a dark place that's a world away from home, Stuart will once again confront the harsh reality of a suffering people in a forgotten land. And as a chance encounter becomes divine providence, two very different people will find their lives forever changed.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
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738 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
October 22, 2015
This is a life changing story! Tears were flowing down my cheeks through a good portion of the book. I don't recommend reading this in public because you'd have a hard time getting past the lump in your throat to explain just what it was that evoked that level of emotion in you. I'm not exaggerating. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to be emotionally moved when you read Scared. The entire time I read this book I was in Africa right along with the characters. That's great writing.
While the abuse and poverty were disheartening to experience through the story, the way people who loved God reached out with the little they had was truly uplifting. Evocative and intense, Scared cuts deep into your heart as you read along. Healing fills the pages, yet there are no easy answers given, and it shows how each day is a struggle for the people of Swaziland to even survive. That's why the orphans and the widows need people who care. I loved how Scared showed that many of the sick and dying were truly victims of AIDS through no wrongdoing of their own. This book should be an award winner for the message alone. Seriously.
I've rarely experienced this level of realism in a novel, especially in the CBA. It's so realistic, it's downright edgy - but to the extreme. Like the Holocaust, there are some awful things that happen in this book. Unspeakable things. But it also shows how God holds those who suffer close to His heart. You see that in this book in a way that is rarely portrayed in Christian fiction. All of the ugly stuff is not smoothed over, nor is the God-given compassion. I was moved to tears so many times I lost count.
When the people who were starving literally danced with joy when offered a meager ration of food, it really touched me. We have so much in this country, yet we are so ungrateful. Gratitude is definitely a missing element in most people's lives in the United States. We'd be so much kinder to each other if we were truly grateful for the gift of salvation we've been given, and for the many undeserved blessings that God has granted us. One way to thank Him is by showing love in action and not just in our words.
Truly beautiful themes permeate this story and will stay with you long after you finish. Here's the bottome line...Scared portrays how the love and integrity of one pre-adolescent girl changed an entire nation. That left me breathless. Oh, and I'll never say I'm starving again. One caution, though. Don't read this novel if you have a weak stomach or if atrocities will give you flashbacks. It's harsh in some places, but sooo worth reading. I highly recommend it.
While the abuse and poverty were disheartening to experience through the story, the way people who loved God reached out with the little they had was truly uplifting. Evocative and intense, Scared cuts deep into your heart as you read along. Healing fills the pages, yet there are no easy answers given, and it shows how each day is a struggle for the people of Swaziland to even survive. That's why the orphans and the widows need people who care. I loved how Scared showed that many of the sick and dying were truly victims of AIDS through no wrongdoing of their own. This book should be an award winner for the message alone. Seriously.
I've rarely experienced this level of realism in a novel, especially in the CBA. It's so realistic, it's downright edgy - but to the extreme. Like the Holocaust, there are some awful things that happen in this book. Unspeakable things. But it also shows how God holds those who suffer close to His heart. You see that in this book in a way that is rarely portrayed in Christian fiction. All of the ugly stuff is not smoothed over, nor is the God-given compassion. I was moved to tears so many times I lost count.
When the people who were starving literally danced with joy when offered a meager ration of food, it really touched me. We have so much in this country, yet we are so ungrateful. Gratitude is definitely a missing element in most people's lives in the United States. We'd be so much kinder to each other if we were truly grateful for the gift of salvation we've been given, and for the many undeserved blessings that God has granted us. One way to thank Him is by showing love in action and not just in our words.
Truly beautiful themes permeate this story and will stay with you long after you finish. Here's the bottome line...Scared portrays how the love and integrity of one pre-adolescent girl changed an entire nation. That left me breathless. Oh, and I'll never say I'm starving again. One caution, though. Don't read this novel if you have a weak stomach or if atrocities will give you flashbacks. It's harsh in some places, but sooo worth reading. I highly recommend it.
August 30, 2016
Wow.
Maybe it's because I think I left my heart in Africa, in the northern regions of Ghana. Maybe that's why I loved this book. Or maybe it's because I am deeply saddened by the state of children and women in some of the poorest nations on earth. Or because sometimes I don't feel like I do enough and I need a swift kick in the pants to jolt me out of my American complacency to remember the marginalized. Despite the why, I'm thankful I read Scared by Tom Davis.
Davis holds nothing back. The reader feels the blow by blow atrocities through the eyes of a reporter who has his own soul issues. We see poverty. Crime. Sexual exploitation. Evil. Hunger. Disease.
But in the midst of that, we also see the uncanny grace God lavishes on those who suffer, yet bend toward His ear. We see humanity at its best, helping each other, vying to love. And we see sparkling hope in impossible places.
Such is the reach and scope of this book. Written with sparse, direct prose, Davis is a keen storyteller whose heart for the widow and orphan bleeds onto the page.
Don't read this book unless you're willing to be haunted, then changed. I promise you both things will happen. And in the midst of that, hope. Blessed hope.
Comment
Maybe it's because I think I left my heart in Africa, in the northern regions of Ghana. Maybe that's why I loved this book. Or maybe it's because I am deeply saddened by the state of children and women in some of the poorest nations on earth. Or because sometimes I don't feel like I do enough and I need a swift kick in the pants to jolt me out of my American complacency to remember the marginalized. Despite the why, I'm thankful I read Scared by Tom Davis.
Davis holds nothing back. The reader feels the blow by blow atrocities through the eyes of a reporter who has his own soul issues. We see poverty. Crime. Sexual exploitation. Evil. Hunger. Disease.
