Behind the Veils of Yemen by Audra Grace Shelby

Behind the Veils of Yemen
by, Audra Grace Shelby

Back Cover:

"Women began to arrive in entry hall, peeling away their black outer coverings. I watched in amazement as shimmering bodies emerged from the black shrouds. One woman sparkled in a purple silk caftan, her arms gleaming with gold jewelry. I smiled to myself. If people only knew what was under those veils. I looked at their faces, artfully painted with makeup, not at all how they appeared in public: dark eyes in narrow black slits. They were like the beauties of Arab folklore. I was awed by the transformation." 

    With only prayer and a faith that always seemed too small, Audra Grace Shelby departed with her husband and children on a one-way flight to Yemen....deep into the heart of conservatives Islam.

With honesty and passion, she shares her harrowing journey as a Christian woman thrust into a culture dangerously different from her own. From the friendships she forged, to her gnawing doubt and fear, to her offers of hope when her new friends' religion failed them, she gives us glimpses of a world most have never seen: behind the veils of real Muslim women -- and how the grace of God touches lives in the midst of an Islamic stronghold.

Review:
I curled up on the couch to read Behind the Veils of Yemen and ended up perched on the side of the couch, book clutched in my hands, until I had turned the last page. This book really struck a cord within me. I am not going to lie - I like to read fiction - but thoughts about this book are still tumbling around in my head a week after I finished reading it. Audra's brutal honesty and transparency into her convictions, her frustrations, her doubt, her joy, her grief, and her faith came across with completely clarity. She is a woman that I can relate to. She struggles with doubts and questions just like I do even though she is a missionary. But what is incredibly encouraging and joy-inspiring is how she grows in her faith through the book, how she perseveres, and how God provides. Our God is amazing! Through Audra's words, I also experienced life in Yemen for a few brief hours. The life that women live there is almost incomprehensible to me... A very, very worthwhile read. 

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 
Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group"