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43rd out of 269 books
—
385 voters
My Hands Came Away Red
by
Lisa McKay (Goodreads Author)
Cori signs up for a mission trip to Indonesia during the summer after her senior year of high school. Inspired by happy visions of building churches and seeing beautiful beaches, she gladly escapes her complicated love life back home.
Six weeks into the trip, a conflict that has been simmering for years flames to deadly life on the nearby island of Ambon. Before they can l...more
Six weeks into the trip, a conflict that has been simmering for years flames to deadly life on the nearby island of Ambon. Before they can l...more
Paperback, 391 pages
Published
September 1st 2007
by Moody Publishers
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One of the best books, Christian or otherwise, that I've read in a long time. One of those stay-up-late-to-finish-it, convince-others-to-read-it kind of books. A gripping adventure, an exotic location, and a believable heroine with very relatable struggles...what are you waiting for?
Great fictional book on the lives of a handful of teenagers who endure a traumatic experience together. As the teenagers are on a missions trip overseas, their world becomes forever turned upside down by a quasi-civil war. I thought the author did an excellent job portraying the likely responses of any individual put in this situation. The symbolism between the psychological issues the teens in the book encounter and what any individual who has been involved in mission or foreign aid work is app...more
I picked this book up after reading the back cover and thinking it looked really interesting. It's about a girl who leaves her friends and family behind to go on a mission trip of sorts in Indonesia. What starts out as a great experience (making new friends, building a church, relationships with the local Christian villagers, etc) turns into a religious war of sorts between the Muslims and Christians in neighboring villages. The main character, and the others are forced to flee the village, and...more
Feb 02, 2008
Kimberly
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Christian fiction, armchair travelers
Shelves:
gentle-reads
What a great book! So often I will hear news stories or read about violence in other countries and, although this is horrible, not even pay attention. Sometimes those stories are coming from so far away that it is easy to gloss over the real pain and suffering that occurred. This book, although fictional, really made the violence, fear and confusion of those upheavals seem real.
The characters' struggles to understand what they are seeing and experiencing was beautifully presented. Their question...more
The characters' struggles to understand what they are seeing and experiencing was beautifully presented. Their question...more
What a great book! I am not one to LOVE "Christian" fiction, but this one was so well written, and the plot was very interesting, not one I had ever read about before. It is the story of a group of teens on a mission trip that goes horribly wrong. I thought the narration was excellent and it ended without tying up every loose string, which seems so sitcom-like. The characters each reacted a different way to tragedies, especially what they believed about God. I highly recommend this to anyone who...more
Nov 01, 2007
Michelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants God to speak to them about world missions
Wow! I finished this book at 6:15 am after staying up late reading it and then getting up at 5 am to finish. Best book I have read since A Thousand Splendid Suns. It is about a group of college-age students on a missions trip when things go horribly wrong. I laughed, I cried, and most of all, I was moved to consider how much I take my life (and my ability to worship freely) for granted. God definitely spoke to me through this book. Read it...you'll see what I mean!
Wow - this was a heart-wrenching book, but SO GOOD! If there were 4 1/2 stars I'd give it that. The characters are great (and so real and relatable, I felt like I was one of them!), the writing is great, the story is great (but as I said, heart-wrenching), what else can I say? I definitely recommend it!!!
In this fast-paced, thought-provoking debut novel, McKay, a psychologist who works with humanitarian relief, explores injustice, religious reconciliation, suffering and faith through the eyes of an 18-year-old girl whose mission trip goes tragically awry. For Cori and a team of Christian teens, building a church in Indonesia sounds like a fun project. After an overly long prologue, McKay describes how they journey to the island of Seram and bond with the Indonesian villagers. However, even as th...more
I started this book on 04/12/2009. I finished this book on 04/18/2009.
WOW is the best word to describe this book. I actually gave it five stars and I'm very picky with what books get my five stars...It's that good. It's amazing and although the characters are fiction the fighting in Ambon is so real. Through the whole book I was just amazed at the choices this group of teens had to make. Although I wished Cori and Kyle had of ended up a couple it was okay in the end. This is one of the few books...more
WOW is the best word to describe this book. I actually gave it five stars and I'm very picky with what books get my five stars...It's that good. It's amazing and although the characters are fiction the fighting in Ambon is so real. Through the whole book I was just amazed at the choices this group of teens had to make. Although I wished Cori and Kyle had of ended up a couple it was okay in the end. This is one of the few books...more
1 like · like · see review
This is a wonderful book. If you are a Christian teen who wants a good story without a message that sounds like it came out of Reader's Digest, then this is for you. The author could have you laughing one minute and crying the next. It is a great story. I loved the characters. Their personalities, emotions, hopes and fears, etc. came across in such a way that they were completely believable. Very well done. For those who have already read the book, my fave scenes are " Kyle's Wild Pig", "Mark, T...more
1 like · like · see review
Review by Gigi Hoffman
Eighteen-year-old Cori wanted to get away after her high school graduation. Things were complicated and confusing with her boyfriend, Scott, so she signed up to go on a ten-week missions trip to build a church on a small island in Indonesia.