But in the midst of that, we also see the uncanny grace God lavishes on those who suffer, yet bend toward His ear. We see humanity at its best, helping each other, vying to love. And we see sparkling hope in impossible places.
Such is the reach and scope of this book. Written with sparse, direct prose, Davis is a keen storyteller whose heart for the widow and orphan bleeds onto the page.
Don't read this book unless you're willing to be haunted, then changed. I promise you both things will happen. And in the midst of that, hope. Blessed hope.
Comment
August 20, 2014
This novel is a prime example of agenda fiction. The point of view alternates between two first-person accounts: photojournalist Stuart Daniels, who has come to Swaziland hoping to take a career-resurrecting photo, and twelve-year-old Adanna, a Swazi girl barely surviving in a land of starvation and abuse. The plot isn't so much a linear arc as a series of events demonstrating the plight of Africa. Stuart arrives skeptical and jaded and leaves transformed by all that he's witnessed.
The author succeeds in transporting his readers to a bleak landscape unfamiliar to most. American readers "know" that daily life in Africa is a struggle, but the events depicted here give stark detail to abstract knowledge. As agenda fiction goes, the purpose here is one that can't be argued with or, hopefully, shrugged away.
As a novel, though, the book's craft didn't satisfy me. For the first 80-something pages, the reader is forced to swim through a soup of similes. Every single description is a comparison. This improves later in the book, but similes are still overused, often two or more in a paragraph. The characters are not individuals with quirks but rather mouthpieces for the author's message. The majority of the dialogue reads like a nonfiction essay on the horrors of African village life. Character conversations usually consist of sharing information or planning what to do next.
The themes/content and potential of the book rate four stars, but the prose, dialogue, and characterization earn two. I'm glad I read it, though. I learned a lot, especially from the afterword interview with the author. This book provides American readers with a needed education.
The author succeeds in transporting his readers to a bleak landscape unfamiliar to most. American readers "know" that daily life in Africa is a struggle, but the events depicted here give stark detail to abstract knowledge. As agenda fiction goes, the purpose here is one that can't be argued with or, hopefully, shrugged away.
As a novel, though, the book's craft didn't satisfy me. For the first 80-something pages, the reader is forced to swim through a soup of similes. Every single description is a comparison. This improves later in the book, but similes are still overused, often two or more in a paragraph. The characters are not individuals with quirks but rather mouthpieces for the author's message. The majority of the dialogue reads like a nonfiction essay on the horrors of African village life. Character conversations usually consist of sharing information or planning what to do next.
The themes/content and potential of the book rate four stars, but the prose, dialogue, and characterization earn two. I'm glad I read it, though. I learned a lot, especially from the afterword interview with the author. This book provides American readers with a needed education.
February 16, 2015
Here in America it's easy to hole ourselves up in our cozy little houses with our laptops and iPods, oblivious to rest of the world. Our knowledge of foreign affairs comes from Twitter. If the AC goes out, the coffee burns, or the car won't start, our day's ruined. But the truth is that even the poorest in our country would be considered rich in some parts of Africa. What if a bad day wasn't the barista getting your order wrong but going hungry . . . for five days in a row? What if instead of lying in bed worrying about that presentation on Monday, you worried who would provide for you because your mother was dying of AIDS?
At the forefront of Tom Davis's novel is Stuart Daniels, a washed up New York Times photographer who's thirty seconds of fame came from a photo of dead bodies he shot during a rebel militia raid in Congo. He barely escaped with his life and sometimes wishes he HAD died with the rest of the massacred village. He's lost his drive, and his editor knows it. Which is why his next assignment in Swaziland could seal his fate. If he doesn't produce the goods this time, he might not have a career to come home to.
Scared also features a twelve-year-old Swazi girl named Adanna, and it's her story that is the hardest to read. Not because Davis's writing is poor. Exactly the opposite. The writing is so good we feel every moment of the girl's pain; we hear every longing of her heart. Adanna personifies the emaciated faces we've all seen on those tv commercials for relief organizations. How many of us have changed the channel rather than acknowledge poverty, hunger, and disease? Reading Adanna's story brings the reality front and center. Here, right now, in the 21st century, children like her are suffering through horrors we can hardly fathom.
A powerful eye-opener, Scared isn't an issue novel meant to guilt us into action. This is a compelling story first, and I believe Davis meant for Scared to challenge, not condemn. As Americans we're extremely blessed, but our priorities need to be re-calibrated. Scared is the hand adjusting our blurry lense of the world. It also addresses the major question of, "Why does God even allow this type of suffering?" Says Davis, "It's my firm belief that God has already sent the answers to solve the world's most difficult issues, and the answer is people like us getting involved."
Davis is best known for his nonfiction books Red Letters and Fields of the Fatherless. He's also the president and CEO of Children's HopeChest, a Christian-based child-advocacy organization which helps orphans in Easter Europe and Africa. With all these irons in the fire it's amazing how well he pulled off writing this work of fiction. You'll visit Africa while reading Scared. And once you finish, a little piece of Africa will remain with you. Hopefully the Scripture, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world," will remain with you too.
At the forefront of Tom Davis's novel is Stuart Daniels, a washed up New York Times photographer who's thirty seconds of fame came from a photo of dead bodies he shot during a rebel militia raid in Congo. He barely escaped with his life and sometimes wishes he HAD died with the rest of the massacred village. He's lost his drive, and his editor knows it. Which is why his next assignment in Swaziland could seal his fate. If he doesn't produce the goods this time, he might not have a career to come home to.
