Divine Collision: An African Boy, An American Lawyer, and Their Remarkable Battle for Freedom by Bob Goff

Divine Collision: An African Boy, An American Lawyer, and Their Remarkable Battle for Freedom Reviews

• 
  Glenda

  Early in "Divine Collision," the author tells the starfish story, a myth about the power of one individual to make a difference in the world, even if it's only to save one starfish. The story is a fitting metaphor for Henry's and Jim's narrative.
  
  Jim Gash, a law professor at Pepperdine University, narrates the story of Henry, a Ugandan teen unjustly convicted of murder. The book chronicles Gash's efforts to help free Henry.
  
  I read the book via Sync audiobooks summer reading program, and perhaps the audio is what makes the book seem uneven and often reads more like Gash's story rather than Henry's. Certainly, the stories are intertwined, but Henry's is more compelling.
  
  Additionally, at times the book has a listing effect, as in first this, then this. It's a technique that I don't prefer.
  
  At times Henry's voice interrupts Gash's, and these interruptions strengthen the telling and authenticates the telling.
  
  The book also focuses heavily on the Christian influences of Gash, Pepperdine--a Church of Christ university--and Gash's family. Those who look for Christian literature will like this emphasis.
• 
  ❤Marie Gentilcore

  This was a very uplifting book which I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. It's about Jim, a lawyer and professor at Pepperdine University, who is led by faith to Uganda. He is there for a week to assist imprisoned children with getting their day in court. Some of the children had been there for two years. It is also the story of Henry, a bright Ugandan boy, who is falsely accused of a murder that happened while he was at school. That week in Uganda changes the lives of both Jim and Henry. There is much talk of faith and God but it did not feel preachy at all. I'm very glad to have read this book.
  
• 
  Andrea Cox

  by Andrea Renee Cox
  
  There is something beautiful about serving other people. This came through well in Divine Collision. The fight for a more just and swifter moving justice system in Uganda was interesting to learn about. I enjoyed Henry's story and am glad Jim Gash told it in this book.
  
  That being said, I struggled with this book, mostly because of its organization. Through the first third of the book, the POV never settled long enough for me to feel connected with and invested in any of the characters. There was one POV from a character that died early on and then wasn't mentioned much throughout. I was confused why this person had a POV in the first place. And the end of scenes didn't always lead logically into the next scene, causing things to jump around randomly at times.
  
  Portions of this book came across as pushing international missions, and that really bothered me because there is nothing wrong with doing missions domestically. (There is nothing wrong with international missions either.) Everyone is called to their own piece of the global mission field. Some are called to other countries, while other folks are called to stay in their own backyard, so to speak. While going to Uganda over fifteen times has worked well for Mr. Gash, working as a tutor in my own house in Texas for the last fifteen years has impacted hundreds of lives too. Both of these missions are worthy causes. It bothers me when people push their own ideals of what "mission work" should be, either intentionally or unintentionally making it sound like any other ideal of "mission work" is wrong, because there are numerous types out there and each one has its place.
  
  I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, authors, and sites like Netgalley, Litfuse Publicity Group, and Blogging for Books. They do not require me to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
• 
  Carol

  Listened to this on audio--although it's a very inspirational story, I don't know that I would have gotten through it if I had been reading instead of listening since it is a long and detailed account.
• 
  Joy

  I received this book free via the Audiobook Sync program. I was surprised that they would offer an overtly Christian book in this program. I was even more surprised to begin listening and find that Bob Goff had written the introduction. Having read and been inspired by Bob Goff's Love Does, I was eager to learn what had happened when someone else was inspired by Goff's work.
  
  This story is inspirational and filled with the good work of God, but it's also compelling and a fun read. I couldn't wait to hear what happened in the end and my only complaint was that they put the outcome in the epilogue and continued to drag out the ending for longer than was needed.
  
  I loved hearing how the author's perspective changed from the beginning of the story to the end. I loved hearing about his family's involvement in ministry alongside him.
  
  The audio was very well done, with a separate narrator for Henry, which was very appropriate given the age and ethnic differences.
  
  As I listened I laughed and I cried. This story will stay with me for some time. I highly recommend it.
• 
  Wendi Klaiber

  I loved it!! This is an amazing story of how God used one man to make a difference in so many people's lives. One man who didn't think that he had the calling to missions. One man who just listened to God's calling and served. One man who did make a difference because he was obedient.
  