After several weeks on the island, the church is completed, but an event leaves the group of teenagers away from their team leader and his wife for a few days. No biggie. However, during those couple days, a conflict that has been fester...more
Eighteen-year-old Cori wanted to get away after her high school graduation. Things were complicated and confusing with her boyfriend, Scott, so she signed up to go on a ten-week missions trip to build a church on a small island in Indonesia.
After several weeks on the island, the church is completed, but an event leaves the group of teenagers away from their team leader and his wife for a few days. No biggie. However, during those couple days, a conflict that has been fester...more
"My Hands Came Away Red" is a very well-written Christian suspense/general fiction novel. The details were so vivid and rich that I was immersed in the story, and I'm still half-convinced these events really did happen. The characters were vividly real, complex, and acted in very realistic (and varied) ways to the situations they faced.
The high level of suspense was mainly from the physical danger they were in but also from relationship tensions. The main characters were Christian teens, and the...more
The high level of suspense was mainly from the physical danger they were in but also from relationship tensions. The main characters were Christian teens, and the...more
Jan 31, 2012
Trinity Rose
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-books-of-2012
This is the first book I’ve read by Lisa McKay and I really loved it. It was just astonishing. I was completely engrossed in My Hands Came Away Red. If I didn’t know better I would have believed this to be a true story. It was so captivating.
This book was published in 2007 and the next year it was a Christy Award Finalist. Even though it is an older book it still is of great magnitude and needs to be read. It makes you think about your cozy little life and you realize so many people are fighti...more
This book was published in 2007 and the next year it was a Christy Award Finalist. Even though it is an older book it still is of great magnitude and needs to be read. It makes you think about your cozy little life and you realize so many people are fighti...more
I really enjoyed this book. It had well developed characters that I could really relate with and learn from. This book was written based on true events from recent history, but the voice of the main character Cori (who's perspective the book is written from) is so authentic, that it almost seems like this book is somebody's journal. For anyone who's ever been on a mission trip, this story is especially moving, and I like that it is real as the characters confront conflicts within their faith and...more
Mediocre writing, great plot, poor diction, average character development. If you are looking for a human rights book to bring awareness to violence in 3rd world countries, this book is for you; but if you are looking for a spiritual growth bildungsroman (coming-of-age story) about turning to God in desperate times, you will be sorely disappointed. This book is everything that's wrong with the Church. In this book, God is a background object that is used as a prop when convenient; there is no gr...more
It was OK, a bit slow moving at parts. I thought it odd, though, that as Cori writes this memoir and searches for the meaning of why God would allow this to happen to her and her friends, that she never really grasps it (and as the reader, I see it.) Was it just me who didn't see her "getting it"?
This is an excellent book about kids on a mission trip in Indonesia when religious conflict breaks out and their adventure of trying to get home with only a seventeen year old Indonesian boy as their guide. Excellent, thought provoking.
This story is about Cori, a teenager who goes on a mission trip in Indonesia. While there, she and 6 others, are thrust into the middle of a conflict between Christian and Muslims. The pastor's son, Mani, watches his parents masacured in the village. Cori and the others flee into the jungle to escape. The story centers on the characters and their struggles during their journey home. There is a romantic element to the story, too. Cori has planned the mission trip to sort out her feelings about he...more
I absolutely loved this book. I read it three times consecutively! I love the way the author portrayed the characters' emotions. It wasn't cheesy or boring, but completely relateable. I'm not usually into adventure-y books, but this book is definitely one of my absolute favorites.
If you're really picky about good sentence structure, you might not enjoy this book quite as much. There isn't as much sentence variation as in some books and a few phrases can be a little repetative (Like "she said......more
If you're really picky about good sentence structure, you might not enjoy this book quite as much. There isn't as much sentence variation as in some books and a few phrases can be a little repetative (Like "she said......more
Having gone on three TMI teams as a teenager, the first chapters of this book had me laughing and reminiscing about Boot Camp, remembering things I hadn't though about in almost 20 years. The rest of the book was just heartbreaking, but it was a fabulous read. Even for teams that don't end that badly, saying goodbye is difficult; I had almost forgotten how it feels to spend every minute of every day with a group of peers, only to part with them after two and a half months and realize you'll neve...more
Two days ago I was scanning the shelves at Borders, looking for something new and exciting to read. The title of the novel caught my eye, and I have been glued to my couch ever since. I just turned the last page, and wow! What an intense and moving story. It is refreshing to find a Christian author with her sense of reality and truthfulness, especially without spoon feeding the gospel in a couple of cheesy paragraphs.
