In 2013-14, I wrote a book titled, Lay Down Your Guns, about a doctor in Honduras who founded medical clinics in the mountains then defended them against the onslaught of drug cartels that threatened to destroy them. The book is narrative non-fiction, and I am very proud of how Dr. Amanda Madrid, how the book came out after following her life for a year.
Lay Down Your Guns is a work of narrative non-fiction. It's a true story that reads like a novel. This is my favorite kind of book to read and to write: in this case a story of a fascinating Honduran female doctor who faced great adversity with courage and compassion.
I spent more than a year researching and writing the book, including a visit to Honduras with my 16-year-old daughter, Anna, who helped me with more than fifty interviews, mountains of notes, thousands of photos to sort through, and communicating in Spanish.
The interviews were done in English because Dr. Amanda Madrid is a much better English speaker than I am a Spanish speaker. Dr. Madrid has an iPad that switches all menus to Spanish and occasionally it changes something from English to Spanish or reverse. One time she was writing about a spinal cord injury and here's the email translation I received: "Spinach Cordoba injure," which sounds tasty!
Dr. Madrid is a spunky, fun-loving, joyous person who is doing serious work in the mountains of Honduras. I believe you will truly enjoy the book and be inspired by her life. There are not enough great stories like hers, written in form of stories to inspire readers. I truly believe Dr. Amanda Madrid's story is one worthy of your purchase today on Amazon and a story you will want to pass on to others.
This was my first audiobook and I'm proud to have actor Zilah Mendoza to voice the book.
How does Dr. Amanda Madrid’s faith help her overcome violence and fear after dangerous drug cartels attack the jungle clinics she has established? How will she achieve her desire to bring hope and healing to the wounded and suffering people in the mountains of Central Honduras?
In Honduras’ “Wild West” mountain jungles, Amanda Madrid found her calling as a medical doctor to poor farmers.
When she was a young girl, Amanda prayed a prayer asking God to help her serve the rest of her life as a doctor. When her father rejected her dream and calling, eighteen- year-old Amanda struck out alone to enter medical school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Her work as a medical officer, international consultant, and director of a multi- national Christian medical group called Predisan could have resulted in prestigious luxury for her. Instead, she became a medical missionary in her own country; her faithfulness to her prayer as a little girl led Dr. Madrid to the mountains on horseback and prepared her for the biggest challenge of her life.
When a drug cartel captures a Predisan clinic in the jungle, Dr. Madrid goes toe to toe with the cartel’s paid mercenaries–she in her signature red high heels and wielding prayer, the soldiers in their combat boots and brandishing AK-47s.
This is the compelling story of a Honduran doctor heartbroken about the many killings and bad medicine of the drug cartels. Can the same kind of love and prayer she gives her patients also cause these violent men to lay down their guns?
Your comments