  This story is very special to me because I had the opportunity to go to Uganda in the summer of 2015 and serve in some of the schools and medical clinics in the rural communities. Two of Jim Gash's children, who is the author of this book, went with me on this trip. They were amazing...hard workers, joyful, and compassionate. It wasn't until Jim spoke at chapel at my school that I began to understand their story and their history with the people of Uganda. Immediately after I heard Jim speak, I had to get his book, Divine Collision. And, it did not disappoint me!
  
  This is an amazing, beautiful story of God's abundant grace and redemption.
  
• 
  Rendi Hahn

  Author Jim Gash is an alumnus from the college where I work (Abilene Christian University), who then went on to study law and teach at Pepperdine University. I had recently heard a little about this story and found a copy of the book. It's a story of perseverance, faith, love and justice, and an unlikely friendship between an American lawyer and a Ugandan teenager. People talk about systemic oppression in the U.S., but it's difficult to compare with the system Ugandan juveniles had to endure while awaiting trial. A host of folks from inside Uganda's government, NGOs and Pepperdine made the system better - that is an encouraging word! An interesting read.
• 
  Becky Kondritz

  Amazing true story about an American lawyer and a Ugandan boy wrongly convicted of a crime. Got a little wordy, but the events are amazing. Power of prayer and faithfulness prominent throughout entire book.
• 
  AH

  5/12/16 - Sync audio book free download - week 2.
• 
  Sally

  Audio File selection
  
  Setting - Africa
  
  This is a book I would have never selected if it had not been a audiofile selection.
• 
  Cathie

  3.5 stars. True story of Jim Gash, a lawyer/teacher who works for Pepperdine University, who ends up in Uganda working to help free imprisoned youth. In particular, this is Jim's story meeting and befriending Henry, a 17 year old Ugandan male who has been wrongly imprisoned on a double murder charge.
  This is also the story of how Jim and his other colleagues helped to reform Uganda's penal system, bringing in plea bargaining aspects to lighten the heavy burden of an overwhelmed judicial system that many times would simply house people waiting for trial for years.
  
  One of the most profound pieces of this book came near the end when Jim was describing Henry's first trip to a shopping mall. Imagine being 19 years old and never before seeing a box of cereal, a frozen package of ground beef, or an elevator, escalator. It was at this point, when Henry was tasting his first piece of pizza in a food court mall, that I realized just how lucky and blessed I have been to been born in a country and time where all of these things are everyday in my life and often I do not even think twice about the ability to access them or use and enjoy many other comforts.
  
  Throughout the book I also was very aware that there are everyday aspects of life that Henry knows that I will never encounter, which foreign to me, but natural to him and his family, seemed hard and incomprehensible to my brain when I compared his life to my middle class upbringing and over consumerism lifestyle.
  
  This is a story of true change that can happen when countries come together to learn and grow.
  
  I would have given this book 5 stars for Henry's and Jim's story of friendship, support, hope and radical change. For anyone not familiar with Pepperdine University, it is Christian based and does amazing advocacy work. The 1.5 stars missing is due to the constant dialogue in Jim's mind of trusting and not trusting God to perform the outcomes that Jim wants. Perhaps that is the mindset of missionaries; the ongoing debate of is it my will or God's Will and please let God's Will be the same as what I know needs to happen thinking. I found this aspect of the book to be distracting from the powerful story of Henry and a country who was in the middle of radical judicial reform.
  
  Jim's community of friends, students, past teachers, family, all need to be given highlight, as they supplied money, emails, hope to help Henry and his family replenish everything that was lost to them when Henry, his brother and his father were arrested. With no way to support herself, Henry's mother, a devout believer in the power and good of God herself, had to sell all the family's cows and chickens in order to survive and keep the house so that there would be a home to return to. Jim, with the financial donations of his community, secured enough money to help the family restart and not by giving a hand out but by truly giving a hand up. (I don't want to say more because it will spoil part of the story for those who choose to read this, but I was uplifted to say the least when I realized that the aid to rebuild what was lost not only did that but also contributed to a solid foundation of Henry's family and community for future years.)
  
  If a book with a lot of Christian foundation and beliefs takes away from your happiness, then this story may not be a happy read for you.
  
  The work done by Pepperdine University to be globally responsible to others needs to be given special acknowledgement. Thank God there are people and institutions that see past their own borders and are willing to share their resources and time that give worldwide opportunities for those wanting to move ahead and try change.
  