Scared also features a twelve-year-old Swazi girl named Adanna, and it's her story that is the hardest to read. Not because Davis's writing is poor. Exactly the opposite. The writing is so good we feel every moment of the girl's pain; we hear every longing of her heart. Adanna personifies the emaciated faces we've all seen on those tv commercials for relief organizations. How many of us have changed the channel rather than acknowledge poverty, hunger, and disease? Reading Adanna's story brings the reality front and center. Here, right now, in the 21st century, children like her are suffering through horrors we can hardly fathom.
A powerful eye-opener, Scared isn't an issue novel meant to guilt us into action. This is a compelling story first, and I believe Davis meant for Scared to challenge, not condemn. As Americans we're extremely blessed, but our priorities need to be re-calibrated. Scared is the hand adjusting our blurry lense of the world. It also addresses the major question of, "Why does God even allow this type of suffering?" Says Davis, "It's my firm belief that God has already sent the answers to solve the world's most difficult issues, and the answer is people like us getting involved."
Davis is best known for his nonfiction books Red Letters and Fields of the Fatherless. He's also the president and CEO of Children's HopeChest, a Christian-based child-advocacy organization which helps orphans in Easter Europe and Africa. With all these irons in the fire it's amazing how well he pulled off writing this work of fiction. You'll visit Africa while reading Scared. And once you finish, a little piece of Africa will remain with you. Hopefully the Scripture, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world," will remain with you too.
November 26, 2013
4.5 stars. NOT for readers under 18.
Stuart seems to have it all, but his life is crumbling. After seeing and photographing unspeakable horrors in the Democratic Republic of Congo, anxiety, lethargy, and guilt seem to rule his life. He tries to block the pain with drinking and drugs prescribed by his doctor.
When his boss sends him a "last chance" assignment to Swaziland, Stu isn't even sure why he's going. He hates Africa. But perhaps his shattered heart is just what Swaziland needs.
What I Didn't Like/Warnings:
1. At the beginning of the book depressed, down on his luck Stu has a run in with a flirty lady that was a bit too descriptive for my tastes.
2. A few times the dialogue seemed to service the message better than the story. It felt a little preachy. Especially at the beginning of the book I felt a little apprehensive about the writing style/preachiness.
3. Stuart and Adanna kept seeing an angel/Jesus. It didn't bother me too much but sometimes stuff like that makes me a little uncomfortable.
4. This isn't a "didn't like", just a warning. As I mentioned earlier, this isn't for readers under age 18. The factors that make it powerful also make it very difficult. A little girl in it gets raped twice. It's not graphic, but it doesn't need to be. Situations like that are dreadfully real-to-life and people need to know about them, but I don't think younger readers need to be exposed to this level of awareness unless someone who knows them well (i.e. A parent), thinks it's good for them.
What I Loved:
The world needs more stories like this. Fiction that takes real, contemporary realities and gives it to people in a format they want. Books like this create awareness. I loved Stuarts seamless journey from being self-focused and drowning his pain to forgetting about serious physical injuries in his desperation to rescue a dying little girl. I was grateful for such a real glimpse into the life so many people are stuck in. I appreciated that the story was filled with hope, but didn't gloss over the fact that neat "happily ever afters" often aren't reality. And yet, the ending was filled with joy.
Stuart seems to have it all, but his life is crumbling. After seeing and photographing unspeakable horrors in the Democratic Republic of Congo, anxiety, lethargy, and guilt seem to rule his life. He tries to block the pain with drinking and drugs prescribed by his doctor.
When his boss sends him a "last chance" assignment to Swaziland, Stu isn't even sure why he's going. He hates Africa. But perhaps his shattered heart is just what Swaziland needs.
What I Didn't Like/Warnings:
1. At the beginning of the book depressed, down on his luck Stu has a run in with a flirty lady that was a bit too descriptive for my tastes.
2. A few times the dialogue seemed to service the message better than the story. It felt a little preachy. Especially at the beginning of the book I felt a little apprehensive about the writing style/preachiness.
3. Stuart and Adanna kept seeing an angel/Jesus. It didn't bother me too much but sometimes stuff like that makes me a little uncomfortable.
4. This isn't a "didn't like", just a warning. As I mentioned earlier, this isn't for readers under age 18. The factors that make it powerful also make it very difficult. A little girl in it gets raped twice. It's not graphic, but it doesn't need to be. Situations like that are dreadfully real-to-life and people need to know about them, but I don't think younger readers need to be exposed to this level of awareness unless someone who knows them well (i.e. A parent), thinks it's good for them.
What I Loved:
The world needs more stories like this. Fiction that takes real, contemporary realities and gives it to people in a format they want. Books like this create awareness. I loved Stuarts seamless journey from being self-focused and drowning his pain to forgetting about serious physical injuries in his desperation to rescue a dying little girl. I was grateful for such a real glimpse into the life so many people are stuck in. I appreciated that the story was filled with hope, but didn't gloss over the fact that neat "happily ever afters" often aren't reality. And yet, the ending was filled with joy.
June 21, 2009
This book is truly inspiring and eye-opening. It is a work of fiction based on fact and reads like a true story. I try not to read a lot of info about a book before I start it, so as not to have any preconceived notions - but I was so moved after reading the first chapter I had to go back and find out whether or not it was true!
This book tells the story of two vastly different people. Adanna, a young girl living in Swaziland, and Stuart, a photographer for the New York Times.
Adanna's life has been anything but easy. Her father left 4 years before her story starts. People in her village are dying of AIDS. Her mother soon becomes ill and dies and she is left to tray and care for her younger brother and sister. In a land where there is no food, no clean water, and no protection, Adanna still manages to look out for her siblings as well as other orphans in the area. Despite all the troubles that avail her, she has a good heart.
