Ronald Clements & Steve Metcalf
Monarch Books (2011)
ISBN 9781854249708
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (5/11)
Steve was the child of missionaries and lived in Japan for most of his life, learning the ways of the Japanese and how they viewed life. Being part of missionary family life wasn’t always easy- one had to learn to live with the very basics of life and sometimes less.
Life was good for Steve and his family until war broke out in 1942 and he found himself a prisoner in a war camp. Each day was spent just learning to survive, no matter what it took. Food was scarce, clothes dirty and near rags. Imagine 400 plus internees in a camp, many of them children with very few adults to care for them. Stealing, beatings and torture were not uncommon.
Eric Liddell became a friend of Steve’s and loved to practice what he preached. Steve could tell he really loved what he was doing, until the day he asked Steve to pray for the Japanese.
Through many months at different internment camps, just trying to survive, readers will see the heartache and pain that these individuals went through; yet, at the same time, you will see the love one has for God. Many miracles happened during this time. Hopefully no one will ever have to go through this – it is unforgettable.
“In Japan the Crickets Cry” will give one a greater understanding of what families and individuals went through and hopefully we will better understand the meaning of loving our neighbor.
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