I was a bit nervous going into this book, based on the title. I wasn’t sure what it would be like, and I rarely read the back cover. I did know that Mom had read and enjoyed the book, so I dove into it—and I’m so glad I did! I had no idea, before reading this book, where Albania even was, so getting to see this portrait of the country from fifty years ago was fascinating. It’s hard to imagine such repressive regimes controlling every little part of people’s lives like this—and inspiring to get to witness Christians standing up for their faith and trying to make a difference in the world, no matter how big or little of an impact they might have.

This book was a much different read from some of the others I’ve encountered in this series; in some ways, it felt almost like a play-by-play account of how Albania’s government, culture, and people worked back in the 1970s. This book gives a lot of information about Albania—it’s almost more of a travel journal or history of the country, rather than just the story of a trip into the closed nation. I found that interesting, and had to wonder if one of the main purposes in writing the book was to give Christians more information about Albania, so they could pray and perhaps some would be stirred to minister there. As a travel journal, this book wasn’t quite as gripping as some stories (it just had a lot less action than other books in the series), but I still found it a fascinating read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I hope I’ll get the chance to read more in the series eventually. This was an encouraging story. ( )