Stuart has taken pictures of some of the most devastating acts you can imagine. One of which won him a prestigious award. He still feels regret that all he could to was stand by and take pictures. He has been sent to Swaziland to find a picture to try to revive his career. He finds much more than that.
I love the way this book is written in alternating chapters - first Adanna, then Stuart, then Adanna - until their two stories and lives slowly merge.
If you do not want to have your eyes opened to what is happening in other parts of the world - If you do not want to feel the heartache - then I recommend that you do not read this book. If you are ready to see what is really going on and try to find out how you can help - read Scared and visit Children's Hope Chest. Let's start changing the world one person at a time.
This book tells the story of two vastly different people. Adanna, a young girl living in Swaziland, and Stuart, a photographer for the New York Times.
Adanna's life has been anything but easy. Her father left 4 years before her story starts. People in her village are dying of AIDS. Her mother soon becomes ill and dies and she is left to tray and care for her younger brother and sister. In a land where there is no food, no clean water, and no protection, Adanna still manages to look out for her siblings as well as other orphans in the area. Despite all the troubles that avail her, she has a good heart.
Stuart has taken pictures of some of the most devastating acts you can imagine. One of which won him a prestigious award. He still feels regret that all he could to was stand by and take pictures. He has been sent to Swaziland to find a picture to try to revive his career. He finds much more than that.
I love the way this book is written in alternating chapters - first Adanna, then Stuart, then Adanna - until their two stories and lives slowly merge.
If you do not want to have your eyes opened to what is happening in other parts of the world - If you do not want to feel the heartache - then I recommend that you do not read this book. If you are ready to see what is really going on and try to find out how you can help - read Scared and visit Children's Hope Chest. Let's start changing the world one person at a time.
September 6, 2009
Wow.
When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. Most of the story takes place in Africa and depicts the unbelievable atrocities that occure--rape, incest, violence, extreme poverty, AIDS, and the fear and reality of becoming orphaned to AIDS. It was overwhelming and depressing, as it was meant to be.
However, the more I read, the more I was convicted of my own materialistic life style, as the author contrasted the ways of the rich Americans and the poverty-stricken Africans. My heart broke for these people, especially the children. The end of the book was a climax of spiritual strength, hope and love, especially the love that was portrayed in the life of a young African girl who stole the heart of the reader.
When I read the last page and closed the cover, I thought WOW! This book is profound and deeply thought provoking. It left me wondering what I can do to help those less fortunate than myself.
When I first started reading this book, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. Most of the story takes place in Africa and depicts the unbelievable atrocities that occure--rape, incest, violence, extreme poverty, AIDS, and the fear and reality of becoming orphaned to AIDS. It was overwhelming and depressing, as it was meant to be.
However, the more I read, the more I was convicted of my own materialistic life style, as the author contrasted the ways of the rich Americans and the poverty-stricken Africans. My heart broke for these people, especially the children. The end of the book was a climax of spiritual strength, hope and love, especially the love that was portrayed in the life of a young African girl who stole the heart of the reader.
When I read the last page and closed the cover, I thought WOW! This book is profound and deeply thought provoking. It left me wondering what I can do to help those less fortunate than myself.
Read
June 25, 2022Stuart Daniels has hit bottom. Once a celebrated and award-winning photojournalist, he is reeling from debt, a broken marriage, and crippling depression. The source of Stuart's grief is his most famous photo, a snapshot of brutality in the dangerous Congo. A haunting image that indicts him as a passive witness to gross injustice.
Stuart is given a one last chance to redeem his career: A make-or-break assignment covering the AIDS crisis in a small African country. It is here that Stuart meets Adanna, a young orphan fighting for survival in a community ravaged by tragedy and disease. But in the face of overwhelming odds, Adanna finds hope in a special dream, where she is visited by an illuminated man and given a precious gift.
Now, in a dark place that's a world away from home, Stuart will once again confront the harsh reality of a suffering people in a forgotten land. And as a chance encounter becomes divine providence, two very different people will find their lives forever changed. (less)
Stuart is given a one last chance to redeem his career: A make-or-break assignment covering the AIDS crisis in a small African country. It is here that Stuart meets Adanna, a young orphan fighting for survival in a community ravaged by tragedy and disease. But in the face of overwhelming odds, Adanna finds hope in a special dream, where she is visited by an illuminated man and given a precious gift.
Now, in a dark place that's a world away from home, Stuart will once again confront the harsh reality of a suffering people in a forgotten land. And as a chance encounter becomes divine providence, two very different people will find their lives forever changed. (less)
January 10, 2018
This is a thought-provoking tale about people in really hard places. Tom Davis successfully gets the reader to feel for both of the main characters even though their lives are dramatically different. His passion for the situations in this American/African tale rings true. The descriptions are believable since events are based on real people and events. This book is not for entertainment, it is a call to care and act.
September 21, 2019
Too many emotions
This is a beautifully written story about am awful, tragic subject. The story maybe fiction but the facts are true and in some cases worse. This story takes your emotions allover the place. Within in a couple of pages you go from wanting to hit Stuart upside the head to despair to anger to chuckling, to sadness to amazement to love. To wishing you could be more like Adanna. Thank you.
This is a beautifully written story about am awful, tragic subject. The story maybe fiction but the facts are true and in some cases worse. This story takes your emotions allover the place. Within in a couple of pages you go from wanting to hit Stuart upside the head to despair to anger to chuckling, to sadness to amazement to love. To wishing you could be more like Adanna. Thank you.