  I also give extremely high kudos to the Ugandan judiciary system that was willing to see that how they were responding to their prisoners was not working and for being able to make changes and adapt them as their own that has led to those with past criminal records (wrongfully and rightfully)
  to be able to move out of incarceration and back into the community and rebuild their lives.
  
  This is a happy story about how working together we can do so much more that what viewing our worlds with only our own eyes can see. We all need happy stories.
  
• 
  Andrea

  "But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”
  
  The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”
  
  
  Mi problema con este libro es que, normalmente, yo estoy más interesada en las historias de la estrella de mar que en la del niño que las lanza. En este caso y aunque Jim acabe diciendo lo contrario, él es el niño. Para mí lo más interesante con diferencia es Henry, su historia, su país, su trayectoria y su paso por esa cárcel autorregulada y sin seguridad que todavía me tiene perpleja.
  
  La primera parte del libro, más centrada en Henry es la que más disfruté. Al principio los saltos temporales me parecieron un poco confusos pero en cuanto conoces un poco la historia es muy fácil seguirle el ritmo. También me gustó que intercalaran trozos con la visión de Henry. Son muy pequeños y no puede exactamente considerarse como que cuenta la historia desde su punto de vista (son más bien extractos que dan variedad), pero están tan bien hilados con la narrativa principal que me encantaron.
  
  En esta primera parte es cuando conocemos porque Henry está en la cárcel y las características especiales de esa cárcel. Me quedé con las ganas de saber si la cárcel de Henry era una excepción o es la forma habitual de gestionar el encarcelamiento de menores. Mi sorpresa no tiene tanto que ver con el maltrato que reciben del único miembro a cargo del establecimiento, sino la falta de papeleo, de organización, la confianza en el buen hacer de los supuestos criminales que son los que en realidad dirigen el cotarro y la ausencia total de vallas, seguridad o control. Me hubiera encantado conocer más a fondo esa cárcel y entender qué clase de razonamiento tienen los presos allí que no deciden escaparse a pesar de lo fácil que sería. Como veis la cárcel me dejó intrigada.
  
  La parte del proceso judicial en sí también me resultó apasionante porque ver la desidia, la confianza en la suerte y el buen hacer, al mismo tiempo que la ausencia total de recursos y organización es tan distinto a cualquier otra cosa que yo haya podido conocer que ha sido toda una revelación. De nuevo, yo hubiera leído encantada más información sobre este sistema judicial que parece que se mantiene en pie por pura suerte y la fuerza de voluntad de ciertos jueces y abogados. Como es de esperar, el proceso para liberar a Henry será largo y tortuoso pero precisamente por eso es inspirador e interesante de leer.
  
  La última parte, más centrada en Jim y su trabajo en Uganda me interesó menos. En primer lugar porque tiene muchas más referencias a Dios. Yo no soy una persona especialmente religiosa y el principio de este libro aunque tiene sus referencias, porque los protagonistas son creyentes practicantes, es bastante llevadero. Sin embargo a medida que avanzamos, y especialmente en la parte final, la presencia de la religión se hizo un poco pesada para mí. En segundo lugar, la labor de Jim en Uganda tampoco está especialmente bien explicada y aunque no dudo que tiene mucho valor, carece de la fuerza emocional y de atracción de la historia de Henry. Y por último, como el caso de Henry se extiende hasta la extenuación, pero después de su liberación, apenas hay eventos remarcables, la historia es mucho más lenta.
  
  En general, Divine Collision fue un libro totalmente fuera de mi zona de confort que disfruté pero obviamente no está dirigido a mí. Ha sido una lectura interesante, inspiradora y que me hace querer saber más sobre Uganda y su increíble sistema judicial.
  
