Dangerous Territory

Debut author Peterson recounts her trek to Southeast Asia to teach English and serve as a missionary, although she loathes the term because of the negative associations it carries. Like many who were raised in the Christian faith and have thought about overseas work, Peterson longed for God to do something big in her life, admiring the “glamorous” missionary stories of Amy Carmichael, George Muller, and Jim Elliot. Her memoir chronicles two years in a closed country where evangelism is forbidden (she can’t even tell readers her exact placement for fear of putting others in danger) and shares how her faith unraveled when she was discovered as a Christian. Forced to come to terms with results she didn’t want or expect, her understanding of God began to shift and grow in different ways as she experienced a spiritual reorientation. “Was ‘making a difference’ really something I was called to do?” she asks. “No verse in my New Testament asked me to make a difference.” Interspersed throughout her memoir are “interludes” that discuss the background of missionary work and the consequences—good and bad—that stem from it, which adds a nice touch of critical analysis to her personal narrative. Peterson is a thoughtful writer whose honest prose will appeal to any readers wanting to align themselves with God’s will, whether in a foreign land or at home. (Feb.)