A People Tall and Smooth: Stories of Escape from Sudan and Israel contains the accounts of five people who fled Sudan and ultimately ended up in Israel. The accounts are filled with details that may not be easy for young listeners or old to hear. However, they are accounts that reveal the reality of mistreatment and genocide in our own time.

This 214-page book is written from the perspective of a person who helps to run a hostel for refugees in Israel. Over time and through the use of translators, the life stories of these refugees are revealed. The fortitude of the human spirit and the desire to live resounds through each account.

I certainly gained a greater awareness of the political dynamics in this region while reading the writings of Mrs. Pex. As is the case with many volatile situations, much of what is revealed in this book is never disclosed in mass media. These powerful personal accounts encourage the reader to evaluate the political forces at work, our responsibility to aid refugees, and even the special manner in which Israel welcomed these refugees.

In sharing parts of these stories with our children, we helped them gain a greater awareness of what true persecution is and the fact that it occurs in our time. This understanding is sometimes very difficult for those who are enjoying the blessings of freedom in America and material wealth when compared with so many around the world.

A People Tall and Smooth is a book that can certainly be used in studying current world events and our response as Christians. It can also be integrated into a Bible study that explores God as our Provider, Protector, and Sovereign God. Most of all, I believe Judith Pex would encourage all of us to consider how we treat those that God divinely puts in our path each day.

Product review by Dawn Oaks, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, September 2011