Gardens of Water



Reflecting pool and gardens at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco


My friend Kristan's blog asked readers to name their favorite books of 2010. That was hard. I read a lot of good books over the past year. I don't think I could name my favorite; choosing books isn't an apples to apples comparison. But if I had to pick the most impactful book that I read in 2010, it would be Gardens of Water by Alan Drew. I was so taken by the book that I was compelled to write to the author afterward and was thrilled when he wrote me back.

The story is about two families in the aftermath of the Marmara earthquake in Turkey. (Which he really experienced.) One family are Muslim Kurds, the other American missionaries. The father of the Turkish family, Sinan, wants nothing to do with the Americans. But the American wife saves his son in the earthquake and his daughter is smitten with the American son, and their lives can no longer remain separate.

I was appalled as I read about the overzealousness of the missionaries. It reminded me of things I experienced in Haiti and I told that to Alan. I wrote:

I was shocked by Marcus Bey's actions. And by his son's. But it immediately reminded me of when I was in Haiti. Some of the church members on my trip lured children to the church with the promise of new shoes. Now, we had tons of shoes, clothes, toys, etc. that we'd brought to give out to the children in the orphanages we were visiting, and the need all over Haiti was great. But these church ladies would only give the shoes to a certain little boy if he came to church. His mother was against it and didn't come, but they took him anyway and gave him new shoes -- once he nodded that he wanted to be saved and accepted Jesus Christ as his saviour. He didn't even understand what they were saying, but they moved forward with saving him anyway.

Alan responded that my experiences were unbelievable and yet, believable. He'd heard from many missionaries after his book came out. Some of their messages surprised him. Apparently his words touched the nerves of many readers.

So, I can't say that Gardens of Water was my favorite read of 2010, but it definitely stirred something in me. I'm still waiting for Alan Drew to write another book.