Side by Side (Review)

This review is for the book "Side by Side" by Jana Kelley. This book was really like no other book I have ever read in my life. It was a shocking insight into the lives of Muslims from Sudan.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Mia, an American who traveled to Sudan with her husband, and Halimah, an Arab girl living in Sudan. Mia follows her husband willingly, knowing they are doing what God wants them to do, but life in Sudan is very different from how she imagined it. She is a stay-at-home mother while her husband works endless hours away from home. She has no friends and feels scared and isolated most of the time. Halimah is a Muslim who is questioning her faith. She begins to get deeper and deeper into  learning about the Christian faith until at last she is ready to take that step.

The lives of the Sudanese women in this book may be fictional, but it made me cringe to think of people living in this kind of environment. It made me hopeful for Halimah but also terrified for her. It made me incredibly grateful to be an American.

I think this story is well-written. It will grab your attention for sure. I would love to read more by Kelley in the future.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.