February 18, 2018
I like a book that has eternal value. This one does. I appreciated learning the plight of so many of the poor in Africa through the eyes of Stuart, Gordon and Adanna. The people in this novel came to life for me, and I will not soon forget.
April 29, 2022
Heartbreaking, educational, must read.
This book is difficult to read. But oh such a very, very important read. Highly recommended. The characters are inspiring. You cry along with them.
This book is difficult to read. But oh such a very, very important read. Highly recommended. The characters are inspiring. You cry along with them.
July 22, 2022
This one is a beautiful and sad sad story. It is an eye opening education on the plight of many in Africa during the AIDS crisis. The character development was a bit predictable but actually one of the most readable Christian novels I’ve read.
October 13, 2018
Great read
Keeps your interest, yet teaches so much of what actually goes on. Hard subjects to write on , yet very Well written, i would totally recommend!
Keeps your interest, yet teaches so much of what actually goes on. Hard subjects to write on , yet very Well written, i would totally recommend!
October 3, 2019
A beautiful but painful depiction of one man’s journey of becoming the hands and feet of Jesus. Highly recommend!
May 17, 2022
I don't know how this book ended up on my kindle, but I am so glad it did. It's fiction, but based on a terrible reality.
March 27, 2024
Very good book but a hard and heart breaking but personally challenging read. it vividly portrays the life of so many in Africa and around the world.
October 15, 2009
In Scared, debut novelist Tom Davis takes us on a journey to Africa, bringing the continent’s real struggles and hardships into our lives in a way that cannot be ignored.
In the Prologue, we are introduced to Adanna, an African girl who is struggling to survive in horrific conditions with next to no food to eat. She wants to be hopeful, but she is stuck in a quagmire. She says, “I think about what hope means for the people in my village. I try to imagine them rising up in glory…But I only see their twisted bodies, bones poking out of paper skin. They do not rise. They’re in mounds of yellow dirt. I think of my own body wasting away because I haven’t eaten for days.” As heartbreaking as this is, Adanna does not seem to be wallowing in self-pity. She is a strong, courageous girl who is willing to do whatever it takes to save herself and her family.
Next, we meet the other narrator of the novel, photojournalist Stuart Daniels, who is on assignment in the Congo, witnessing and photographing atrocities that will change him forever. At the peak of his career, he is winning awards and capturing images that tell a story to the world. In spite of his success, he is on a downward spiral. His career is off track, his marriage is falling apart, and he has all but given up when he is sent back to Africa where he is about to have another life-changing experience.
Davis intricately weaves together these two narratives, following the threads of each of these character’s lives, and looping them together into a beautiful tapestry depicting an encounter between the developing and developed worlds.
Both of these characters have seen and endured many hardships and both of them struggle to maintain a sense of hope in a seemingly hopeless world.
By telling these stories as fiction, the author reminds us that there are countless children like Adanna who face similar circumstances every day. The character is a representation of many real people who live in hell on earth, have learned to make the most of it, and have hope that their lives will change for the better; if not in this world than in the next. Stuart is also a representation – of those of us in the Western world who have so much and take it for granted, only spurred into action when thrust into the middle of it.
Scared can be difficult to read at times. The stories are not pretty. However, there is a sense of truth and justice that comes through the words and makes this fictitious story authentic and movingly real. It is obvious that the author has a connection to this part of the world and the people who live there. It is worth reading and will make you reconsider your own response to the needs of others.
In the Prologue, we are introduced to Adanna, an African girl who is struggling to survive in horrific conditions with next to no food to eat. She wants to be hopeful, but she is stuck in a quagmire. She says, “I think about what hope means for the people in my village. I try to imagine them rising up in glory…But I only see their twisted bodies, bones poking out of paper skin. They do not rise. They’re in mounds of yellow dirt. I think of my own body wasting away because I haven’t eaten for days.” As heartbreaking as this is, Adanna does not seem to be wallowing in self-pity. She is a strong, courageous girl who is willing to do whatever it takes to save herself and her family.
Next, we meet the other narrator of the novel, photojournalist Stuart Daniels, who is on assignment in the Congo, witnessing and photographing atrocities that will change him forever. At the peak of his career, he is winning awards and capturing images that tell a story to the world. In spite of his success, he is on a downward spiral. His career is off track, his marriage is falling apart, and he has all but given up when he is sent back to Africa where he is about to have another life-changing experience.
Davis intricately weaves together these two narratives, following the threads of each of these character’s lives, and looping them together into a beautiful tapestry depicting an encounter between the developing and developed worlds.
Both of these characters have seen and endured many hardships and both of them struggle to maintain a sense of hope in a seemingly hopeless world.
By telling these stories as fiction, the author reminds us that there are countless children like Adanna who face similar circumstances every day. The character is a representation of many real people who live in hell on earth, have learned to make the most of it, and have hope that their lives will change for the better; if not in this world than in the next. Stuart is also a representation – of those of us in the Western world who have so much and take it for granted, only spurred into action when thrust into the middle of it.
Scared can be difficult to read at times. The stories are not pretty. However, there is a sense of truth and justice that comes through the words and makes this fictitious story authentic and movingly real. It is obvious that the author has a connection to this part of the world and the people who live there. It is worth reading and will make you reconsider your own response to the needs of others.
May 19, 2011
Well, I don't read much fiction...in fact, I think the last novel I read was in 2004 while vacationing poolside in Mombasa, Kenya. It was a Grisham novel...I love Grisham!
