Praying with the Enemy by Steven T. Collis

 

Based on the true story of an American POW during the Korean War and a North Korean soldier who become unlikely allies united in their shared faith in God during a daring escape to freedom.

When pilot Captain Ward Millar is forced to eject over enemy territory in North Korea, the ejection explosion snaps both of his ankles. Unable to walk, he is easily captured by North Korean and Chinese soldiers who interrogate, threaten, and starve him for strategic wartime information. He feeds the enemy false information while plotting his escape. But it's only a matter of time before they discover his lies. He knows it will take a miracle to gain his freedom, but his previous self-reliance on his own capabilities has never included appealing to a higher power. If only he had faith like his wife, Barbara, whose firm belief in God can move mountains.

North Korean soldier Kim Jae Pil was raised to believe in the power of prayer, but, knowing the Communist Party's views on religious groups, Kim and his family must keep their Christian faith secret. He is desperate to escape the army, return to his family, and then flee to South Korea.

With Millar imprisoned and unable to walk, and the North Korean army increasingly suspicious of Kim's actions, it seems impossible that either man will find the freedom they so desperately desire. But when these wartime foes cross paths, they find in each other an unlikely ally. Despite speaking different languages, Millar and Kim find common ground in their fragile faith and must rely on each other to undertake a daring escape.

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This book really highlights two of my favorite things when reading.  Historical fiction and based on a true story.  I love when those two genres meet!  I haven't read a lot about the Korean War- some, but not a lot.  I know the basics but this story really brought home the feelings of that war and what all the people affected by it must have felt.

I enjoyed the differing perspectives- mostly Ward Millar and Kim Jae Pil, but we also got Ward's wife and a couple others.  This story was engaging and easy to settle into.  I read through it quickly.  The pictures at the end of the book were awesome- I love getting to see the real people!  Ward Millar and Kim Jae Pil were both so courageous, so smart.  They were always thinking, always trying to overcome the poor circumstances they were dealt.  

Overall, for me, this was a great read.  I really love historical fiction and this author did a good job of setting the story up beautifully in my head.

Content:  war time violence, POW experiences, peril.  Talk of God, praying and faith.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.