Scared: A Novel on the Edge of The World

Tom Davis is the CEO of Children's Hopechest, and he wrote a book called Scared, A Novel on the Edge of the World.

I got an email from Children's Hopechest, advertising a free PDF download of the book if I emailed three people. Since I went to Russia twice before with the aid of Hopechest to visit orphanages, I figured I would help Tom out.
After reading the first chapter, I was beyond impressed. This book is for everyone: photographers, world travelers, people who want to make a difference, and people who don't want to make a difference and stay in their comfortable lives.

Tom & Children's Hopechest are really great people. They give everything they got to make unfortunate kids smile and give them opportunities to have a better life, something we all take for granted. Buy or download this book. Believe me, I wouldn't tell you to read something that was a waste of time.

A rebel commander yelled something just outside the door.
Another shot, and the guard who had just spoken fell dead right on top of me. His blood flowed over my neck and right arm, staining my band of brothers ring crimson. The screaming intensified, people ran, yelled, and died.I scooted against the wall, huddled next to Mike as shots continued to shriek overhead. Plaster exploded and covered us. We tried to make ourselves invisible, curling into the fetal position, wrapping our arms over our heads. A bullet whined by my ear, missing by centimeters. I crawled facedown to the other side of the room, trying to get out of the line of fire.
Then a sudden, deafening silence.

Nobody moved for what seemed like hours. Fear paralyzed me, and the silence thickened, punctuated by an occasional moan or a sob. We waited and waited, wondering when it would be safe to stand, wondering if it would ever be safe.

Finally, I gazed out the window, my eyes searching for rebel soldiers in the yellow-orange gloom of smoke. No figures or
movement.
“I’m going out,” I whispered to Mike.
He didn’t respond
“Hey, listen. Let’s go, man.”
I elbowed him in the ribs.
“Mike!” I grabbed his jacket to turn him toward me. There was
a pinpoint crimson stain on the front of his light blue shirt. His eyes
stared through me.
I was frozen for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then I pulled my camera out of my bag. I picked up Mike’s gear and slung
it around my neck...

Scared - A Novel on the Edge of the World from Children's HopeChest on Vimeo.

Once a celebrated and award-winning photojournalist, Stuart Daniels is reeling from debt, a broken marriage, and crippling depression. The source of Stuart’s grief is his most famous photo, a snapshot of brutality in the dangerous Congo. This haunting image indicts him as a passive witness to gross injustice.

Stuart is given one last chance to redeem his career: a make-or-break assignment covering the AIDS crisis in a small African country. It is here that Stuart meets Adanna, a young orphan fighting for her life in a community ravaged by tragedy and disease. Now what seemed like a chance encounter will forever change their lives.

About the Author
Tom Davis is the accomplished author of Red Letters and Fields of the Fatherless. He also serves as a trainer in leadership development. He holds a Business and Pastoral Ministry degree from Dallas Baptist University and a Master's Degree in Theology from The Criswell College. He is the president of Children's HopeChest, a Christian-based child advocacy organization helping orphans in Eastern Europe and Africa. Tom and his wife, Emily, have five children.