And I love Davis! Tom is a fellow doctorate student with me at George Fox University. Together, we are working on our Doctor of Ministry degrees in the Global Missional Leadership program.
Tom is the President of Children's Hopechest and is passionate about caring for orphans. I have a deep amount of respect for him, and only hope that Impact Campus Ministries can become as successful in our desires to connect college students with young students in impoverished parts of the world.
Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World is a story about the intersection of two very different lives: a young African girl and a male American journalist. The difficulties of life in Africa are revealed to the journalist and his life is forever changed.
When the "edge" of the world becomes not something way over there, but something so close that we are also a part of it, our perspective changes. Davis works hard to bring two worlds together...to eliminate space between the two edges. This he does very well. You will sit and read, and yet find yourself traveling to a previously unknown world.
This is the key for Davis as one who is leading us in the western world to begin to care for the less fortunate in other parts of the world...we must see life as they see it, and experience life together. I desire to see the action that Davis displays in his personal life from college students as well, and I will recommend this book to them...and also to you.
Thanks Tom for all you do to bring us all to the "edge of the world."
And I love Davis! Tom is a fellow doctorate student with me at George Fox University. Together, we are working on our Doctor of Ministry degrees in the Global Missional Leadership program.
Tom is the President of Children's Hopechest and is passionate about caring for orphans. I have a deep amount of respect for him, and only hope that Impact Campus Ministries can become as successful in our desires to connect college students with young students in impoverished parts of the world.
Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World is a story about the intersection of two very different lives: a young African girl and a male American journalist. The difficulties of life in Africa are revealed to the journalist and his life is forever changed.
When the "edge" of the world becomes not something way over there, but something so close that we are also a part of it, our perspective changes. Davis works hard to bring two worlds together...to eliminate space between the two edges. This he does very well. You will sit and read, and yet find yourself traveling to a previously unknown world.
This is the key for Davis as one who is leading us in the western world to begin to care for the less fortunate in other parts of the world...we must see life as they see it, and experience life together. I desire to see the action that Davis displays in his personal life from college students as well, and I will recommend this book to them...and also to you.
Thanks Tom for all you do to bring us all to the "edge of the world."
November 7, 2012
This was the right book at the right time for me. After a fierce dose of Jesus' sermon on the mount, combined with writings by authors like Shane Claiborne, Jim Wallis, and David Platt, I needed a good story that helped put a face to what these authors were talking about, caring for "the least of these." The publisher David C. Cook made Scared free for a limited time, and having read Davis's Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds, I downloaded it immediately.
There are many who will dispute this, but Jesus does say a lot about caring for the poor and the needy. In this novel, Davis paints a painfully accurate picture of life for the people of Africa, especially Swaziland, the area with the highest number of deaths from AIDS/HIV.
Davis's driving verse is James 1:27, that "pure and undefiled religion" is caring for widows and orphans. You will meet both in this powerful novel. You heart will be stirred, you might be offended, and (like me) you just might feel the book nagging at something you've kept hidden inside for too long.
I recommend reading Jesus' sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), especially the Beatitudes. Read the book of James. Check out works from the authors I mentioned above. Then read Scared. You might just get an idea of how this book was the right book at the right time. And it will pierce your heart,
There are many who will dispute this, but Jesus does say a lot about caring for the poor and the needy. In this novel, Davis paints a painfully accurate picture of life for the people of Africa, especially Swaziland, the area with the highest number of deaths from AIDS/HIV.
Davis's driving verse is James 1:27, that "pure and undefiled religion" is caring for widows and orphans. You will meet both in this powerful novel. You heart will be stirred, you might be offended, and (like me) you just might feel the book nagging at something you've kept hidden inside for too long.
I recommend reading Jesus' sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), especially the Beatitudes. Read the book of James. Check out works from the authors I mentioned above. Then read Scared. You might just get an idea of how this book was the right book at the right time. And it will pierce your heart,
February 27, 2012
Tom Davis' first novel gripped me by the throat and refused to let go. I no longer sat in a comfortable chair in my bedroom merely reading a book; I bumped along in a jeep on dusty clay roads, inhaled sweaty fear, witnessed atrocities that provoked gut-wrenching despair and anger, and grieved over inhumane conditions that pound innocent families on a continent plagued with disease and corruption.
Sweet little Adanna, already fatherless and literally starving, faces the unthinkable when her mother becomes gravely ill. Frightened yet determined to provide a meal for her two younger siblings, Precious and Abu, Adanna innocently brings horrendous calamity upon herself in her desperate search food.
Into this hostile environment arrives Stuart Daniels, world renown, award-winning photographer. A decade earlier Stuart nearly lost his life photographing the violence that, unthinkably, continues to worsen in the heart of Africa. That trip was the beginning of the end for him. He's all but dead on the inside, his marriage is slowly dying and he is on the brink of losing his job. Drawn back to the very place that stole his soul, Stuart can't help but wonder what on earth he's doing in this god-forsaken corner of the world.
Scared is authentic, intense, and in-your-face. It stops short of demanding action on the part of its reader, but you won't be able to help yourself. Warning: Tom Davis' powerful novel will make you rethink your life. And it just might save some.
Sweet little Adanna, already fatherless and literally starving, faces the unthinkable when her mother becomes gravely ill. Frightened yet determined to provide a meal for her two younger siblings, Precious and Abu, Adanna innocently brings horrendous calamity upon herself in her desperate search food.