• 
  Beth Peninger

  My husband knows me pretty well. He knows what gets me. He bought me this book and I'm super glad that he did because I hadn't heard about this story and it's worth knowing about.
  Jim Gash said something I have said before, "Africa? Nope, no plans on ever going there." Yeah, well - never say ever. *wink* Jim Gash is a lawyer and a professor at Pepperdine in California. Through a series of nudgings he finds himself in Uganda assisting in getting juveniles stuck in the Uganda court systems out. And he meets Henry. Meeting Henry changes everything. Henry has been falsely accused of not just one but two murders - at 15/16 years old! He's stuck in a prison, of sorts, for youth and nobody to speak up on his behalf. Jim and his group of lawyers decide to draw up all the paperwork these kids need in order for a lawyer to present to court and try to get them released or sentences established and reduced. It is an eye-opening and heart-wrenching process for the lawyers. Meanwhile, we hear from Henry as he's in this prison camp of sorts. And while he has his seasons of despair he rises up and works to make life worth it - even in this prison - for the rest of the inmates. He and his brother start teaching the other kids who had never gone to school or had to leave it early. They organize afternoon soccer games to keep physical activity, they have an established kind of government - set up before their time there - that helps keep order, they hold worship services almost nightly. The bond between Henry and Jim grows and deepens as Jim, working from America and with Ugandan lawyers, seeks to get justice for Henry and his brother. But it doesn't stop there. Once justice is realized Jim keeps in Henry's life and makes ways for him to get the education he missed out on and wants to continue in to make a life for himself. It's a really motivating story of what can happen when we focus on just one. One makes a difference.
• 
  Michelle Kidwell

  Divine Collision
  
  An African Boy, An American Lawyer, and Their Remarkable Battle for Freedom
  
  by Jim Gash
  
  Worthy Publishing
  
  Christian, Religion & Spirituality
  
  Pub Date Jan 26, 2016
  
  I was given a copy of Divine Collision by the publisher and there partnership with Netgalley in exchange for my
  honest review:
  
  Henry dreams of going to college but fears he may have to drop out of Senior Three after there family looses there savings. In 2008 Henry, his Father, his Mother and his younger brother Joseph are arrested later there Mother is released but Henry and Joseph are sent to a home until trial which turns out to be a prison. The prisoners in this home all youths experience forced labor and physical abuse. Henry is forced to watch one young boy die because Rose refuses to believe he really is sick.
  
  Jim Gash has never worked a criminal case before, as a corporate lawyer, but a friend and co worker convinces him to help these kids in Uganda.
  
  When Jim sees the inside of the home which consists of twelve foam pads for eighteen boys, little light and the air came in from open air slits, there was only a jug of water and a chalkboard. No chairs or any other furniture. The conditions are not good.
  
  It does not take long for Jim and Henry to begin forming a friendship. But more than that Jim works hard to help free this wrongly imprisoned boy, and end the corruption at the so called home.
  
  In May of 2010 after a lengthy court process Henry is finally released on probation despite the fact that there was really no proof of actually committing a crime.
  
  
  Divine Collision is the story of a unlikely friendship formed out of horrific circumstances but more than that it is a story of faith and Hope in the midst of great adversity.
  
  I give this book five out of five stars.
  
  Happy Reading and Merry Christmas
• 
  Lori Wasson

  This book was about an American lawyer helping out a group of kids in Uganda, accused of crimes they did not commit and subsequently given jail sentences for these crimes.
  
  I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the character of Henry. The book showed his disappointments at his hearings being delayed, depression over being imprisoned when he did not commit a crime, but the book also showed his resilience and perseverance, reaching out to other prisoners, working hard in school when he did get out, and doing something positive in his life. He was a very well-rounded character.
  
  I also liked Jim Gash's own story of perseverance, fighting for these kids, not only to get them out of the "custody", but to remove the crimes they did not commit off their records. He did so much with Pepperdine University and the legal system in Uganda to bring reforms to the criminal system. What I especially liked was Jim's friendship with Henry, keeping in touch by phone and by Skype, and ultimately, getting his family involved in the life of Henry.
  
  About the only thing I did not care in the book was that there were some parts that dragged on. I got a little lost in all the details of the legal stuff and had a hard time keeping track of whether people were in Uganda or in the States. But other than that, I thought this was a really good book.
  
  This book was given to me for free from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
• 
  Minh Nguyen

  Despite the glowing reviews, I had to put this one down. I've only listened to the first 3 chapters, so I won't give a rating but this is what I think of them. I'd expected a documentary-style book, recounting the story, but it was written like a novel, from POV of different characters, even down to the conversations they had with other people. This immediately makes you doubt the authenticity, not of the story itself, but of each of the conversations, what they really said and thought at that particular moment and what really happened. My biggest issue, however, was with the structure of the book. In only 3 short chapters, the author managed to switch back and forth between 3 characters (one of them was killed immediately in Chapter 1 - why bothered making him a POV in the first place? And again, how would the author know what he had really said?) and five different timelines. Yes, FIVE. It started with a flashback the author, then switched to a flashback of another person, then another person's, then a flashback within that flashback and yet another one, within the 2nd flashback, 3 days prio to that, then back to the previous one, and back to the original flashback of the 3rd person. At this point, I can't really move forward and had to stopped listening. There are better options out there and I'd rather spend time on something I truly enjoy.
• 
  Sue