The writing is beautiful and engaging, and I love the way she strings together...more
The writing is beautiful and engaging, and I love the way she strings together...more
Jul 27, 2011
Dawn Pappas
added it
Excellent book, I couldn't put it down. It's written in the first person by a young girl who goes on a teen missions trip with 5 other teenagers to help an Indonesian pastor build a church. The characters are fiction but it takes place in 1999 when the Ambon uprisings began between the Muslims and Christians. After a tragic event, the teenagers are led thru the mountain jungles by the pastor's son to try to find a way back to an airport to get them back home. The story walks you thru the girls f...more
I read this book on a whim one summer in high school, and I remember loving it. It appealed to my adventurous self- traveling to a foreign country (Indonesia), and it appealed to my faith- going on a mission trip overseas. I connected with the protagonist, Cori, and found myself willing the group to stay safe and alive. Throughout the story, Cori not only grew as a person, but also grew in her faith. The story made me more aware of just how dangerous it is for foreigners and Christians to travel...more
I think I have been sucked into a survival of the fittest kick. I had heard of this book but did not realize that it was a Christian fiction book. I enjoyed the book because it did a wonderful job of allowing the story to move along without talking down to the reader from a moral high ground. You were able to enjoy the growth of the characters on a spiritual and personal level. The story itself takes you into the jungles and beaches of Indonesia during a politically tense time. When situations r...more
Wow. That was my first thought upon finishing this story. As much as I enjoyed Ms. McKay's memoir, this book.....well. It stayed in my brain for hours afterward, even amongst the craziness of airplanes, airports, baggage, seeing my family, etc., and didn't turn off until I fell asleep that night. Even almost two weeks later, this story haunts me. I think I'm going to have a hard time putting it into words, it was that amazing! I'm really going to try to not spoil much of this story, as it truly...more
By and large, what is most gripping about this book is the setting. It focuses on a group of teenagers on a missions trip in Indonesia and they get caught up in fighting between Muslims and Christians. Maybe I don't read enough, but I haven't personally come across fiction that delves into such a subject in this way. I had a hard time sometimes with the teenage characters, as they seemed a bit flat, but maybe that was because they were teenagers. But the story propelling the book was this fight...more
Feb 15, 2013
Shyla
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Shyla by:
read it with my bookclub
Just finished this book. I would have given this book a 4 1/2 stars if I could have but since I can't I have to give it five since I think it worth more than just four. I really enjoyed this book.
It is about 6 american teens going on a mission trip to Indonesia to help build a church in a small village. Once they arrive they meet Mani a local native their own age who's father is the pastor, and he helps them build the church and show them the ways of the village. The story is told from Cori's p...more
It is about 6 american teens going on a mission trip to Indonesia to help build a church in a small village. Once they arrive they meet Mani a local native their own age who's father is the pastor, and he helps them build the church and show them the ways of the village. The story is told from Cori's p...more
Feb 24, 2008
Kelly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who don't mind an occasional reference to faith
When you go to the library, you risk unwittingly picking up a Christian novel, I recently discovered. Had I read all the little critic bites I would have seen it referred to as "one of Christian fiction's best novels of the year", but I never read those things because they're just well-picked propaganda. But anyway, it turns out that this book was pretty good. The Christian element was really subdued, not preachy or judgmental at all, and in fact my opinion is that it doesn't really even need th...more
From the first time I saw this in the book store I was eager to read it, but had to wait. When I finally got a copy I was not disappointed. This is a book about a girl and a group of people she doesn't know going on a missions trip. It starts of great with them making friends and making a difference before it all goes terribly wrong.
This book is the kind of book that will make you cry and make you think. This is a book I have recommended (with great feedback) and will continue to recommend.
This book is the kind of book that will make you cry and make you think. This is a book I have recommended (with great feedback) and will continue to recommend.
I'm not into Christian fiction, but this was pretty good. This is about a Christian short-term missions trip gone terribly awry. Where young Western protagonists find themselves caught up in cultural and political forces far greater than they, or those who invited them there, could have imagined. Placed in the context of real events, this story is psychologically true yet spiritually understated, even oblique. No one who has dealt with "real missions" walks away unscathed, and these people don't...more
Lisa McKay is an author and psychologist specializing in stress, trauma, and resilience. She is currently living in Laos.
More about Lisa McKay...
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“I was surprised to learn that there was yet another type of tired. On Seram we'd had physical tired. The type of tired when a thousand muscles are screaming at you to quit walking, sweat's running off you, and only the energy you manage to generate from gritting your teeth helps you take the next step. That type of tired can keep the emotional tired safely at bay-the tired when sadness is a physical weight, a thick smothering, aching thing. That was the dangerous type of tired we couldn't afford on Seram. That's the type of tired that makes you want to sit still and listen to despair.”
—
1 person liked it
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Nov 23, 2007 05:10pm