Into this hostile environment arrives Stuart Daniels, world renown, award-winning photographer. A decade earlier Stuart nearly lost his life photographing the violence that, unthinkably, continues to worsen in the heart of Africa. That trip was the beginning of the end for him. He's all but dead on the inside, his marriage is slowly dying and he is on the brink of losing his job. Drawn back to the very place that stole his soul, Stuart can't help but wonder what on earth he's doing in this god-forsaken corner of the world.
Scared is authentic, intense, and in-your-face. It stops short of demanding action on the part of its reader, but you won't be able to help yourself. Warning: Tom Davis' powerful novel will make you rethink your life. And it just might save some.
Read
February 21, 2016This is an agenda-driven book. True, I am passionate about the same agendas—the plight of AIDS orphans, poverty, corruption and exploitation from African leaders—but that doesn’t make it a good book.
I think the problem with the structure is that there are too many agendas. Is this a book about the horrors suffered by AIDS orphans or about an African community (including AIDS orphans) responding to a tragic flood? There are multiple first person narrators, including excerpts from the journal of the primary orphan character, who is far too articulate in English to sound like an authentic Swazi child. The parts from the POV of a burned-out photographic journalist read like the blog of a particularly exciting two-week missions trip as he goes from one exciting and/or emotional experience to another without a plot other than his need to find himself and God. I need to take another look at some of my own work to be sure I am not doing the same thing.
Davis uses stronger language and more sex and violence than is usual in Christian fiction, but as the publisher points out in a foreword, this is the reality being portrayed. I was excited to find another Christian writing about AIDS in Africa who actually found a publisher willing to do the book, but in the end I was disappointed.
There are editorial errors such as "isle" for "aisle" and "lay" for "lie."
I think the problem with the structure is that there are too many agendas. Is this a book about the horrors suffered by AIDS orphans or about an African community (including AIDS orphans) responding to a tragic flood? There are multiple first person narrators, including excerpts from the journal of the primary orphan character, who is far too articulate in English to sound like an authentic Swazi child. The parts from the POV of a burned-out photographic journalist read like the blog of a particularly exciting two-week missions trip as he goes from one exciting and/or emotional experience to another without a plot other than his need to find himself and God. I need to take another look at some of my own work to be sure I am not doing the same thing.
Davis uses stronger language and more sex and violence than is usual in Christian fiction, but as the publisher points out in a foreword, this is the reality being portrayed. I was excited to find another Christian writing about AIDS in Africa who actually found a publisher willing to do the book, but in the end I was disappointed.
There are editorial errors such as "isle" for "aisle" and "lay" for "lie."
June 15, 2009
Scared by Tom Davis is a heartbreaking look at a world we spend much of our lives trying to ignore. Adanna is a 12 year old girl in Swaziland trying to make the best of the life God has given her. She cares for her two younger siblings when her mother is ill and tries to ignore the pains of hunger that color every aspect of her life. Stuart Daniels is a award-winning photographer best known for a photo of horrific violence that indicts him as an witness to horror. His inaction has haunted him in the years since, creating cracks in his marriage and nearly ending his career. He's given a last chance to redeem himself by returning to Africa and trying to capture the face of AIDS. In Adanna he may find the hope he needs to recover his faith in God and his life as well. Davis has taken his personal experiences in Africa and turned them into a powerful book that will capture readers' hearts. Adanna's story brings a real face to the tragic story of AIDS in a country that is devastated by deaths from the disease that in the US has become far more treatable. This is a novel that will not let go of readers' hearts.
November 13, 2009
Scared paints a vivid picture of tragedies taking place in Africa. The book follows Stuart Daniels, a photojournalist, haunted by his past, and Adanna, a young orphan, who radiates hope despite catastrophe. Their lives are woven together when Stuart travels to Swaziland to capture the AIDS crisis in Adanna’s African village.
Author Tom Davis does not hesitate to recreate a world filled with devastation. The story wrestles with honest questions regarding God’s providence. “Where is God in all of this?” Stuart questions as he watches Adanna face death, brutal attacks, and a punishing flood. In contrast, Adanna remains open to the promise of a better world writing thoughtfully, “tears can leave us with clearer sight.”
The writing needs some “work.” There are some basic shift tenses and a handful of cheesy clichés that make for a choppy read, but they do not detract too much from the novel. The overall message is apparent. Scared is a testimony to the needs of others and a reminder that many social injustices occur beyond our front door. This glimpse into the lives of those suffering provides awareness and a call to action.
Author Tom Davis does not hesitate to recreate a world filled with devastation. The story wrestles with honest questions regarding God’s providence. “Where is God in all of this?” Stuart questions as he watches Adanna face death, brutal attacks, and a punishing flood. In contrast, Adanna remains open to the promise of a better world writing thoughtfully, “tears can leave us with clearer sight.”
The writing needs some “work.” There are some basic shift tenses and a handful of cheesy clichés that make for a choppy read, but they do not detract too much from the novel. The overall message is apparent. Scared is a testimony to the needs of others and a reminder that many social injustices occur beyond our front door. This glimpse into the lives of those suffering provides awareness and a call to action.
January 12, 2014
This book is incredibly powerful. Through the eyes of an American photographer and a young African girl, Mr. Davis has created a picture of the poverty, abuse, and violence that is happening in Africa today. I almost deleted the book from my kindle app because of the beginning chapters, but I was compelled to keep reading as I knew this was something that happens in real life. I knew that I couldn't just ignore it. I was swept away into Africa with the characters, and I am forever changed because of it. This book makes real to you the horrors that are happening today and it is a story that you won't soon forget.
A word of warning though, as I said before, I almost deleted this book because of some of the violence and abuse that happen in it. While Mr. Davis isn't explicit, he doesn't try and hide what really is happening in Africa. This being said, "Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World" is a powerful book that will leave you in tears and change your life forever.