  The author is an American lawyer teaching at Pepperdine Law School who heard Bob Goff speak about love in action and his work with the Ugandan legal system, particularly the juvenile justice system. Many kids were languishing in the system for two years or more. Jim responded as part of a team, thinking it would be a one-time trip and his life could go back to normal. Instead, he was so taken by the stories from the teens he worked with, particularly Henry’s, and made multiple trips over five years to follow it through. He continues to work in the partnership between Pepperdine and Uganda.
  I came across this as I was updating my book lists for various African nations. It sounded good and it lived up to what I'd expected. Here's someone who responded to the call to go and make a difference in the lives of others using what he knows. A powerful testimony.
• 
  Kimberly

  This is a book to pick up when you have time to read it from cover-to-cover. Jim Gash is a Californian law professor who went to Uganda, East Africa. He did not know what would be facing him there or what he would be asked to do.
  
  This is an honest, up-front telling of the pros and cons of Uganda from this man's eyes. He saw how the criminal court system left a lot to be desired, yet he still developed a deep care for the country and the culture.
  
  Divine Collision does not hold back when talking about the country but shows the reader how to see God love everywhere and to not be afraid to accept God's challenges.
  
  I was given this book by Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
• 
  Holly

  Wow. I really wanted to not cry while reading this book, but I basically teared up all the way through it. This was an incredible story; there are so many lessons to be taken from Jim Gash's account ofthe Ugandan mission he and his family found themselves on, and even the children had a profound input. There was an essay written by one of his young daughters that I wanted to photocopy and keep; that's how much it spoke to me! And really the whole book is like that. I highly recommend reading this one. I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaways winner in exchange for an honest review and my views are my own.
• 
  Phil Goerner

  Lawyer works in Uganda to help defend young people in prison. One of the young men in his cases is extremely "good", helpful and would like to be a Dr. Thanks to the lawyer's help, his is acquitted of his charges and begins medical school. Nice. Also, the lawyer works to reform youth's rights to a speed trial...and is successful in changing Uganda Law.
  
  Having been to the compounds of Zambia several times, I could relate to much of what was in this book. I'm curious what some of the ripple effects of his work might have on the people of Uganda.
  
  Nice story of folks doing good work. A bit of Christian theme throughout.
• 
  Terri Floccare

  This is a heartwarming truly remarkable story. Learning these kinds of stories always help me to appreciate what I tend to take for granted as a citizen of this country. I listened to this book and the two narrators did a nice job. We would hear important event from both perspectives. It was easy to differentiate whose piece of the story we were hearing - Jim, the American lawyer from Pepperdine or Henry the Ugandan boy. It's also a story of faith; how to act upon your faith and the surprising places it will take you.
• 
  Heather

  A 2016 SYNC summer audiobook.
  
  4.5 stars!
  
  Henry is a teenager from Uganda, charged and being held for two murders that he didn't commit. Jim Gash is a professor of law at Pepperdine University in California. Both are strong Christians that believe where one door closes another opens. Their two stories meet in Uganda.
  
  This book shows the power of prayer and faith. With the underlying theme that God can make more of you and your situation than you can imagine, if you trust in the Lord and follow the path that He provides for you.
• 
  Angela

  I really enjoyed this inspirational story of how one person's choice to make a difference can have an amazing impact and ripple effect. It was interesting to hear the religious and legal aspects of the story. A little hard to follow sometimes in audiobook form because the author liked to jump around in time at various points to hint at what was going to happen, but otherwise the audiobook was very well done.
• 
  Aimee

  This book was so uplifting. It's about a Ugandan boy falsely accused of murder and imprisoned for years just waiting for a trail. He connects with an American lawyer who helps him and in the process helps change the Ugandan judicial system to help the same thing from happening again. The boy Henry has such faith throughout his trials that God has a plan and he never loses hope. I cried waiting to find out if he got free.
• 
  Diane Petersen

  Loved this book-how paths can cross and change the world.
  
  What a story of how people are brought together in ways we cannot even imagine. In a world of evil and greed it is so encouraging to hear that we can make a difference. It's so good to be reminded that love for our fellow man can change the trajectory of so many lives.
  
  I don't think there was a chapter that I didn't read through tears and laughter. This book is a life changer!