I read this as a teenager and loved it. I tried re-reading it as an adult and couldn't even finish it. I did not think it was very good. So that's why I gave this book 3 stars. ( )

NOT an easy book to read, the harsh brutality Vanya suffered for his faith is all in here in this well-written biography of a modern day martyr. While I know we live in a world where it's apparently acceptable to mistreat others for their faith, whatever it may be, that doesn't make mistreatment right. Some people think that Christian martyrdom ended in the Roman Colosseum, but it didn't; in fact, it didn't even end when the Iron Curtain came down. I don't have any respect whatsoever for a person who is wiling to kill for his faith, but I do have compassion and respect for a person who is willing to die for his. Vanya's story is a tragic one, and a harsh one, but at the same time, it's a reality check sorely needed by most of us in the Western Church who aren't willing to die to the flesh, much less in it--not for ourselves or for anyone else. Vanya's life was an exemplary one, and he lived and died for something. How many of the rest of us can that be honestly said about? ( )

This is a true story of Ivan (Vanya) Moiseyev, a soldier in the Soviet Red Army who was ruthlessly persecuted and incarcerated for his faith. He never denied his Savior, and he never hesitated to share the gospel with anyone who would listen. In addition to the documentary evidence on Vanya's death, she examined transcripts of court trials and many other documents on the Russian treatment of Christians. Out of this careful study and the author's sensitivity to human nature came the story that fills these pages.

Story of Ivan (Vanya) Moiseyev, a soldier in the Soviet Red Army, who was ruthlessly persecuted and incarcerated for his faith.