Sheba's Song
Inspiring Story of an Indian Girl and her American Sponsor
Harbison, J.A.
ISBN: 0972727906
Publisher: WorldChristian Books
Price: US$10.99 pback
Pages: 183
Sale Price: $5.49 (50% discount)
The Story of an Indian Girl and her American Sponsor
Sheba is a little girl growing up in a slum in Madras. Her life changes
when a farmer in America decides to sponsor her education. From the age
of eight to sixteen, Sheba studies in an English medium school and
becomes aware that life has so much to more to offer if only she can
escape being married off early. The pangs of growing up are sensitively
chronicled. Sheba must battle a society in which the odds are always
stacked against women. Much like any other girl, she deals with
maintaining her grades, an unwanted suitor, being misunderstood by her
parents and her own conflicting desires and dreams.
Alongside Sheba's story is a parallel plot: the life of Clayton
Crenshaw, Sheba's sponsor from a small town in Iowa, America. Through
his letters, written faithfully over his years of sponsorship, Sheba
comes to know an ordinary man and his family who sought to do something
extraordinary by helping an unknown girl in a faraway land. Written in
an informal, chatty manner, his letters offer her encouragement far
beyond mere finances. They also afford Sheba a glimpse into the life of
a simple, hardworking, god-fearing farmer.
The book is written in hindsight. Sheba finds Mr. Crenshaw's letters
many years later. She is now a mother and teacher. Upon rereading his
letters, she feels the urge to tell Mr.Crenshaw her story; to express
now, all that she could never have expressed as a child. The ensuing
tale is Sheba's Song.
Joe Harbison has lived and worked in South and South East Asia for
nearly twenty years. He and his wife have been involved in social
development programs including work in HIV/AIDS and programs for
orphaned girls in northern Thailand. Joe has a Masters degree from
Fuller Seminary and lives with his family in Bangkok.
Last update: 2003, Nov 14 | Return to Main Bookstore page | YWAM HomePage