Answering the Call: The Doctor Who Made Africa His Life: The Remarkable Story of Albert Schweitzer

by Ken Gire

Overview

Revere life, and give yours away for the sake of servingothers.

As ayoung man, Albert Schweitzer seemed destined for greatness. His immense talentand fortitude propelled him to a place as one of Europe’s most renownedphilosophers, theologians, and musicians in the early twentieth century. YetSchweitzer shocked his contemporaries by forsaking worldly success andembarking on an epic journey into the wildsof French Equatorial Africa, vowing to serve as a lifelong physician to “theleast of these” in a mysterious land rife with famine, sickness, and superstition.

Enduring hardship, conflict, andpersonal struggles, he and his beloved wife, Hélène, became French prisoners of war during WWI, and Hélène later battled persistent illnesses.

Ken Gire’s page-turning,novelesque narrative sheds new light on Schweitzer’s faith-in-action ethic andhis commitment to honor God by celebrating the sacredness of all life.

The legacy of this 1952 NobelPrize honoree endures in the thriving African hospital community that began ina humble chicken coop, in the millions who have drawn inspiration from hisexample, and in the challenge that emanates from his life story into our day.

Albert Schweitzer seemed destined for greatness—and he achieved it bymaking his life his greatest sermon to a world in desperate need of hope andhealing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595550798
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	03/18/2013
Series:	Christian Encounters Series
Pages:	186
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ken Gire is the author of more than 20 books including the bestsellers, The Divine Embrace and Intimate Moments with the Savior. A graduate of Texas Christian University and Dallas Theological Seminary, he lives in Texas.

Table of Contents

Author's Note xi

Chronology of Albert Schweitzer's Life xiii

Foreword xix

1 The Tolling of the Bell at Lambaréné 1

2 First Glimpses of a Foreign Shore 5

3 A Home Among the Hills 19

4 The Peaceful Prisoner of War 45

5 Three Sacrifices Returned 71

6 Living in Lambaréné 87

7 Living Between Two Worlds 105

8 Little Miracles in Lambaréné 117

9 A Lamp Lights the Way 129

10 A Good Shepherd's Testimony 149

Afterword: The Mysterious Ripple Effect 157

Acknowledgment 165

Editorial Reviews

Renaissance man Albert Schweitzer’s long and storied life (1876–1965) as a missionary, doctor, philosopher, and organist is distilled into a concise parable, centered around his multiple sojourns in West Africa, where he established a hospital. A Christian author and speaker, Gire (At Peace in the Storm) delivers Schweitzer’s life as a homily, presenting his subject’s “philosophy of reverence for life” in potent, accessible imagery: treating patients, personally laboring in hospital construction, nurturing injured animals. Clear prose and spiritual inspiration generally supersede details and absolute fact. Conversations are “surmised and assumed,” and “a couple of characters” are admitted to be inventions (though it isn’t clear which ones). Through such literary liberties, Schweitzer is given an expository voice, using casual conversations to provide backstory to his rich life. Though his depiction of the doctor is a generally objective narrative, Gire’s faith occasionally emerges in religious phrasing, which may alienate non-Christians. The birth of Schweitzer’s daughter becomes the “promise of God,” and a financial boon at his mission hospital makes it a “great day for the kingdom of God.” This approach condenses the 90-year life of a noble humanitarian into a brief motivational sermon, an uncomplicated summation of Schweitzer’s life suitable for an interested Christian fellowship. Agent: Greg Johnson, WordServe Literary (Apr. 16)

Publishers Weekly

This spiritual biography of Albert Schweitzer focuses on his years in Africa. Not a traditional portrait, the book is more of a series of scenes or episodes, with the author creating the dialogue. Jim Sanders narrates the narrative portions with an appropriate level of emotion, but the author’s sometimes stilted dialogue comes across less successfully. Also, Sanders occasionally pauses at odd times in sentences, which can be distracting, although it doesn’t happen often. Overall, author and narrator pair fairly well. In introductory material, the author says he hopes the book is made into a TV miniseries. Perhaps writing this book as a novel inspired by actual events would have been a better literary route. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

MAY 2013 - AudioFile