Treachery on the Twisted River by Don Richardson

Treachery on the Twisted River Reviews

• 
  Marti Wade

  Disclaimer: I helped edit this book and it is published by the organization I work for.
  
  This book is a young-adult adaption of the late Don Richardson’s 1974 bestseller "Peace Child." Both describe the early years of his family's ministry among a tribe of headhunters and cannibals in New Guinea in the 1960s. After more than 50 years, perhaps it’s not a spoiler to tell you many of them become followers of Jesus and saw their community transformed, a story revisited in the documentary "Never the Same," which you can find online.
  
  You might liken this version to a Readers Digest condensed book. (Evidentially one of those also exists, though I’ve not seen it). It contains no more than 70% of the original text, simplifying the language and removing some of the description and context, as well as toning down some of the violence, but the book is still quite dramatic. The book begins with quite a long section painting a picture of the Sawi way of life before Don and Carol's story is introduced, so it's not all "missionary story."
  
  The book is marketed as a young adult book for 13-18 year olds. It was adapted by a school teacher who wanted a more digestible version of the story to share the story with her students. There's too much violence and intensity for young/sensitive children; that's intrinsic to the story. But this is certainly an easier read for today's teens (and adults) than "Peace Child." I believe this publication will help keep the story alive in a way that a book written in the 1970s cannot do.
  
  Like many of the most popular mission stories, this one describes ministry in a world that no longer exists. That is both part of their appeal and points to some limitations. The Richardsons' ministry began in the tail end of the colonial era but before colonialism stirred the reaction we see today. The Sawi were a largely isolated tribe of headhunting cannibals; today very few groups like this exist. Many Christians and non-Christians alike expressed horror rather than admiration when missionary John Chau was killed a few years trying to make contact with one--though it's worth taking a second look at his story if you dismissed Chau too quickly.
  
  When Don and Carol first arrived, the Sawi knew nothing of motorboats and airplanes and were divided by tribal warfare. They gathered around the foreigners in large part because they brought things like steel axes and antibiotics. They came to see Don as an honored father of the emerging church. When Don went back for a visit, 50 years after his first, the children and grandchildren of his earlier friends filmed the events on their mobile phones. They now live with other tribes in peace in large part because of the new way of life the Richardsons introduced them to. The gospel continues to spread in the region and the church is mature and thriving. A friend who accompanied Don on this journey noted how Don was still seen as a father, whereas best practices these days would encourage a missionary to avoid such a role. It was a different time.
  
  In many ways, though, the tasks and challenges of cross-cultural missionaries are much the same: Learning language. Adapting to culture. Learning to appreciate and love the people, while looking for opportunities to serve them and open their eyes to the God who made them and desires a relationship with them, and investing in those who respond to share the love of God with others.
  
  I'd continue to encourage people to read books like this one, but as a mission mobilizer would probably also direct them to stories that paint of picture of mission as they or missionaries they know/support might experience it today. A good contrast would be "Threads," a book written by Don's daughter-in-law Arlene Richardson, who with her husband (Don's son Steve) worked in a more complex urban setting, still in Southeast Asia, and used business to empower members the local community while sharing the gospel in ways that invited them to own the process from the start.
  
  Today, living in the US, I find Steve, Don's oldest son, is still more likely to tell stories about his exotic youth growing up in the jungle than about catalyzing church planting and business development in an urban Asian context. I hope we can appreciate both old stories and new. And understanding the tribal way of life and mindset in their more "pure" form as reflected in books like "Peace Child" and "Treachery on the Twisted River" may help us recognize how they still shape many cultures today, once you get past the modern veneer.
  
  If you are a big reader or in a position to require someone to read this story (teacher/professor), you could still go with "Peace Child." If you have less time to give, are reading it aloud, or want to make sure someone you recommend it to makes it to the end, "Treachery on the Twisted River" is a strong choice. You might not want to put "Peace Child" in the hands of young teens; they will probably get bogged down. But you could do that with this book.