Jumping Through Fires (David Nasser)

This is the story about an Iranian family who barely escaped death during the tumultuous 70's.

This is the story of a boy who experienced major culture shock when transplanted from the Persian Middle East to the American Deep South.

This is the story of a teenage boy's desperation to fit in, to stand out, to be understood, and yet to remain mysterious all at the same time.

This is the story of a man who has, is, and will likely continue to be used in some very big ways to effect positive change.

This is the story of how a new family was woven together from the fabric of two sets of very different religious and cultural heritage.

This story is good enough to be fiction, and without some prior knowledge of the author, I would have sworn it to be so. Action, suspense, romance, mystery? Who knew autobiographies could be so exciting?!

Sprinkled with interesting tidbits of Iranian culture, Jumping Through Fires is the author's amazing life experiences, beginning with his firsthand encounters with the crumbling of Iran's government in the 1970's. Once his family successfully began their new life in America, he experienced a whole new batch of issues in his young life. David Nasser was raised Muslim, but over time and through many elements, as a teenager he became a follower of Jesus Christ. His conversion led him to become a leader among his peers, and eventually a speaker to masses. Once a punk teenager lying to his parents, selling drugs, and rudely mistreating everyone "beneath" him, Nasser has become a respected authority in the transforming grace of God. His transparency in telling his story is rather unlikely from those in such positions of leadership.

My new favorite quote:
"His [God's] unceasing presence in our yesterdays is our hope and assurance for the fires of our tomorrows." pg. 170

Jumping Through Fires (David Nasser)