A word of warning though, as I said before, I almost deleted this book because of some of the violence and abuse that happen in it. While Mr. Davis isn't explicit, he doesn't try and hide what really is happening in Africa. This being said, "Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World" is a powerful book that will leave you in tears and change your life forever.
January 19, 2014
Powerful.
Eye-opening.
Convicting.
These are the words I would use to describe Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World by Tom Davis. It shakes me out of my comfortable little life in Midwestern USA. The novel is fiction, but it's based on Davis's experiences in Africa.
I've heard about the plight of widows and orphans in Africa, but somehow it makes more of an impact on me to experience the hopelessness vicariously through characters in a novel.
The story is about a photojournalist's personal growth as he learns to love and care about people again while on assignment in a small African country. While there he meets a young girl, Adanna, whose father abandoned their family shortly before her mother died from AIDS and left her alone to try to feed and raise her younger brother and sister. As he witnesses her desperate struggle for survival in a morally defunct culture, he is moved to compassion and a deeper, active faith in the Lord.
Eye-opening.
Convicting.
These are the words I would use to describe Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World by Tom Davis. It shakes me out of my comfortable little life in Midwestern USA. The novel is fiction, but it's based on Davis's experiences in Africa.
I've heard about the plight of widows and orphans in Africa, but somehow it makes more of an impact on me to experience the hopelessness vicariously through characters in a novel.
The story is about a photojournalist's personal growth as he learns to love and care about people again while on assignment in a small African country. While there he meets a young girl, Adanna, whose father abandoned their family shortly before her mother died from AIDS and left her alone to try to feed and raise her younger brother and sister. As he witnesses her desperate struggle for survival in a morally defunct culture, he is moved to compassion and a deeper, active faith in the Lord.
December 30, 2013
I read this book within a few hours. It was very good!!!
Stuart Daniels is a photographer for The Times and feels lousy about his award for a photo in which he felt terrible about, because he was helpless to be able to help anyone within the situation. He is sent out to Swaziland for his next story.
Adanna is a 12 year old girl who grew up in the beautiful Swaziland that has now turned bitter, filled with death and disease due to the AIDS crisis. She has a mother and two siblings.
Both of the main characters are struggling to find God. Why would He allow all this suffering to occur? Where is He? This story does such a great job of putting you in the lives of the people in Swaziland and shows you how God can change people and bring various forms of healing to people. It was a very sad story, but so good.
Stuart Daniels is a photographer for The Times and feels lousy about his award for a photo in which he felt terrible about, because he was helpless to be able to help anyone within the situation. He is sent out to Swaziland for his next story.
Adanna is a 12 year old girl who grew up in the beautiful Swaziland that has now turned bitter, filled with death and disease due to the AIDS crisis. She has a mother and two siblings.
Both of the main characters are struggling to find God. Why would He allow all this suffering to occur? Where is He? This story does such a great job of putting you in the lives of the people in Swaziland and shows you how God can change people and bring various forms of healing to people. It was a very sad story, but so good.
September 6, 2011
This book is...not well written. The writing is startling bad at times. It's also heavy handed. It's written to manipulate your emotions.
But I don't think people read this novel for the writing, they read it for the message. The message is good. Very good. I rate the message with 5 stars. It is so important that we care for one another! It is so important that we not only preach the gospel, but live it as well. We need to reach out to people and help them. We need to do ALL we can.
This book has given me so much to think about. It has made me want to help more; much more. It has made me grateful for what I have and given me a desire to go move Swaziland and set up an orphanage. I'm not sure how I'll do that last one, but maybe I can find a way to help.
But I don't think people read this novel for the writing, they read it for the message. The message is good. Very good. I rate the message with 5 stars. It is so important that we care for one another! It is so important that we not only preach the gospel, but live it as well. We need to reach out to people and help them. We need to do ALL we can.
This book has given me so much to think about. It has made me want to help more; much more. It has made me grateful for what I have and given me a desire to go move Swaziland and set up an orphanage. I'm not sure how I'll do that last one, but maybe I can find a way to help.
August 29, 2012
This book messed up my heart in all the right ways. Having just come back from a mission trip to Kenya, I felt a whole new awareness to the events of the book and the characters that experience them. Almost all of one chapter is highlighted in my Kindle because my heart broke over and over and so many quotes resonated with me. I was outraged by the injustice and grieved by the tragedy, while being warmed by the tender moments in the book. Just as God spoke to Stuart, I feel He called to me as well. Though it may be fiction, the situations within it are all to real for the people in Africa, and it fuels me to do something about it. I recommend it to anyone whose heart breaks for the things that break the heart of God- and those that need to be broken.
October 2, 2011
What an intense book. I actually shied away from it in parts because it was so painful. It reminded me of Beaded Hope, another wonderful story, but this one was more raw. More in your face. More painful. I would be surprised to come across someone who reads this book and doesn't feel compelled to help our fellow man.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the ending. I thought it was a little over the top and just beyond my suspension of disbelief. I wish I could discuss it further but it's a huge spoiler.
What can I do to help? That's what I thought when I closed this book. Maybe I can't help children in Africa but there has to be someone or a group locally who I can get involved with and help.
The only reason I didn't give it five stars was the ending. I thought it was a little over the top and just beyond my suspension of disbelief. I wish I could discuss it further but it's a huge spoiler.
What can I do to help? That's what I thought when I closed this book. Maybe I can't help children in Africa but there has to be someone or a group locally who I can get involved with and help.
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