If you’re looking for a summer read with a meaningful message, don’t miss My Hands Came Away Red, a novel by Lisa McKay. The plot line follows a group of young people who volunteer for a short-term mission trip to build a church for a village in Indonesia. Although training camp offers a daunting set of challenges, the trip goes well until what should have been the final day. The church built by the mission team is burned down by a Muslim group. The village is ravaged, leaving the pastor, his wife and many villagers dead. The young people take off for the mountains led by the pastor’s son.
The novel is written from the perspective of Cori, a teenager who returns home a changed person. The action keeps you reading and the plot line keeps you thinking about life, death and how to achieve peace in a turbulent world.
