Natasha Vins

I read Tanya and the Border Guard to my children, and while they enjoyed the story of a Christian family in cold war Russia, they were disappointed that the story was fiction (no matter how true the story is). Children of the Storm was a good "real life" story of the same setting. Natasha tells the story of her life as the daughter of a pastor in Russia, at a time when Christians were "officially" free but actually oppressed. She relates her experiences in the public school, her famiily's show more ordeal when her father was imprisoned, and some of her young adult life until her father was released to the United States. Black and white pictures of Natasha, her church youth group, and others added to the interest of my children. The story itself was well written and challenging for both children and adults. show less

From the Amazon blurb: Young, school-age Natasha receives pressure from her teachers to give her unquestioning allegiance to the Soviet State. Anti-Christian sentiment dogs her family's life as well. The Vins family faces imprisonment, humiliation, court trials, and loss of jobs as part of the persecution waged by their government. In her teen years, Natasha begins to see that doors close to those who remain faithful to Christ. Now she must count the cost and decide for herself whether she show more wants to pay the price. It's a fairly short book recommended by our history curriculum. Makes me appreciate the freedom I've always had as a Christian and admire those who stay faithful in the midst of persecution. show less