Book Review – Safely Home

Back Cover Blurb
Is this the day I die? Li Quan asks himself this question daily, knowing that he might be killed for practicing his faith.

American businessman Ben Fielding has no idea what his brilliant former college roommate is facing in China. He expects his old friend has fulfilled his dream of becoming a university professor. But when they are reunited in China after twenty years, both men are shocked at what they discover about each other.

Thrown together in an hour of encroaching darkness, both must make choices that will determine not only the destinies of two men, but two families, two nations, and two worlds.

The late Chuck Colson called this book “a powerful work” and he was right.

In fact, the most telling thing you can know about this book before reading it is the people named in the dedication. Each member of the Graham Staines family (Graham Staines and his two sons, Philip (age 10) and Timothy (age 6) were burned to death in their van on January 23, 1999, while serving as missionaries to India) and the hundreds of men, women and children killed for Christ each day.

A suitable, if daunting dedication to a novel dealing with the odd juxtaposition of a persecuted church and a sleeping church.

I must tell you Safely Home is a tough read. Author Randy Alcorn paints a picture of horrific deeds done to the servants of Christ.

But I must also tell you it’s a MUST READ for anyone who wants a clear picture of what Christians the world over face on a daily basis. Things those in Western society can scarcely begin to imagine.

Safely Home is Christian fiction first published in 2001. It is written in a literary style and from an omniscient/third person point of view. The story is told through two unique characters. Li Quan is a Harvard educated Chinese man who returned to China to teach. Ben Fielding was his Harvard roommate, and has become an American businessman working to promote the company in China. Two very different men who began in a common place, took divergent paths, and met again twenty years later.

Other main characters include Quan’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, each of whom was martyred. This trio watches unfolding events from an other-worldly perspective.

Every character – major and minor – is imbued with unique qualities that are common to each of us and should either inspire us to reach higher and stretch further or take a hard look at ourselves.

This is not a book to read if all you’re looking for is escape. Quite the contrary. When you open the pages, you will step directly into the world of Li Quan and Ben Fielding and find yourself facing unspeakable evil.

But the writing, the characters, a twisting and complicated plot woven of countless threads, combined with glimpses into the ‘behind the scenes’ spiritual warfare kept me up reading until 2:15 a.m. to finish the book.

It’s too soon, yet, to know how profoundly this book may change my attitudes toward the True Church and the church I’ve become familiar with, but one thing is certain. I can’t look at them the same way anymore.

You may find the same to be true for you, as well.

About the Author
Randy Alcorn is an author and the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit ministry dedicated to teaching principles of God’s Word and assisting the church in ministering to the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled, and unsupported people around the world. His ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity. He accomplishes this by analyzing, teaching, and applying the biblical truth.

Before starting EPM in 1990, Randy served as a pastor for fourteen years. He holds degrees in theology and biblical studies and has taught on the adjunct faculties of Multnomah University and Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon.

Randy has written more than forty books, including the bestsellers Heaven, The Treasure Principle, and the Gold Medallion winner Safely Home. His books in print exceed five million and have been translated into over thirty languages. Randy has written for many magazines including EPM’s quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives. He is active daily on Facebook and Twitter, has been a guest on more than 700 radio, television and online programs including Focus on the Family, FamilyLife Today, Revive Our Hearts, The Bible Answer Man, and The Resurgence.

Randy resides in Gresham, Oregon, with his wife, Nanci. They have two married daughters and are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research, and reading.

Other Books You Might Enjoy
Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry
The Weeping Chamber by Sigmund Brouwer

Disclaimer: You can learn more about Safely Home by clicking on the image at the top of this post. The link will take you to Amazon.com, where you will also be able to purchase the book. The link contains affiliate code information. That means that if you do purchase through the link, Amazon will pay me a commission on the sale. If you chose to do so, thank you.

If you prefer to purchase directly, all you have to do is open a new browser link and go to Amazon.