Steve Saint takes us on a personal journey. We get to see how he thinks and what he contemplates. The choices are hard. Would we make the choices he makes? Can a person return and live with a “savage” culture among people who murdered your own father? That is what he is asked to do. It’s the unthinkable. Yet, he knows they have changed. The lives of these Waodani warriors have changed. They have turned away from their vengeful “I’ll get you before you can get me” cultural mores, at least in many ways they have.

Saint wrestles with this idea, and his wife joins in the personal struggle. Then the family makes the jump. They enter the wild unknown, returning to a stone-age culture. This story has many sad and happy moments in it. One thing that Saint does well, he shows how to appreciate another culture without ruining it. He sees the seeds of destruction coming their way which will destroy their land and lives. He makes the hard decisions and becomes part of a bigger process than himself.

Faith is often challenged in this true story, the faith of the daily which doesn’t always deliver that which is “happy.” Shock and sorrow meets the Saint family head on. When this happens, when Steve finds his faith slipping away, it is one of the native Waodani who sees it for what it is, a part of the story, God (Waengongi), is writing with their lives. The thoughts conflict and then truth seeps in. We must accept God’s Plan A, for it is the right plan for us.

This book puts you in the middle of important considerations. It will impress you to evaluate your own faith. I encourage you to read End of the Spear. A movie is also available for purchase. I have not seen it but have been told that it is quite good. End of the Spear movie – Amazon link